QWC still pushing the potable reuse barrow ...

Sunday Mail:

Queensland Water Commission recycles water plan

29 November 2009

Queensland Water Commission is urging the Government to look at spending billions of dollars on two more purified recycled water schemes despite barely using the existing one.

The State Government has spent $2.4 billion on the Western Corridor project, one of the largest recycled water schemes in the world.

But it has been labelled a white elephant after Premier Anna Bligh, in a dramatic turnaround last November, scrapped plans to add treated sewage to drinking supplies in Wivenhoe Dam.

Despite this, the Queensland Water Commission's 50-year southeast Queensland water strategy, released a little over a week ago, says the Government should investigate two other potential recycling schemes, with a view to preserving land for treatment facilities and pipeline corridors.

The possible projects identified would supply purified recycled water from wastewater treatment plants to both the North Pine Dam, at Petrie in the Moreton Bay region, and the Hinze Dam on the Gold Coast.
...

But the Water Commission's strategy says using recycled water has advantages over desalination, with far lower energy consumption involved.

The Commission says recycled water is also climate-resistant.

A spokeswoman for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Minister Stephen Robertson said he would decide on the Water Commission's recommendations after public consultation ends next March.

See - Sunday Mail - Queensland Water Commission recycles water plan.

Climate resistant?

Recycled water is not a rain independent source of water.

Wonder when they'll stop trying to fool people that it is ...

Spam prevention ...

Due to an increasing amount of comment spam (which never reaches the blog due to comment moderation), comments will be locked for a bit.

Anna Bligh's government finally admits recycled water is not a solution ...

Brisbane Times:

20 November 2009

Water Commissioner Mary Boydell tried not to wade into the debate, but said the decision not to use recycled water as a permanent water source brought forward the need for other water infrastructure by one to two years.

See - Brisbane Times - Don't like desal? Then don't splash out.

At best it postpones the need for another water source. Recycled water is not a rain independent source of water ...

Anna Bligh's long-term water solution for SEQ - don't use water ...

It's simple really.

Tell people not to use water and then wait until the next crisis so you can try once again to force recycled water down people's throats ...

Brisbane Times:

20 November 2009

Premier Anna Bligh's plan to build two new desalination plants by 2017 could be delayed for a further five years if existing water usage limits stay in place in the long term.

The State Government today unveiled an updated 50-year strategy to deliver water security for South-East Queensland following the rejection of the controversial Traveston Crossing Dam by Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett last week.

On December 1, all of South-East Queensland, including the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and the Redlands, will move to "permanent water conservation measures", which allow hosing before 10am and after 4pm any day, except Mondays.

Instead of the target water usage limit rising from 200 to 230 litres per day, which had been flagged, the lower limit will remain in place until at least March next year.
...

See - Brisbane Times - Don't like desal? Then don't splash out.

When it comes to water, there's always someone worse off ...

6. Guiyu, Guangdong province, (广东省贵屿镇) rivers and reservoirs have been contaminated, the villager is washing in a seriously polluted pond. November 25, 2005

See the whole photo series - Pollution in China.

Is China really serious about environmental reform ...

Coalworks prepares to ditch Hodgson Vale coal EPC1145 ...

Coalworks Ltd - Quarterly Report

Activities Report for the Quarter ended 30 September 2009

Hodgson Vale EPC 1145

An internal review has been conducted on this project in view of its possible divestment into a separate listed company which is under consideration. Work conducted during the quarter was limited to a site reconnaissance visit to assess the suitability of areas for future exploration. Drillhole planning will commence in the next quarter.

See - Coalworks Ltd.

EPC 1145 expires on 21 September 2010 (but can be renewed).

Current spending requirement - $100,000 in year 3.

Coalworks EPC 1145 at Hodgson Vale - location map showing nearby homes etc ...

View Larger Map

Head south from Andrews Court (marked "A") and after 250 metres or so you're pretty much standing on EPC 1145.

While EPC 1145 covers 51 sq. kms, any coal that might be there is apparently in the northern part of the EPC towards Andrews Court, also traversing the New England Highway.

You won't find a Google map on their website showing the streets. One of their maps appears on page 58 of the Coalworks Ltd prospectus ...

80% of Toowoomba Regional Council area covered by coal permits ...

16 November 2009

Nearly 80 per cent of the Toowoomba Regional Council area is covered by coal exploration permits, consultants have told the council.

See- The Chronicle - Our region could be one big hole.

Toowoomba ratepayers see red over water rate charges ...

16 November 2009

Water Services portfolio leader Paul Antonio, who left the country for New Zealand the day after notices went out, also said pensioners and low income earners are his greatest concern with a water connection fee that has increased by 100 per cent.

See - The Chronicle - Ratepayers see red over water.

A concern - but nothing they will do anything about ...

Anna Bligh - dead politician walking ...

16 November 2009

Senior Labor figures - including members of both the Right and Left factions - are agitating for Premier Anna Bligh to be dumped early in the new year.

The Courier-Mail has learnt powerful factional players are convinced Ms Bligh cannot recover strong support and want an alternative installed before the party's position becomes terminal.

It is believed senior figures of the Right, also known as the Labor Forum faction, are garnering support for a switch to first-term MP Cameron Dick.

See - Courier Mail - Cameron Dick tipped to be new Queensland Premier.

Pipe laying complete for 38km Toowoomba Pipeline ...

November 12, 2009

Infrastructure and Planning Minister Stirling Hinchliffe marked a major milestone for Toowoomba today as workers connected the last piece of pipe for the $187 million Toowoomba Pipeline project.

Mr Hinchliffe said pipe laying for the 38km project linking Wivenhoe Dam to Cressbrook Dam was completed almost two months ahead of schedule.

"This vital piece of infrastructure will provide the long-term water security Toowoomba needs to prosper," Mr Hinchliffe said.

"Construction of the pump station for the pipeline is also 70 per cent complete, and both remain on track to be operational and pumping water by January 2010.

"The pipeline connects to Wivenhoe Dam near the Esk water extraction tower, then follows local road reserves west through the Esk township. From there, it crosses a number of large rural properties and advances through Deongwar State Forest to connect to Cressbrook Dam.
...

See - Pipe laying complete for 38km Toowoomba Pipeline.

Anna Bligh backflip on coal seam gas policy ,,,

14 November 2009

The Queensland government has decided against declaring that a set percentage of the natural gas to be produced in the state must be dedicated for domestic use, deciding instead that whole gasfields are likely to be reserved for such usage.

Western Australia has reserved 10 per cent of the liquid natural gas output of the North West Shelf for domestic use, and the Bligh government in Queensland caused some drama in the industry when it proposed that 20 per cent of output be reserved for domestic use.

However, Queensland has instead decided to set aside some specified future gasfields for domestic supply if needed, instead of requiring a percentage of gas from all fields to go to domestic supply.

The policy would not apply to gasfields already owned by gas suppliers, and would work by requiring the proposed gas commissioner to specify that certain gasfields could only be used for domestic use.

See - The Australian - Bligh changes tack on coal seam gas policy.

Anna Bligh's chief of staff sees writing on wall - and quits ...

13 November 2009

Anna Bligh's chief-of-staff Mike Kaiser has quit, sparking fresh speculation about the Premier's leadership.

Mr Kaiser will join the Federal Government's National Broadband Network from next month as head of government relations and external affairs.

The announcement yesterday came a day after Ms Bligh's office denied Mr Kaiser had quit when questioned by The Courier-Mail.

See - Courier Mail - Mike Kaiser quits as Anna Bligh's chief of staff.

Just as he did with NSW Premier Iemma before he was toppled.

Wivenhoe-Toowoomba pipeline completed ...

But worries over costs continue ...

See - The Chronicle - Dam decision may have water impact.

SEQ - potable reuse off the table - for now ...

13 November 2009

The Government yesterday reinforced its decision not to crank up the recycled water grid because it said the public had spoken against the water.

See - Courier Mail - Anna Bligh's $3bn water blowout after Traveston decision.

Recycled water v. desalination debate resurfaces ...

13 November 2009

Taxpayers must fork out more than $3 billion because the State Government refuses to pump recycled water into southeast Queensland dams.

Premier Anna Bligh's decision to replace the failed Traveston Crossing Dam project with energy-hungry desalination plants – while leaving the $2.4 billion recycled water pipeline network largely idle – will add to the state's budget woes.

Analysis by The Courier-Mail has found the decision by Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett to scrap the Traveston dam will leave a 200-megalitre-a-day gap in the Government's water supply plans from 2012.
...

See - Courier Mail - Anna Bligh's $3bn water blowout after Traveston decision.

Anna Bligh's water policy up the creek ...

12 November 2009

Anna Bligh's water policy consists of a rusting desalination plant, a recycled water facility not being used properly and plans for a dam that will never get built.

The ad hocery that has afflicted the Government's approach to meeting the region's water needs was exposed for all to see yesterday. It has spent six years drawing up a regional water supply strategy and billions of dollars borrowed at the top of the market to arrive at a place where it still cannot guarantee it has the definitive answer to our water problems.

See - Courier Mail - Water policy up the creek.

Anna Bligh opts for desalination as Traveston Dam plans scrapped ...

11 November 2009

Premier Anna Bligh says she has no choice but to accept the Federal Government's decision to scrap plans for the controversial Traveston dam.

Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett today announced an interim decision to reject plans to dam the Mary River after evidence revealed it could kill off endangered species.

The decision means bringing forwards desalination plans, she told reporters in Brisbane after Mr Garrett's decision.

See - Courier Mail - Peter Garrett rejects Traveston Dam.

Coalworks EPC 1145 at Hodgson Vale near Toowoomba - more interesting information ...

2008 Coalworks Ltd Prospectus - Page 55

Coalworks Ltd holds the Hodgson Vale project area under Exploration Permit EPC 1145. The licence covers 51 [square kms] and is located approximately 10 kms south of Toowoomba in southeast Queensland.

Coalworks Ltd Prospectus - Page 42

The EPC contains an exploration target of 5 to 20 million tonnes of thermal coal in the northern part of the tenure. The area containing this exploration target is restricted to the north by encroaching suburban development, and the New England Highway also crosses the area
...

The coal is typically high ash, erratically distributed and occurs in relatively thin seams. These factors limit the potential of Hodgson Vale to host a significant economic coal deposit.

Coalworks Ltd Prospectus - Page 61

The only coal intersected by drilling has been within a small area in the north of the EPC.
...

The 6.8m (accumulated) coal intersection from 82.5m in depth is insufficient for viable open cut extraction, and the maximum 1.2m seam thickness in that hole is extremely thin for underground extraction. This hole marks the southern limit of the main potential coal resource.
...

Note that the area of the exploration target is affected by the New England Highway which crosses this area.
...

The available geological information indicates that the EPC is only likely to contain relatively small tonnages of coal. The coal is erratically distributed and occurs in relatively thin seams. The coal has high ash content. This will be a difficult area in which to delineate economic resources of coal.

Coalworks Ltd Prospectus - Page 78

3.11 Reductions

On 20 August 2009 the area of [EPC 1145] must be reduced from 17 sub-blocks to 13 sub-blocks. A further 20 per cent reduction will be required in the event that renewal of [EPC 1145] is sought.

EPC 1145

Grant date - 21 September 2007

Expiry date - 21 September 2010

Expenditure
commitment - Years 1&2 - $305,000; year 3 - $100,000.

Toowoomba Regional Council councillor wants input on mining ...

10 November 2009

John McVeigh is prepared to do what few politicians would — risk his popularity.

The Toowoomba Regional councillor wants the council to have a say on new mining applications without regard for the consequences.

“No matter how unpopular or contentious that makes us, we want a seat at the table,” he said in a committee meeting yesterday.

The council is currently a bystander to the development of mining projects in the region with decision-making power resting solely with the State and Federal governments.
...

See - The Chronicle - McVeigh seeks input on mine plans.

Anna Bligh's Gold Coast desal plant quality compromised in rush ...

10 November 2009

Fears the $1.2 billion Gold Coast desalination plant was rushed, compromising its quality, have been raised by officials overseeing the troubled project.

The Tugun plant, meant to be a showpiece of the State Government's $9 billion water grid, has been plagued by problems including rusting pipes, cracking concrete, faulty valves and leaching of contaminants from a rubbish dump.

The Government is refusing to take delivery of the facility until next June because of serious faults that have delayed the handover by 18 months.

Now, documents obtained by The Courier-Mail under Freedom to Information laws reveal serious concerns were raised about the pace of construction.
...

See - Courier Mail - Rushing ruined Tugun desalination plant.

Brisbane experiments with rainwater harvesting ...

29 October 2009

Capturing rain water and storing it under Brisbane's suburban streets could be the answer to South-East Queensland's water security, doing away with the need for large-scale dams such as Traveston Crossing, experts say.

Scientists hope a storm water harvesting trial on Brisbane's northside will help them work out how to capture some of the 500 billion litres of rain water - equivalent to 500,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools - which falls over Greater Brisbane each year but simply runs into creeks and rivers.

They argue all new residential estates should be built with the capability to store and harvest rain water supplies underground or in smaller, local dams.

See - Brisbane Times - Summer harvest the key to Brisbane's water future?

Will Coalworks proceed with Hodgson Vale coal mine ...

21 October 2009

Google Hodgson Vale and, alongside real estate ads featuring green valley vistas, is a website boasting the area's coal gasification potential.

The New South Wales-based Coalworks has a 51 square kilometre exploration lease over the area, a fact which Councillor Mike Williams said had made some potential buyers wary about investing.

He has gathered anecdotal evidence investors had been spooked by the company's prediction, published in The Chronicle in August, that a coal mine could be operating in the area in five years if a second round of drilling was successful.

See - the Chronicle - Coal talk takes shine off sales boom.

Rain delays Wivenhoe-Toowoomba pipeline connection ...

6 November 2009

The connection of the final pipe between Wivenhoe and Cressbrook Dams to supply urgently needed water to Toowoomba has been delayed.

It was meant to be connected today but overnight storms dumped more than 30 millimetres on the site.

The rain has made the ground too soggy to complete the connection.

See - ABC News - Rain delays drought connection.

Anna Bligh starts 'we saved Toowoomba' campaign ...

6 November 2009

The State Government says Toowoomba would be in total drought next year without water from Wivenhoe Dam.

Workers today will complete a 38-kilometre pipeline from the dam to Toowoomba, before moving on to finish the pump station.

See - ABC News - Pipe completed to drought-striken city.

Anna Bligh - 'I may have saved you but you'll pay for it' ...

Gasification project pilots cleaner coal energy ...

A Queensland company is piloting technology which will generate power from coal without having to dig it up and with 25 per cent fewer emissions than a traditional black-coal power station.

Cougar Energy is developing an underground coal gasification (UCG) project 10km south of Kingaroy, in southern Queensland.

UCG is the process of extracting coal from the ground through its transformation into a combustible gas for power generation. It can also be used in the production of diesel, fertilisers or chemicals.

See - Brisbane Times - Gasification project pilots cleaner coal energy.

No water by-product with this one ...

Victoria's desalination plant secures funding ...

AquaSure, a group of investors building Australia's biggest water desalination plant, agreed to a $1.7 billion loan to help fund the project, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Banks offered to lend more than AquaSure sought, meaning the Victoria state government won't need to make up a shortfall, said the people, who asked not to be identified as they're not authorized to discuss the matter. National Australia Bank and Westpac managed the syndication, they said.

See - SMH - Desal plant secures funds; Vic govt off the hook.

Brisbane dam levels at 73.4% ...

... according to SEQwater.

Western Sydney faces water crisis ...

7 November 2009

The State Government must consider curbing population growth in western Sydney because there will not be enough water to sustain agriculture, recreation and environmental flows in the region, scientists say.

More than 600,000 extra residents will live in western Sydney by 2031, according to the State Government's Metropolitan Strategy.

But scientists working for the water strategy group WISER say there will be only just enough water for drinking and bathing, leaving little for the region's market gardens, playing fields, and the Hawkesbury-Nepean River system.

See - SMH - Western Sydney faces water crisis, scientists warn.

Anna Bligh keeps location of SEQ's second desalination plant secret ...

The Bligh Government is sitting on a high-level report identifying the location of the second-wave of desalination plants planned for Queensland.

The report, completed months ago, reveals which of two environmentally sensitive sites at Bribie Island or Marcoola on the Sunshine Coast will host a proposed new desalination plant.

A site at bayside Lytton in Brisbane and either the Bribie or Marcoola options – both of which involve building in national parks – were identified last February as "priority" locations.

However, despite promising a final decision on sites by mid-year, the Government now says it will not release the report until a decision is made on the Traveston Dam in the Mary Valley.

See - Courier Mail - Bribie Island or Marcoola; desalination site kept secret.

Better build this one better than the first ...

SEQ - hosing allowed as water restrictions relaxed ...

Southeast Queenslanders can finally get the hose out of the shed as tough drought-induced water restrictions are lifted from next month.

The changes mean some households could use up to 80 litres more water a day per person.

They also allow residents to water their lawns and gardens and wash their cars with hoses before 10am and after 4pm on any day except Mondays.

The changes, to be introduced on December 1, bring the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast into line with the rest of the region.

Both coasts are using an average of more than 200 litres of water per resident a day, significantly more than in Brisbane, Logan and Ipswich. Sunshine Coast water usage is averaging between 230 litres and 260 litres a day.

See - Courier Mail - Hosing allowed as water restrictions to be eased.

Weather threatens Hinze Dam project on the Gold Coast ...

The threat of a stormy and wet summer has pushed the $395 million project to double the capacity of the Hinze Dam on the Gold Coast to crisis point.

See - Sunday Mail - Weather threatens Hinze Dam project on the Gold Coast.

San Diego - recycled water advocates say use celebrities to sell it ...

People trust scientists. But they also trust celebrities, sports figures, and others. Go out and recruit a bunch of Chargers and Padres to start drinking the Orange County water which is augmented from re-purified sources. Get a panel of local doctors to endorse (and drink) recycled water.

See - Voice of San Diego - Win the Hearts and Minds to Get Recycled Water.

This was suggested (!) during the Toowoomba water debate - see - Recycled water celebrity endorsement.

Getting bottles of NEWater was easy. Getting politicians to drink it convincingly was another matter ...