SEQ recycled water - Rain sparks calls for Qld to quit recycling plans ...

Excerpt from ABC News:

Rain sparks calls for Qld to quit recycling plans

20 November 2008

Recent rain wreaking havoc in south-east Queensland has renewed a push for the State Government to cancel plans to use recycled water.

Plans are in place for Brisbane to become the first town or city in the nation to use recycled sewage for drinking by the end of next year, with recycled water to be pumped to the Wivenhoe Dam through the $1.7 billion western corridor pipeline.

But the recent rain has pushed the combined total of south-east Queensland's dams above 43 per cent, the highest level in three years.

Last night's rain alone caused the biggest overnight increase since March this year with levels rising 1.4 per cent.

Recycled water opponents say there is a risk of viruses, bacteria and chemicals entering the drinking supply and that it should really only be for industrial use.

Citizens Against Drinking Sewage spokeswoman Rosemary Morley says the recent dam increases means the Government can and should stop plans for human consumption of recycled water.

"I'll think you'll find that [Queensland Premier] Anna Bligh will reconsider the water issue as she's going to an election," she said.

"It's a poison pill to take to an election."

She says the Government needs to build more dams to catch rain, rather than making people drink "dangerous" recycled water.

"People need to call for legislation to be put in place to ensure we're never put in this situation again," she said.

"Anna Bligh is the boss ... she can stop [recycled water being used]."

Australian National University (ANU) Professor Patrick Troy says the dam increase gives the State Government a legitimate excuse to consider using recycled water only for industrial use, and not for drinking.

"It is appropriate to consider using recycled water for a variety of activities which don't necessarily involve human consumption ... [and] subjecting the population to diseases and variety of illnesses," he said.

"Recycled [water] can be used for things like cooling water for power stations, watering gardens, flushing toilets and even low level treatment for use in the laundry.

"Instead of trying to devise a system which encourages people to accept some responsible for their own water supply and also to find a way of making use of waste waters without subjecting the population to diseases and variety of illnesses, [the Government] has been presented with an archaic approach to water drinking."

Professor Troy says water authorities should have better informed the Government about water use to avoid the "moral panic" that has been sparked by water recycling.

Microbiologist Peter Collignon, from the Canberra Hospital, maintains that viruses could still slip through the the seven-stage purification system being used by the western corridor pipeline and contaminate the water.

"You just have to have it go wrong one day in every three or five years and you could have potentially tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people exposed to a germ," he said.

But Ms Bligh is waiting for advice from the Queensland Water Commission before she considers ditching the recycled water plans.

"If there was any advice that we could change our tack on this then of course we'd take it," she said yesterday.

"But I need to stress I have no such advice."

The Queensland Water Commission has been contacted by the ABC in regards to their recycling plans.

See - Rain sparks calls for Qld to quit recycling plans.