SEQ water grid - Ipswich no well for SEQ water costs: mayor

Brisbane Times:

Ipswich no well for SEQ water costs: mayor

30 May 2009

Ipswich may be the sticking point in South East Queensland's water reform process because it does not want to be saddled with extra costs to cope with population growth.

Ipswich City Council surprised fellow councils by yesterday rejecting the existing Council of Mayors alternative to the State Government's proposed model to get water to the region's 1.4 million homes.

The region's population is expected to grow from 155,000 to 340,000 in the next 20 years.

The South East Queensland Council of Mayors - led by Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman - had earlier won support from Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson for a new scheme to get water to homes.

Mr Robertson has given SEQ councils several weeks to investigate an option where councils would regain control of the final stage of the water grid - providing water to the homes.

The State Government has for almost two years held the position that a large company - would onsell the water to three council-run water retailers who would provide it to homes and business.

The Council of Mayors argue instead that that three council retailers could do the job cheaper and more effectively, without the need for a large organisation in-between.

Until yesterday morning Ipswich was understood to have supported this second case. However, its analysis of future costs show it would need to find almost $400 million for future water and infrastrasture.

Ipswich's analysis shows almost $2 billion in sewerage treatment and assets were needed throughout South East Queensland.

Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale said Ipswich supported the distribution of water to homes being run by the councils, but said he did not want Ipswich having to pay more than its share.

"Two years ago, when the South East Queensland Regional Plan came out, the city put its hand up and said `hey we will take the (population) growth'," Cr Pisasale said.

"And now we're leading the state in growth with 4.2 per cent."

Cr Pisasale said Ipswich had taken the pressure off neighbouring councils, but now needed to protect itself.

"What we need to make sure is that the new model has got the capacity to deliver that growth - otherwise the people of Ipswich will be hit with a bill to handle all the growth in South East Queensland," he said.

Cr Pisasale said he had spoken to Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman yesterday and was happy with the Council of Mayors model - with some amendments.

"All I am saying is how is the model going to work so that Ipswich is not going to come to a standstill and have to fund all the growth?

"We are just asking the question. We want some clarification."

Meanwhile Scenic Rim Regional Council Mayor John Brent, deputy chair of the South East Queensland Council of Mayors, said he was "mystified" with Ipswich's new stance.

Cr Brent said Ipswich had previously supported having the retail and distribution arms of water supply run by councils.

See - Brisbane Times - Ipswich no well for SEQ water costs: mayor.

SEQ water grid - We don't want water power: Ipswich

Brisbane Times:

We don't want water power: Ipswich

29 May 2009

Ipswich City Council faces a shortfall of almost $400 million to put in place crucial water infrastructure through fast-growing areas.

The lack of funds means Ipswich has refused to support a Council of Mayors proposal for councils to retain control of the distribution of water.

Other mayors, including Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman, had argued this would ensure control of water stayed closer to consumers and made it easier for complaints to be handled.

But it's understood Ipswich's stance will sink the proposal.

Ipswich's population of 160,000 is expected to more than double to about 340,000 over the next 20 years, of which an expected 50,000 homes will be built in the largely rural Ripley Valley.

The State Government has been assuming control of council water assets since 2007.

They prefer one large company, jointly-owned by the councils distributing water to three council-run water retailers.

Ipswich City Council City Works Committee chairman Cr Trevor Nardi said after a Council of Mayors meeting this morning that Ipswich could not afford to take on the responsibility for giving the Ripley Valley water.

"You need size and you need clout to be able to afford that infrastructure," Cr Nardi said.

"It can't be done by Ipswich on its own, and it can't be done by Ipswich, with a couple of smaller councils.

Under the Council of Mayor's alternative model, Ipswich is linked with the smaller Scenic Rim council.

"Ipswich's view is that the current model proposed by the State Government is the ... best model," Cr Nardi said.

"Now, if you come back and you start divvying it up and breaking it into groups, some of the bigger councils may do very well out of it, and it may not - in the long run - be better for a lot of the smaller councils."

Cr Nardi said Ipswich was well aware that it had to bear the lion's share of the population growth around South-East Queensland.

"If you look at the forward projections for water and sewerage and all those types of things, we don't believe that a smaller model has the capacity to finance the amount of infrastructure required going forward.

"It would cause delays to the program if you wish to accommodate more people into the South-East Queensland region."

Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson this morning confirmed the State Government was prepared to listen to the Council of Mayor's alternative.

See - Brisbane Times - We don't want water power: Ipswich.

Pre thought the real purpose of running isn't to win a race. It's to test the limits of the human heart. Nobody did it better ...

Brisbane dam level update - 29 May 2009 ...

Brisbane dams at 74.05% (according to SEQwater).

• Wivenhoe - 63.19%
  
• Somerset - 92.69%
  
• North Pine Dam - 100.00%.
  

Anna Bligh runs out of money and scraps SEQ water grid management ...

Courier Mail:

Premier Anna Bligh's backflip on water management

29 May 2009

The Bligh Government is set to scrap its complicated model for managing southeast Queensland's water.

Much of the responsibility for getting water to the region's 1.4 million homes will be handed back to local councils as water retailers.

In a significant backdown, the Government will begin talks with councils on axing plans to have the region's 10 water businesses, with about $10 billion in assets, folded into a massive company that was due for launch in July 2010.

The Government is considering other ways of running the region's water grid in a bid to save costs on what has become a hugely expensive and complicated project.

Treasurer Andrew Fraser wrote to South East Queensland Council of Mayors chairman Cr Campbell Newman late last week to make the offer.

The move follows weeks of controversy on the way the water grid was being managed, including reports of an overdose of fluoride, the detection of E.Coli in the drinking supply and poor communications between those in charge of the grid and the Government.

Mr Fraser's letter, obtained by The Courier-Mail, asks councils to come up with alternatives to the Government's plans to have a single company manage all sewerage and water distribution across the region.

The Government's original proposal was for that company, owned jointly by councils and set to be one of Australia's top 50 companies, to distribute water to three council-run water retailers to sell to customers.

However, councils are fearful the new body will cost more than $300 million to set up – a figure the Government disputes – and leave them without sufficient income to avoid big rate hikes.

In his letter, Mr Fraser says the Government "remains satisfied that there is considerable merit in this model".

"However, it is nonetheless recognised that an alternative model for reform . . . may achieve many of the policy objectives of the model endorsed by the Government."

The letter, co-signed by Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson, says it is "critical" the shape of the new business is finalised to allow it to be launched by no later than the end of next year.

See - Courier Mail - Premier Anna Bligh's backflip on water management.

The SEQ water grid just became harder to privatise ...

Brisbane dam level update - 28 May 2009 ...

Brisbane dams at 73.97% (according to SEQwater).

• Wivenhoe - 63.21%

• Somerset - 92.27%
  

• North Pine Dam - 100.00%. 
  

Brisbane and Toowoomba dam level update - 27 May 2009 ...

Brisbane dams at 73.88% (according to SEQwater).

Toowoomba dams at 10.9% (according to Toowoomba Regional Council).

Toowoomba Regional Council serves up brown sludge as tap water ...

WIN News:

Highfields residents blast Toowoomba Regional Council

26 May 2009

Highfields residents have blasted Toowoomba Regional Council over its unpredictable water supply. Early this morning some Highfields residents were greeted with water looking like it came out of a third world country,

Col Micken from Highfields Baptist Church, experiencing a similar problem with his electricity also going out which soon led him to discover the substandard water.

For Highfields Bakery Owner Cheryl Hope- seeing dirty water through her taps hasn't been a one-off incident. Luckily none of this water has made its way into her produce, but the reason why the supply is murky - is still a mystery.

Council officers are collecting samples from pipes throughout the city. While Council says the water isn't a health risk, the issue is its still flowing through parts of a large regional city.

See - WIN News - Highfields brown water.

Brisbane dam levels update - 26 May 2009 ...

Brisbane dams at 73.84% (according to SEQwater).

Cost of water tipped to rise 100% ...

The cost of water is likely to rise 50-100 per cent in five years, as governments invest more than $30 billion for new supplies.

Water Services Association executive director Ross Young said yesterday that higher water prices "reflect that we have really had to rethink our whole water systems in the face of the impacts of climate change".

"The new sources of water, whether they be desalination or recycled water schemes, are a lot more expensive than the traditional sources were, which were dams at the top of the ranges that conveyed water by gravity into the cities," Mr Young said. The association represents urban companies that provide water to 15 million Australians.

"We are year three or four into the 10-year building boom," he said. "These are the first new water sources that are being built for our cities in the last 30 or 40 years."
...

See - The Australian - Cost of water tipped to rise by 100pc.

Impact of climate change or lack of government planning ...

Cleaner recycled water increases climate risk ...

Improving the standard of recycled water threatens to push up Australia's greenhouse emissions, and governments must consider if better quality waste water can be justified under a low carbon future, water companies have warned.

In a report released today, the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) — a national body representing water retailers — has highlighted the environmental catch-22 of recycled water, saying recent improvements to treatment standards "didn't adequately consider the impact on the water sector's greenhouse gas emissions".

The report said a four-fold increase in energy consumption had been experienced at water treatment plants forced to lift their filtration of sewage from "secondary" to "tertiary" standard.
...

See - The Age - Cleaner recycled water increases climate risk.

Brisbane dam levels update - 25 May 2009 ...

Brisbane dams at 73.68% (according to SEQwater).

For those voters who thought Kevin Rudd was going to do something about whaling ...

He fooled you!

In accordance with what has become standard operating procedure for the Federal Government, the Special Envoy on Whaling was quietly harpooned in last week's Budget with little attention or mourning.
...

What the Australian taxpayer effectively paid for was a whole lot of spin.
...

See - Peter Garrett betrays the whales.

$13.9 million later and quietly forgotten - hoping the voters won't notice ...

SEQ water grid - more contamination issues for Anna Bligh ...

Courier Mail:

E coli bacteria found in Brisbane reservoir

23 May 2009

Poorly disinfected drinking water is being sent around southeast Queensland's troubled water grid, in one case resulting in E coli bacteria finding its way to a Brisbane reservoir, an internal government document has revealed.

The memo, produced by officers in a state-owned water agency, details several serious water quality incidents since local councils lost control of water management in southeast Queensland last July.

It also says authorities are reluctant to promptly report incidents.

The document follows a series of blunders involving the fluoridation of the drinking supply, including a fluoride overdose in April, delays in discovering the overdose and the persistent failure to get the dosage to meet health regulations, all of which have severely embarrassed the State Government.

It reveals that in March there was a so-called level-three incident, classified as involving an impact on water customers, where hazardous E coli bacteria was detected at Karawatha reservoir in Brisbane's south.

The five million litre reservoir services southside suburbs such as Acacia Ridge, Eight Mile Plains and Calamvale. Acting water grid manager Barry Dennien yesterday confirmed the incident, but said it was "not unusual" when benchmarked against the performance of other metropolitan water authorities.

He said the Brisbane City Council reservoir was "spot-dosed" after a second test found the bacteria.

Residents were not informed.

Government agency LinkWater, which is responsible for the pipeline network feeding the reservoirs, detected no E coli in March, Mr Dennien said.

Asked if he was satisfied with the way the E coli and other incidents were communicated, Mr Dennien said all communications were done in "an honest and transparent way".

-- the release in August of drinking water containing elevated chlorine levels in a Linkwater pipe servicing Ipswich;

-- turbidity and manganese in drinking water that took nearly a week for local councils to be notified;

-- another Level Three incident in December 2008 involving the chemical substance geosmin, a byproduct of algal growth, which gave drinking water a foul taste and odour.

He said the December incident, which drew hundreds of complaints from Brisbane and Ipswich residents and was reported widely at the time, was caused by severe storms in the region's catchments.

"All authorities involved in the water grid have actively communicated in an open and transparent way with the Water Grid Manager on these incidents," he said.

This week, Premier Anna Bligh was forced to admit that initial information she was given on a fluoride overdose at the North Pine water treatment plant was wrong.

Ms Bligh has appointed independent expert Mark Pascoe to investigate the fluoride overdose, which the Government initially believed could have affected 4000 homes in the Pine Rivers area.

However, in the latest version of events reported by Ms Bligh, the incident may have affected a YMCA camp and about 400 homes at Joyner.

See - Courier Mail - E coli bacteria found in Brisbane reservoir.

More problems, more cover ups.

Trust in Anna Bligh's management of the SEQ water grid = ZERO.

All that taxpayer money spent on the QWC 'education'/PR spin campaign - wasted  ...

Brisbane and Toowoomba dam levels update - 22 May 2009 ...

Brisbane dams at 73.31% (according to SEQwater).

Toowoomba dams at 10.8% (according to Toowoomba Regional Council).

Anna Bligh forced into fluoride overdose fiasco apology #27 ...

Courier Mail:

Fluoride water apology by Premier Anna Bligh

22 May 2009

Anna Bligh's fluoride fiasco has descended into farce, with the Premier admitting everything the public had been told about the recent overdose was wrong.

Ms Bligh was last night forced to repeatedly apologise as she provided a third version of events surrounding the overdose of Brisbane water supplies three weeks ago.

An interim investigation has found the Premier gave the public the wrong date for the error, the incorrect areas affected and a vastly different fluoride level in the water.

The embarrassing bungle comes after a damaging week for the controversial fluoride policy, including delays in discovering the overdose, confusion over its date and persistent underdosing of supplies outside regulations.

Ms Bligh last night insisted the new information was the conclusive and definitive version of events, despite a final independent report still not being due for more than a month.

"I apologise to those people who may have been unduly concerned by the original advice about the effects on their water supply," she said. "I apologise for unnecessary concern that has been caused by the lack of clarity."

The new advice by independent expert Mark Pascoe shows the overdosed water flowed in a different direction from the North Pine Water Treatment Plant than initially thought.

The Government had originally sparked health fears among 4000 households in the Brendale and Warner areas in the Pine Rivers area.

But the new advice identifies only a nearby YMCA camp occupied by 211 children, four houses on the plant site and possibly about 400 homes at Joyner.

Ms Bligh initially said the water contained 31mg/L of fluoride – the maximum is 1.5mg/L – but the new details have put the level of the chemical at 19.6mg/L.

The Government had originally put the time of the overdose between 9am and noon on May 1 but then informed residents that it had been May 2.

However, the new advice has now placed the time of the overdose between 8am and 9am on April 30.

Opposition Leader John-Paul Langbroek last night said the Government could not be trusted with water, including recycle supplies, after a takeover from councils last year. "What we have is a shambles," Mr Langbroek said.

"Anything they touch with water turns into a mess. Someone has to take responsibility for this mess."

SEQ Water will be forced to again letterbox drop current and previously affected households with new details.

Mr Pascoe told the Premier about the new circumstances on Tuesday but she wanted the advice to be correct and waited until late yesterday.

The final report of the incident is expected on June 26.

See - Courier Mail - Fluoride water apology by Premier Anna Bligh.

That's Anna's story today anyway - stay tuned for tomorrow's story - 90 households and 150 girl guides at 400mg/l ...

Anna Bligh's SEQ fluoride farce continues ...

Brisbane Times:

Fluoride farce continues

21 May 2009

The farcical fallout over a fluoride overdose administered from a Brisbane water treatment plant continues, with the state government today admitting it released incorrect information on when and why the incident occurred and who was affected.

Four thousand households in Brendale and Warner were last week advised they had drunk water containing an overdose of fluoride when they were actually not affected by the incident.

Interim advice from independent water expert Mark Pascoe has found the affected water may instead have been consumed by up to 211 school children at a YMCA camp and four houses on the North Pine Water Treatment Plant site between 8am and 9am on April 30. Four hundred residents in the adjacent suburb of Joyner may have also been affected.

Last week, Premier Anna Bligh said the overdose level may have been as high as 30mg/L, but that has also been revised to 19.4mg/L. The recommended maximum level is 1.5mg/L.

Mr Pascoe's interim advice has also revised the explanation for how the error occurred.

Premier Bligh apologised for any residents who were unduly concerned following last week's advice and assured the community there were unlikely to be any health effects from the overdose were very small.

Authorities have contacted the three schools whose students were at the camp and no health concerns have so far emerged.

The state government will now write to all affected residents and those who were incorrectly notified.

The final report on the incident is due to be completed on June 26.

See - Brisbane Times - Fluoride farce continues.

Toowoomba dam levels at 10.62% - 21 May 2009 ...

See - Update by Toowoomba Regional Council via twitter.

Brisbane dam levels at 72.02% - 21 May 2009 ...

Up 9.338% yesterday.

See - SEQ Water - dam levels.

Space station tries recycled water taste test ...

The three-man crew of the International Space Station explored a strange new world Wednesday, boldly going where no other astronauts have gone before: toasting each other with sips of recycled sweat and urine in a major milestone for the lab complex.

...

Mounted in the Destiny laboratory, the water recycling system converts urine and condensate into pure water for drinking, personal hygiene, and oxygen generation. Given the cost of lifting water to orbit, officials say it will only take a few years for the new system to pay for itself.

See - Bottoms up: Space station crew samples recycled urine.

Remember, they are not drinking recycled hospital and industrial waste, nor recycled solid waste ...

Follow 4350water blog on twitter ...

Don't miss out on updates - 4350water blog twitter.

Anna Bligh defends $2b recycled water pipeline against white elephant claims ...

Anna Bligh defends $2b recycled water pipeline

21 May 2009

Premier Anna Bligh has insisted the $2 billion recycled water pipeline was not a "white elephant" despite businesses shunning the prospect of using the water.

Ms Bligh yesterday said the pipeline was a long-term piece of infrastructure and an investment in water security for businesses of the future.

"I think anyone who describes the new water infrastructure as a white elephant has forgotten all too quickly just how close we came to running out of water," she said yesterday.

Her comments came as southeast Queensland's dam capacity surpassed 60 per cent for the first time in five years, reducing the chances of levels hitting the 40 per cent mark, which would trigger the use of recycled water.

Power stations owned by the State Government are currently the only customers of the project.

Ms Bligh said the Government had been rightly criticised for failing to plan water infrastructure during the recent crisis and the pipeline was in place to ensure the region did not run dry again.

She said while no new business had agreed to use recycled water, negotiations were continuing with the Lockyer Valley farmers who want the water for their crops.

"That is an area that has substantial potential but there is still work to be done for the farmers themselves to work out the commerciality or otherwise of the water and their access to it," she said.

However, Opposition Water spokesman Jeff Seeney said the Bligh Government was asking an unreasonable price for recycled water that made it far too expensive for agriculture.

The Government yesterday also confirmed Queensland Water Commission chairwoman Elizabeth Nosworthy was leaving the authority when her contract expired in June.
...

See - Courier Mail - Anna Bligh defends $2b recycled water pipeline.

$2 billion plus plus ...

Brisbane dams receive 8 months supply in only 24 hours ...

Southeast Queensland's heaviest rainfall in 15 years has managed to add 8 1/2 months water supply to the region's three major dams.

All major Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast dams are overflowing and rain stretching into the Darling Downs has boosted Toowoomba's water supply.

See - Courier Mail - Eight months supply falls in only 24 hours.

Goodbye to QWC's Elizabeth Nosworthy - you'll be missed ...

Anna Bligh confirms that Nosworthy is out - axed from QWC ...

Yahoo News:

Govt let QWC budget blow out, Oppn says

20 May 2009

The State Opposition says it is important that the Queensland Water Commission (QWC) continues with its work despite changes to its structure.

Premier Anna Bligh confirmed earlier today that Elizabeth Nosworthy will not continue in the role of Queensland's Water Commissioner once her contract expires in June.

Ms Nosworthy has headed the QWC since it was established three years ago.

Ms Bligh also said the QWC will be restructured and that there will only be one Commissioner instead of three.

She says other changes will save $7 million over four years, on top of $15 million cut from the Queensland Water Commission's (QWC) public relations budget.

Opposition Leader John-Paul Langbroek has declined to comment on Ms Nosworthy's performance, but says the State Government let the QWC budget blow out to 14 times the original amount.

"I notice there's a sizeable scaling back from the Commissioner and the number of Deputy Commissioners," he said.

"But really we just want to see the water infrastructure plan that the Government's brought in at great expense work efficiently, so Queenslanders can get decent water in 2009."

See - Anna Bligh axes Nosworthy from QWC.

Back in March, 4350water blog suggested that Nosworthy would be shuffled out the back door following the State election.  

See - Nosworthy to be shuffled out the QWC back door.

Seems this was correct.

Toowoomba dam levels - 20 May 2009 - 9.4% ...

For those searching Google - Toowoomba dam levels were at 9.4% at 9am this morning. 

More to come as runoff hits Toowoomba's dams ...

SEQ water grid - Wivenhoe pipeline update ...

20 May 2009

Water Supply, Toowoomba

Mr SHINE: My question is directed to the Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, and I ask: can the minister provide an update on work on the Toowoomba water pipeline?

Mr HINCHLIFFE: While SEQ’s dam levels have now topped 60 per cent, we have not forgotten that Toowoomba’s situation remains dire. There have been some good falls overnight up on the range, I can advise the honourable member for Toowoomba North, but the Garden City’s combined dam levels remain under 10 per cent. There have been 90 millimetres into Crestbrook, 82 millimetres into Perseverance and 39 millimetres into Cooby, which has produced one-quarter of a per cent increase to 9.45 per cent. As I say, the situation in Toowoomba remains dire.

That is why we are getting on with the job of building the $187 million underground pipeline to supply Toowoomba with water from Lake Wivenhoe. The workforce is now at its peak, with 261 workers on site. I want to thank them for delivering earlier than expected on a number of milestones. They only started laying the pipe in March and already one-third of the total 38 kilometres is in the ground. That is great progress. However, we know that there will also be times when work is slower than expected, perhaps because of rainfall.

We are now well on track to have that pipeline operating on time, by the end of January 2010. Not only will this pipeline provide a vital, secure water supply for the Garden City for decades to come; it is also providing local jobs that are important right now in the midst of this global economic crisis that some in the House do not seem to think exists. All 261 workers are employed full-time, with over 200,000 person hours worked to date on the project. The economic boost to the local region has been absolutely terrific. Esk, Tagoolawah, Crows Nest, Gatton, Fernvale and Toowoomba are all experiencing a boost from this project, with over $5.3 million committed to local businesses to date.

Now the Beaudesert region is also gearing up for the jobs and local spending that will flow from the Wyaralong Dam—another water supply project which will support some 420 jobs. They have hit the ground running with that project, building SEQ’s first dam in 20 years. It will be fantastic to see that finished by 2011. It will be an invaluable new water resource for the whole of South-East Queensland to help cope with climate change and population growth into the future.

UPDATE: New link added.

See - Hansard - 20 May 2009 - Wivenhoe pipeline update.

Qld Parliament - Questions raised about recycled water safety ...

19 May 2009

Recycled Water

Mr SEENEY: Can the Premier explain how anyone can have any confidence in the government’s plan to introduce recycled sewage to Brisbane’s water supply when the introduction of fluoride has clearly been beyond the government’s capacity to manage?

Ms BLIGH: I thank the member for the question. As I detailed in a ministerial statement to the House this morning, the incident at North Pine River Water Treatment Plant is under investigation. Until that investigation has been completed I am not in a position, nor are those opposite or anybody else, to understand exactly what happened, how it happened, how it can be rectified and if anything necessary has to be done. Let us have a good look at what the investigation says and then not only I but those opposite and the public will have a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding this event.

As I said, that matter is being investigated independently by an independent investigator. Until we see the outcome of that investigation, it would be inappropriate for me—someone who is not technically qualified in the area—to be speculating about the matters involved in that incident. I give this guarantee: the report of the investigation will be made public and members of the opposition, members of the public and members of the media will be able to scrutinise it fully, as they should.

Recycled Water

Mr GIBSON: My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Planning. In light of the Premier’s failure to answer the question and the government’s continued bungling of water infrastructure and supply, how can Queensland residents count on a Labor government to ever safely introduce recycled water into our drinking supply?

Mr SPEAKER: Order! I would ask the honourable member to rephrase the question. I think he will find that the wording of it is outside the standing orders. If he rephrases it the question will be within the standing orders.

Mr GIBSON: Minister, how can Queensland residents count on Labor to ever safely introduce recycled water into our drinking water supplies?

Mr HINCHLIFFE: I thank the honourable member for the question. I can tell the honourable member and the House that this government, the Bligh government, will be absolutely committed to ensuring that any water that goes into our water supply will be safe. That is the strong commitment that we have made in relation to the introduction and rollout of fluoride, which is a vital public health measure, and we made that commitment with the strong support of important medical organisations such as the Australian Dental Association and the AMA.

In relation to the issues about the introduction and use of purified recycled water, this government has made its position extremely clear: this government would, in the circumstances where our dams in South-East Queensland fall below 40 per cent, reconsider that measure. We have the absolute best failsafe system—the multiple barriers that the purified recycled water must go through before being reintroduced back into the dam system. I can absolutely assure members of this House and the people of Queensland that any potable water that is supplied in Queensland will be of the highest quality and will undergo the most stringent testing regime to ensure that it will be absolutely and appropriately safe for the people of Queensland.

I will also support ensuring that building works continue so that, should our dams fall again to those levels—and I am very pleased to hear reports today from the acting minister for natural resources that we are hopeful that this current weather system over South-East Queensland will cause our dam levels to rise even further. I am very hopeful that those building works will produce even better outcomes for the water supply for South-East Queensland. I reiterate that this government, the Bligh government, is absolutely committed to delivering and supporting safe drinking water for the whole of South-East Queensland including Toowoomba.

Bligh Government, Service Delivery

Mr LANGBROEK (Surfers Paradise—LNP) (Leader of the Opposition)
...

We look forward to hearing what the Treasurer has to say on 16 June, and of course today we have heard about the bungle in water. It has been bungle after bungle since the state government took control of our water supplies. It said that it was too confusing with councils in control, but let us have a look at the incidents we have had. We have the desalination plant at Tugun that is not working properly and that is rusty. There have been recycled water spills at Bundamba.

I am the first to acknowledge that I am a supporter of having fluoride in our water, but it was always with a proviso that the administration—the mechanism of making sure we put fluoride in the water—would be done appropriately, and there is no excuse for poisoning the people of Queensland in certain communities with up to 30 times the dose. I can tell members that even as a dentist I would not want to be taking 30 times the dose of fluoride. No-one would advocate that, and that is a condemnation of this government in that it has not been able to ensure that the mechanism was done properly. Thirty times is just unforgivable and begs the question of just how this government is going to manage recycled water.

See - Hansard - 19 May 2009 - Recycled Water.

Why trust Anna Bligh's government on recycled water?

"the Bligh government, will be absolutely committed to ensuring that any water that goes into our water supply will be safe. That is the strong commitment that we have made in relation to the introduction and rollout of fluoride".

Oops.

Readers will recall that it is legal for Anna Bligh's Ministers to lie to Parliament should they choose to ...

Combined level of Brisbane's 3 major dams stands at 66.3% and rising ...

So the Courier Mail is reporting ...

Brisbane dams hit 60% level ...

SEQ Water spokesman Mike Forster says the milestone was reached about midnight AEST.

"Currently sitting at 62.69 per cent so we've actually gone up almost 3.5 per cent overnight, so somewhere between three-and-a-half and four months of additional supply just overnight," he said.

...

See - ABC News - SE Qld dams hit 60pc.

See - Brisbane Times - Dam levels hit 60%.

Anna Bligh axes Elizabeth Nosworthy from QWC ...

Gone.

Courier Mail:

Meanwhile, there was speculation last night that Queensland Water Commission chairwoman Elizabeth Nosworthy was set to leave.

Premier Anna Bligh's office refused to confirm or deny reports on Channel 9 but there were questions already over her role given the commission is being brought under the wing of the Department of Environment and Resource Management.

See - Courier Mail - Anna Bligh refuses to confirm or deny Nosworthy sacking.

At least she'll have plenty of time to swim in her pool ...

Anna Bligh and SEQ water - who's in charge ...

The bursting of south-east Queensland's biggest water main has exposed confusion over who is in charge of maintaining the region's water assets.

See - Brisbane Times - Flood of confusion follows burst pipeline.

See - Leahy's Cartoons.

Anna Bligh says recycled water won't have fluoride stuff ups ...

Trust us says Anna Bligh.

Recycled water won't have any of the stuff ups that fluoride has had recently.

But if it does, you still can't sue.

Brisbane Times:

Our water is safe: Govt

19 May 2009

The State Government has moved to allay fears the operational failure that led to the release of excess fluoride into Brisbane's drinking water could be repeated when recycled water is introduced to South-East Queensland.

Responding to Opposition claims yesterday that the topping up of Wivenhoe Dam with purified recycled water was prone to similar flaws, the Acting Minister for Natural Resources Geoff Wilson said no link should be drawn with the fluoride debacle.

On the advice of the Queensland Water Commission the Bligh Government has declared that the $2.4bn Western Corridor recycled water project will kick into action when dam storage levels dip to 40 per cent. They are currently at 59.02 per cent.

"There are multiple barriers and critical control points to ensure the safety of the system," Mr Wilson said.

"If recycled water is added to Wivenhoe Dam, it will blend with the dam water and have a residence time in the dam of approximately six months, before it flows to Mt Crosby Weir and then to Mt Crosby Water Treatment Plant.

"The dam water is then treated once again, at an existing water treatment plant."

An investigation is underway into the plant malfunction that allowed 20 times the safe limit of fluoride to be pumped into the water supply and, consequently, into up to 4000 northern Brisbane homes for three hours on May 2.

The Opposition's spokesman for natural resources, Jeff Seeney, said the fluoride overdose - revealed only after testing last week - was a warning of the dangers posed by the future use of recycled water in the south-east corner.

"It demonstrates very clearly that the checks and balances that the government assured us were in place to deal with recycled water could fail just as easily," Mr Seeney said.

"The consequences of a failure with recycled water could be very much more devastating than the failure with fluoride."

"We don't believe that the systems are secure enough. Recycled water should be used for industry and agriculture."

Merilyn Haynes, the convenor of the group Queenslanders for Safe Water, agreed that the botched fluoride release at North Pine Dam should have major implications for the State Government's recycled water plans.

"The equipment failed and the procedures are so inadequate. What is the point of doing daily sampling if they don't test it until 12 days afterwards?" she said.

"In Singapore 99 per cent of recycled water is used for industry. Here they want us to drink it."

Those claims were refuted however by leading microbiologist Dr Helen Stratton, who sits on the advisory board to the Queensland Water Commission. That scientific body has concluded that purified recycled water produced at the Bundamba Water Treatment Plant is safe to go into Wivenhoe Dam.

She said a rigorous seven-step testing system ensured that the adding of recycled water to the water supply was failsafe.

"It's a different process altogether. With the injection of chemicals like fluoride at the end of the process there is no calling the water back," Dr Stratton said.

"Whereas because there are steps if a safety alarm went off in the recycled water process, the system shuts down. There is a lot more safety so if there was operator error, there is a lot more scope to make sure the water doesn't get to the tap."

She insisted though that the excess fluoride release should never have happened and should never happen again.

"For people who don't understand the technology it's easy for them to lose trust," she said.

"It's important that we get the information out there about the technology that's treating the recycled water to say the chances of that happening are as close to zero as you can possibly get because of that seven-barrier process."

See - Brisbane Times - Our water is safe: Govt.

Ah, that seven-barrier process.

The one that starts with the hospitals not putting waste into the sewers.  Sure.

And the one with the membranes that nothing will get through.  Sure.

As time has passed, the seven-barrier process has been shown to be pretty leaky at best ...

Anna Bligh can't get the SEQ fluoride mix correct - first too much, now too little ...

Will the next batch be just right ...

SEQWater puts too little fluoride in water supply

19 May 2009

First SEQWater overdosed southeast Queensland's water supply with fluoride, and now it has been discovered it is not putting enough in.

Still smarting from last week's embarrassing revelations that up to 20 times the allowable fluoride doses had been added to the water supply to about 4000 homes, State Government authorities have now admitted that too little is coming out of the tap.

SEQWater, the agency responsible for fluoridation, has revealed that all six water treatment plants adding fluoride to drinking supplies have failed to put enough of the chemical into the water.

The failure, blamed on a range of commissioning problems and equipment faults, potentially puts SEQWater in breach of health regulations governing fluoridation.

It is the latest mishap to have afflicted the controversial new system of distributing and supplying water around the region, after the Government's plans to introduce purified recycled water to the drinking reserves were also shelved by Premier Anna Bligh after dam levels began rising.

Queensland Health regulations dictate that average fluoride dosages must be 0.8 milligrams a litre but SEQWater's tests have shown that dosages for the first three months of this year have been as low as 0.04 mg/L.

SEQWater admitted to the dosage failure in a compulsory performance report it handed to Queensland Health last Friday – at the same time as it was battling the fall-out from the fluoride overdose at the North Pine treatment plant that affected about 400 homes and was not detected for two weeks.

The Bligh Government has committed $35 million to fluoridating the state's drinking water, about $10 million of which has gone to upgrading water treatment in southeast Queensland.

A spokesman for SEQWater said the low dosages were not surprising in the first few months of fluoridation and the start-up commissioning of the treatment plants. He said the minimum levels were recorded when the treatment plant being tested was "offline".

"From SEQWater's perspective this is absolutely to be expected," he said.

However, he admitted that he did not know for sure if the organisation had breached Queensland Health regulations, which stipulate that fluoride dosage should average within 0.1 of the optimum level of 0.8 mg/L.

Ms Bligh has ordered an investigation into the fluoride overdose incident.

See - Courier Mail - SEQWater puts too little fluoride in water supply.

CSG water - Salt water dilemma behind a gas bonanza ...

Sydney Morning Herald:

Salt water dilemma behind a gas bonanza

18 May 2009

Solving the toxic water issue is key to reaping coal seam gas riches

As dawn breaks over south-east Queensland's Darling Downs, a peak-hour procession of yellow-shirted workers trundles along the Warrego Highway. The motels have hoisted their no vacancy signs and the local papers are crammed with job ads.

Anyone who does not have a job in the Darling Downs these days "probably doesn't deserve one", Dalby Regional's Mayor, Ray Brown, says. "We are seeing no effect of [the global financial crisis] at all."

His region encompasses vast underground reserves of coal seam gas, which can be converted into liquefied natural gas and exported. As demand for traditional mining commodities slumps, governments are pinning their hopes on a new resources boom in LNG.

Eight projects worth over $50 billion are planned for Queensland. They have the potential to create 13,000 jobs and generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the economy. The Chinese Government bought into the industry this week, taking a stake in the coal seam gas fields owned by QGC and signing a 20-year deal to buy the gas produced.

Grazier John Campbell is already making money: energy company Origin pays him for the right to put a gas plant and sink gas wells on his Taloona property near Roma. "My cattle are grazing on the grass on top of the ground, the gas producers are getting gas from below the ground, and the Queensland Government is getting tax from both of us," he said.

But accessing this resource requires pumping out toxic, salty water in volumes equivalent to multiple Sydney harbours. What to do with gigalitres of contaminated water has become a sticking point for industry and government.

The Queensland Government is grappling with how to ensure the environment is protected without jeopardising the viability of the LNG industry. Proposals range from purifying coal seam gas water for community use (potentially expensive) to injecting it back into the ground (potentially polluting).

Gas companies like Origin are sweating on government approval for their water disposal strategies before they decide whether to proceed with building multibillion-dollar LNG plants. "They are not going to write large cheques before they know how the water will be used," one industry source said. "The gas is very valuable, [it's a question of] how are you going to make the water economical as well?"

The Government has ruled that evaporation ponds - where areas as large as 100 football fields are flooded with salty water - can no longer be the main method of disposal. They are considered a waste of water, and the salt left behind can destroy fertile farm soil.

Cleansed of salt, the water could be used by coalmines and power stations, to irrigate, and to drought-proof towns. Origin already purifies coal seam gas water at its Spring Gully reverse osmosis plant near John Campbell's farm. It irrigates a trial biofuel crop with some of the water and discharges the rest into a local creek.

Like other budding LNG producers QGC, Santos and Arrow Energy, Origin is talking to regional councils and coalmining companies to supply them with treated water. "From a sustainable point of view we'd like to match water with consumers," said Origin's oil and gas manager, Paul Zealand.

Yet how much water is available, what quality can be guaranteed, who will fund its transport to towns and industries hundreds of kilometres away, and how much it will ultimately cost is unclear.

Some farmers remain concerned that the 10 to 15 per cent of salty water which cannot be purified poses its own environmental hazard, sitting in ponds where it could leach into the soil.

See - Sydney Morning Herald - Salt water dilemma behind a gas bonanza.

Santos unveils plans for CSG water plantation at Roma ...

Santos unveils plans for Roma plantation

16 May 2009

Oil and gas producer Santos has announced plans to use water from its coal seam gas project to create one of Australia's largest forestry plantations near Roma in southern Queensland.

The first stage involves planting two million native hardwood trees and agricultural feed crops over more than 2,000 hectares.

Santos eventually hopes to plant up to six million trees.
...

See - ABC News - Santos unveils plans for Roma plantation.

Santos 'winning dash for gas'

16 May 2009

Santos has declared it will still be the first of the big players to export liquefied natural gas from its proposed Gladstone hub.

Its claim followed rival gas giant BG's announcement this week that it had become the first to sign an offtake agreement for its LNG. BG will export 3.6 million tonnes of LNG to China National Offshore Oil Corp over a 20-year period.

Advancing its project, Santos announced plans to spend $50 million to create one of Australia's largest forestry plantations. Two million hardwood gum trees have already been planted at Fairview in Queensland's south-west and discussions are under way to make the plantation three times bigger.

Water from the extraction of the coal seam gas will be used to nurture the plantation. During the first phase, four new water treatment plants and an existing desalination plant will treat about 24 megalitres a day, equivalent to 10 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Santos has not yet decided whether to use the plantation as a carbon sink or sell the hardwood timber. Santos's Gladstone LNG president, Rick Wilkinson, said the project would create up to 100 jobs.

Gas producers around the world, and particularly in Queensland, had been working to find a way to use the water - as much as tens of megalitres a day - produced in the extraction of gas from coal seams, he said.

The challenge of handling the water was the major difference between extracting conventional natural gas and producing coal seam gas, he said.

...

See - Sydney Morning Herald - Santos Winning Dash for Gas.

Anna Bligh's SEQ water grid - awash with bungles ...

Courier Mail:

Awash with bungles

16 May 2009

How many bungles do Queensland water authorities have to commit before the Government will admit that its system of managing water supply needs serious improvement?

SEQWater, the entity responsible for water quality in the region, somehow failed to detect a serious incident involving the overdose of fluoride in the drinking water supply.

Rules governing the level of chemicals allowed in purified recycled water are relaxed simply because it is convenient to do so.

The Gold Coast desalination plant is shut down for days so faulty fittings and valves can be fixed.

Queenslanders would be forgiven for wondering if local councils should have kept responsibility for water management.

See - Courier Mail - Awash with Bungles.

SEQ water contamination issue gets worse for Anna Bligh ...

Courier Mail:

Wrong date given for fluoride overdose in water

16 May 2009

The Bligh Government's handling of the fluoride overdose was in disarray last night after it admitted it got the date wrong about when the bungle occurred.

The Government has admitted residents should have been told they may have drunk water with 20 times the allowable amount of fluoride on May 2 - not May 1 as Premier Anna Bligh said on Thursday.

The blunder is a major embarrassment for the Government, already defending the two-week delay in testing that preceeded this week's health notification to residents on Brisbane's northside.

The Premier was unavailable last night but SEQ Water Grid Manager director Nicole Davis confirmed the water entered supplies in the Brendale and Warner areas on May 2 for three hours between 9am and midday.

It means the water flowed on the Saturday morning putting many more residents at risk.

''We were trying to get the information out there to assure people,'' Ms Davis said. ''The initial advice was it was May 1 but LinkWater went back today looking at their data and discovered the error that it was, in fact, May 2.

''I do apologise on behalf of the (SEQ Water Grid) Manager that there has been confusion for the community.''

The error is set to inflame tensions further. As angry residents yesterday claimed the overdose made them sick and killed their pets, it emerged they may be unable to sue for compensation.

The Government has specifically legislated to stop lawsuits relating to fluoride.

While Ms Bligh had earlier refused to speculate on compensation for the 4000 homes exposed to the water, lawyers believe Section 94 of the Water Fluoridation Act ruled out civil suits from the public.

''A person does not have any civil right or remedy against a public potable water supplier in relation to the fluoridation of a public potable water supply under this Act,'' the law reads.

The water contained 30 to 31mg/L of fluoride instead of the maximum allowable 1.5mg/L.

The Government had received no complaints yesterday but The Courier-Mail has received several reports of symptoms similar to gastroenteritis.

Warner mother-of-two Caroline Rossiter said her family, including the dog and cat, had been ill for two weeks.

"I was for fluoride but now I am very concerned," she said. "I have headaches, chest pain, shortness of breath, gastro. We still haven't been contacted about it."

Robert Gow, a Bunya resident near Warner, said 10 of his budgerigars died and his cockatiel was sick. His daughter Renee lives at Warner and her budgerigar also died.

"All the birds basically got the runs with lots of watery discharge in the cage and they were dehydrated," Mr Gow said. "There is a pretty fair chance of a connection as we are all connected to the North Pine Dam."

But Ms Bligh said there was "almost a zero chance" of any health risk.

"We have been able to identify residents who have been affected and they will be provided with a written document today," she said.

Speaking in Townsville, "the only city in Queensland that has had fluoridated water for decades", she said the city was proof of the benefits of fluoridation.

"The dental health of children here is significantly better than any other part of the state," she said.

Brisbane Veterinary Service manager Tabatha Whitehead said the northside facility had not received any cases and were unsure what affect fluoride had on animals.

"It is difficult to know if this could contribute to any illness in any household pet," she said.

See - Courier Mail - Wrong date given for fluoride overdose in water.

Can Anna Bligh and her team get anything right ...

SEQ water grid failure - a triple failure ...

The Australian:

Fluoride overdose a triple failure

16 May 2009

Up to three safeguard systems failed at the Brisbane water-treatment plant that released drinking water to residents with fluoride levels that were 20 times the legal limit.

The revelation came as the Queensland Government yesterday sent apology letters to the 4000 people in northern Brisbane whose water was dosed with 30 milligrams of fluoride per litre, rather than the 1.5mg/litre maximum, for three hours on May 2.

A member of the Queensland Government's Fluoridation Committee, toxicology expert Michael Moore, yesterday called for a review of fluoridation engineering to prevent a repeat bungle.

Mike Foster, a spokesman for Queensland government water authority Seqwater, yesterday admitted that up to three safeguard systems at the North Pine treatment plant had malfunctioned, allowing the fluoride overdose to occur.

The plant had been shut down for maintenance between April 27 and 30, but the dosing machinery continued to pour fluoride into the system.

When the plant came back online, a concentrated amount of fluoride flowed into the system and was not detected until another water company tested water in the pipeline, a process that took two weeks.

The Queensland Health Department's code of practice for water fluoridation warns of the need for back-up systems to prevent accidental overdoses. It specifically warns of the potential to overdose if the water supply is cut off but the fluoride continues to dose, as happened last month.

"All key components should be alarmed to alert the operator of a failure of the system," it says.

The fluoride overdose marks the second water crisis in six months to hit the Bligh Government, after it was forced to back down late last year on plans to add recycled effluent to southeast Queensland dams. The plan was deferred in the face of community and expert concerns about the safety of recycled water, but treated effluent will be added to dams when their levels fall to 40 per cent.

The overdose comes barely four months after Queensland became the last state or territory to introduce fluoride into drinking water.

Professor Moore, the chairman of Water Policy Research Australia, yesterday called for the safety aspects of fluoridation engineering to be re-examined.

"I'm a very firm believer in the benefits associated with fluoridation and this is the worst thing that could have happened," he said.

Professor Moore said the overdose was unlikely to have caused toxic effects.

Seqwater yesterday wrote to "sincerely apologise" to all affected residents in the suburbs of Warner and Brendale.

"It should not have happened and we are committed to ensuring it does not happen again," said the letter, co-signed by Seqwater chief executive Peter Borrows and Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young.

It says Queensland Health is confident the health hazards are "remote".

Fluoride overdoses can cause mottled teeth at concentrations above 1.5mg/litre and bone damage known as skeletal fluorosis at levels exceeding 4mg/litre, according to the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

"Fluoride is absorbed quickly following ingestion," the guidelines state. "It is not metabolised, but diffuses passively into all body compartments."

See - The Australian - Fluoride overdose a triple failure.

Looks like Anna Bligh better change the drinking water standards again ...

SEQ water grid failures - Anna Bligh's government protects itself from legal action ...

Courier Mail:

Fluoride bungle protected from legal action

15 May 2009

Laws introducing fluoride to Queensland's water supply contained a clause banning legal action for compensation if problems should arise.

Lawyer Mark O'Connor, of Bennett and Philp Lawyers, revealed the clause while demanding that the Queensland Government should pay for medical tests for Brisbane residents affected by the fluoride bungle.

Premier Anna Bligh yesterday revealed 300,000 litres of contaminated water was pumped to up to 4000 northern Brisbane homes for three hours on May 1 after a malfunction delivered 20 times the allowable limit of fluoride into the water supply.

The fault was uncovered during routine tests 12 days later.

Mr O'Connor said despite the Premier and Queensland Health reassuring the public the risk of illness was extremely remote, the Government should offer to pay for any medical tests householders might wish to take.

"People are expected to put their trust in the Government and when the Government fails them, it has a duty to put things right,'' Mr O'Connor said.

"Paying for any medical tests is the least it could do.''

Affected residents are to receive a letter of apology from the Government spelling out what happened.

See - Courier Mail - Fluoride bungle protected from legal action.

The same principle will apply to problems with Anna Bligh's 'not-so-purified' recycled water.

But you will get a letter of apology from Anna Bligh which you can hang over your toilet ...

Anna Bligh in damage control after SEQ water grid blunder hits homes ...

Courier Mail:

Damage control after fluoride blunder hits homes

15 May 2009

Thousands of households had to wait almost a fortnight to be told they had drunk water containing 20 times the allowable limit of fluoride.

The Bligh Government was in damage control last night, after admitting 300,000 litres of contaminated water were pumped into up to 4000 Brisbane homes for three hours on May 1.

The blunder went undiscovered for 12 days after a shutdown at the North Pine Dam treatment plant meant a routine daily test on April 29 was not processed until this week.

Queensland Health has insisted the risk of illness was "extremely remote" but the public relations disaster comes after promises fluoride was completely safe when the initiative began last year.

The investigation will also focus on why at least three safety devices failed at the plant, supplying homes in the northern suburbs of Brendale and Warner with 30mg/L of fluoride, when the limit is 1.5mg/L.

Premier Anna Bligh yesterday said the turnaround time for the test was unavoidable due to the shutdown, but admitted concern over the overdose.

"This is unacceptable and I, like other Queenslanders, have questions about it, and I'm not happy," she said.

"We're unaware of any precedent in any other fluoride treatment plant."

But Opposition Leader John-Paul Langbroek, a pro-fluoride dentist, said the two-week test delay was too long.

"Some people didn't want this, but they told us the processes would be safe," he said.

The bungle occurred when fluoride continued to mix into water when the treatment plant was shut down for routine maintenance late last month.

When the plant resumed operations on May 1, the overdosed water discharged into household supplies between 9am and noon.

SEQWater normally receives the results on the same day but The Courier-Mail understands the bulk supplier failed to test the water before its release after the shutdown.

It is understood the failure meant plant operator LinkWater tested the water further down the line, with its testing taking 12 days instead of SEQWater's normal same-day result.

LinkWater received the test results back on Tuesday.

SEQ Water was told on Wednesday before the Premier was told later that night.

Queensland Health chief health officer Jeannette Young yesterday said there had been no complaints of gastroenteritis, which would have produced diarrhoea and vomiting within 24 hours.

Letters had not been received by households last night and angry residents were contacting The Courier-Mail about the lack of information.

Fluoride My Choice campaigner Selwyn Johnston last night proposed a class action.

"I'd be bloody outraged if it was me," he said.

The plant has been switched off since the findings.

See - Courier Mail - Damage control after fluoride blunder hits homes.

Trust in Anna Bligh = Zero ...

Anna Bligh embarrassed by SEQ water contamination ...

The Australian:

Premier Anna Bligh embarrassed by overdose of flouride in water supply

15 May 2009

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has been severely embarrassed after 20 times the recommended maximum safe dose of fluoride was put into Brisbane's drinking water.

The incident occurred two weeks ago at North Pine Dam, on Brisbane's outskirts, where a treatment plant was shut down for general maintenance but fluoride kept being added automatically to the water.

Consequently, when the plant was turned back on, the water that contained an excessive amount of fluoride was put directly into the water supply of 4000 homes in the suburbs of Warner and Brendale, in Brisbane's north, between 9am and 12pm on May 1.

The concentration of fluoride in the water that flowed directly into households was 30-31mg per litre, while the regulated maximum is 1.5mg per litre.

The incident marks the second water problem for the Bligh Government, which was forced to back down late last year on plans to add recycled effluent to southeast Queensland dams. The plan was deferred in the face of community concerns about the safety of recycled water, but treated effluent will be added to dams when their levels fall to 40per cent.

While all other states have had fluoride in drinking water for years, the matter has always been more contentious in Queensland and fluoride was put into the drinking water in the state's southeast only at the start of this year.

Prolonged exposure to excessive fluoridation leads to gastroenteritis, but Queensland's Chief Health Officer, Jeanette Young, said that authorities did not receive any reports of widespread bouts of the disease at the time.

The error was discovered earlier this week when routine testing showed the high concentrations of fluoride.

Ms Bligh said she was "not happy" with what had happened. "This is unacceptable, and like a lot of Queenslanders, I've got a lot of questions about this," shesaid.

Ms Bligh said that despite fluoride being added to drinking water in various parts of Australia for nearly 50 years using this method, there had never been such an incident and she stressed that the matter would be "properly investigated".

She asked Mark Pascoe, chief executive of the Brisbane-based International Water Centre, to investigate the incident.

One priority of the investigation was establishing how the machinery that added the fluoride in the North Pine Dam treatment plant was not turned off automatically when the whole treatment plant was turned off.

Ms Bligh said the fluoride equipment was now being turned off manually in the other four treatment plants in southeast Queensland where fluoride was being added to the water.

Queenslanders for Safe Water convenor Merilyn Haines ran against Ms Bligh in her seat of South Brisbane to draw attention to the issue of fluoride being added to the water supply. She said yesterday that while she was not surprised by the accident, she was surprised by the way it had happened so soon after the introduction of fluoridation.

"That amount of fluoride is the equivalent of having 120 fluoride tablets in a litre of water, or 30 fluoride tablets in your standard glass," Ms Haines said.

"She's put people's lives at risk. Anyone who drank that water who was an asthmatic was at risk, as was anyone with a kidney disease."

See - The Australian -Premier Anna Bligh embarrassed by overdose of flouride in water supply.

SEQ water grid - Anna Bligh's slow testing regime means no warnings on contaminated water ...

Anna Bligh has defended failing to announce the contamination of Brisbane's water supplies with high doses of fluoride until two weeks after it occurred thus:

Ms Bligh defended not telling the public sooner, saying SEQWater was not aware of the problem until the results of the April 29 water sample came back on Tuesday.

See - Brisbane Times - Water treatment error causes fluoride overload.

So the water sample test results were not available until 12 May.  Two whole weeks.

Anna Bligh has stated that the recycled water will be safe because they can shut down the system if any problems occur.

Now if the recycled water is subject to the same testing regime, it will take two weeks until anyone knows of any contamination - plus extra time while they figure out whether they can cover it up - plus extra time while they figure out who'll tell the politicians - plus extra time while Anna Bligh's spin team figure out how to respond.

That's at least two weeks.

Unless the Courier Mail posts someone at the hospitals - then the government might know sooner ...

Trust us says Anna Bligh.

Just one more reason not to ...

Anna Bligh authorises friendly investigation of SEQ contaminated water ...

On the fluoride contamination investigation:

Ms Bligh said Mark Pascoe, CEO of the International Water Centre based in Brisbane, will run the investigation.

See - Brisbane Times - Malfunction won't slow fluoride rollout: Bligh.

Who is the International Water Centre?

The IWC is a joint venture of four premier Australian universities - The University of Queensland, Griffith University, Monash University and The University of Western Australia. Our universities are internationally recognised leaders in teaching and research. IWC partners are Healthy Waterways Partnership and International Riverfoundation. The IWC is supported by the Queensland Government.

See - International Water Centre.

Any familiar faces?

The IWC Board is made up of the Deputy Vice-Chancellors of the four IWC member universities, and representatives from IWC partners Healthy Waterways Partnership and International Riverfoundation.

Chair - Professor Paul Greenfield, AC

Professor Greenfield is Vice-Chancellor of the University of Queensland.

See - IWC - Prof. Greenfield.

Isn't he on Anna Bligh's QWC advisory team?

Indeed he is.

See - QWC - Prof. Greenfield.

So if there are problems with Anna's 'not-so-purified' recycled water and Anna Bligh calls in the IWC for an 'independent' review, it will be Anna Bligh asking Prof. Greenfield to investigate himself?

At least he should be able to respond in a timely manner ...

SEQ water grid debacle - Fluoride overdose in water ...

Anna Bligh waits 2 weeks to announce a breach of safety guidelines.

Courier Mail:

Fluoride overdose in water

14 May 2009

About 20 times the recommended fluoride was accidentally added to Brisbane water supplies two weeks ago.

Premier Anna Bligh today said the first breach of safety guidelines had occurred between 9am and midday on Friday May 1.

The water should have had 1.5 million grams per litre of fluoride but test results released this week showed it had between 30 and 31 milligrams per litre.

About 300,000 litres of water was released from a fluoride treatment plant at North Pine Dam.

The water flowed into as many as 4000 households in Brendale and Warner on Brisbane's northside.

Ms Bligh, who was alerted to the issue last night, today moved to reassure people, saying there was a very remote chance of any health issues, particularly given symptoms would have emerged by now .

Queensland Health has not received any reports of ill-effects.

The effects of a fluoride overdose are symptoms similar to gastro enteritis.

Ms Bligh said she was angry about the bungle and has ordered a full investigation.

There are at least three safety checks which are believed to have failed.

The bungle is believed to have occurred during a routine shutdown for maintenance at the plant.

Operations shut down but the fluoride pump didn't.

It effectively overdosed an amount of water which was released into the pipes when the plant resumed operations.

See - Courier Mail - Fluoride overdose in water.

Overdosing peeople with fluoride.

Changing the water safety guidelines so contaminated recycled water can be used.

Trust us says the Bligh government ...

Anna Bligh and QWC to produce new recycled water videos ...

Watch the video and see if you can spot the errors.

Here's a hint:

"Filters effectively remove anything larger than a water molecule.

A water molecule is made up of just three atoms.

Potentially harmful compounds contain far greater numbers of atoms and as such are too large to pass though [the membranes]."

Except:

This is a sample of what is in Anna Bligh's 'purified' recycled water:

Inorganic chemicals

• Aluminium
  
• Fluoride
  
• Boron
  
• Iron
  
• Cadmium
  
• Manganese
  
• Copper
  
• Sulphate
  

Disinfection by-products

• Bromate
  
• Dibromochloromethane
  
• Bromodichloromethane
  
• Dichloroacetic acid
  
• Chloroform
  
• NDMA
  

Other organic chemicals

• 4-tert-octylphenol
  
• Cholesterol
  
• Bisphenol A
  
• Nonylphenol
  

Herbicides and pesticides

• Dalapon
  
• Triclopyr
  

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products

• Caffeine
  
• Paracetamol
  
• DEET
  
• Salicylic acid 
  

See - Water Futures - The Chemical Cocktail of Recycled Water.

What?  Not pure you say?

But what about the confident statements in the video?

Could Anna Bligh and the QWC have misled us?

Do they need new videos ...

London recycled water myth - turns out they're now just thinking about it ...

Remember when former Premier Beattie said London drank recycled water and Thames Water said it wasn't true?

Coming soon to your tap - recycled sewage

10 May 2009 

Lower rainfall and rising demand could lead to radical measures

Would you like to drink water that has been extracted from the flushings of your toilet? It’s a prospect few would relish. Yet for Londoners it could become reality under a radical scheme being developed to top up the capital’s water supplies.

The idea is one of several being considered by Thames Water in its desperate effort to address the dual threats of a rising population and decreasing rain because of climate change. Today nearly all the 2.8 billion litres of effluent produced each day by the capital’s toilets, dishwashers and showers is treated and then released out to sea. Thames wants to capture some of that and pump it straight back into the system. It has quietly built a pilot plant in north London to test the technology that would make it possible.

Cringe if you like, but experts say drinking processed sewage will be a fact of life as growing populations place more stress on our reservoirs and rivers. Today only 2% of waste water globally is reused.

“Whether you like it or not it’s going to happen,” said David Stuckey, professor of bio-chemical engineering at Imperial College in London. “Even with our climate much of the country’s population is in water-scarce areas, including London. We have 12m to 15m people living in a small area in southeast England but most of our water is in the northwest.”

Thames Water is not alone. Water-starved countries like Namibia and Singapore have been recycling effluent for the past four years. The only such plant in Europe, at Langford in Essex, has been running since 2003. There, Essex & Suffolk Water takes up to 40m litres of waste water a day from a sewage works in Chelmsford, processes it, and releases it into a river before recapturing it downstream and pumping it into the Hanningfield reservoir.

Companies like Suez Environnement and GE have installed systems that recirculate waste water for irrigating crops, but their end product is not suitable for drinking.

A London scheme would be on an entirely different scale and illustrates the extremes that companies, even in moderate climates, expect to have to go to in the coming years. The Environment Agency estimates that nearly half the country, 25m people, live in areas with less water per person than in arid countries such as Spain or Morocco. By 2020 it expects the country’s water needs will have increased 5%.

Thames has begun customer surveys to gauge public opinion. Richard Aylard, head of sustainability at Thames, said: “There isn’t much of a yuck factor. Sewage reuse has been happening naturally for centuries, anywhere there is one city downriver from another.”

The scheme has the blessing of the Environment Agency and it is understoood that several other companies are considering turning sewage into drinking water. At the pilot plant at Deephams in north London, Thames is testing “reverse osmosis” technology. It works by pushing water at very high pressure through a membrane with pores many times smaller than those of human skin. The process strips particulates and toxins to such a degree that the water must be “remineralised” to give it taste. The plant has the potential to purify sewage to a standard that would allow it to be pumped in a direct loop from the sewage works back into reservoirs and aquifers.

Aylard said that if the technology proves successful it could be fitted to several of its big sewage works, including the one at Beckton in east London. The site is Europe’s largest, processing the waste water of 3.5m people each day.

Reverse osmosis has its problems. It is expensive and very energy intensive. Thames said it would be necessary to process the capital’s noxious black water, which is more dangerous than household sewage because it includes sludge from industrial sites such as metal-works and pharmaceutical plants. The Essex scheme, for example, is simpler because the sewage is from a largely residential area.

Part of Thames’s research will test whether reverse osmosis makes sense financially and environmentally. The latter is an important point. According to the Environment Agency, the transport, treatment and heating of water accounts for 6% of Britain’s carbon emissions, about three times that produced by aviation. Water companies will be included in the government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment scheme. From next year they will have to pay for the pollution they produce beyond a certain threshold, so they will be loth to build new plants that will add to their carbon footprint. In addition, the financial crisis has increased borrowing costs for water companies that rely on debt to fund already expensive investment programmes.

Aylard said the idea remains a “contingency option” and would only be resorted to in extreme circumstances, such as a severe drought or a sudden surge in population. He doesn’t expect the company to have to resort to sewage reuse for at least two decades.

Like other water companies, Thames is focusing on more low-hanging fruit first, such as plugging leaks and getting customers to use less water. Londoners are the most profligate users in the country, averaging about 160 litres a day. However, only about three litres of that is drunk. The rest goes down the plughole or the toilet bowl. What’s more, 27% is lost en route because of leaky pipes. Patching up the network will go a long way toward increasing the capital’s supplies.

And there are other membrane technologies, said Stuckey, that are far cheaper but can produce the same standard of cleanliness as reverse osmosis.

What is certain is that our profligacy with water will have to end. But we’ll still have to surmount the “yuck factor”. Stuckey said: “It’s a perception issue. But if marketing companies can convince us to buy things we don’t need, they should be able to convince us to drink water we have drunk already.”

See - Times Online - Coming soon to your tap - recycled sewage.