'Poowoomba' recycled water vote!

[goughy]

Well, it appears we will not have to worry about living in Poowoomba. Our mayor has conceded defeat in the recycled water vote today. After 32000 of 60000 votes counted the No vote was at 62%.

What will happen now I have no idea. But it may be up to the state govt to find a solution.

I wonder how far the ramifications of this vote result will go. I have no doubt the state and federal govt's wanted us to take this option. They needed a largish inland conserative city to take the 'radical' route so they could sell it elsewhere.

[AndyP]

People are stupid.

Today's paper reported that Brisbane Council may go ahead without a poll.

[Jarro]

from all accounts the water would've been cleaner than the existing drinking water there already :roll:

I thought for sure the people would've voted for this to go ahead ... be very interesting to see what happens now.

[Fishman Dan]

Water runs out now i guess?

People in Goulburn south of Sydney have said they'd move if they introduced it there.

[Courty]

Idiots. Do they think fresh water just falls out of the sky? :roll:
They can't be too concerned about the low dam levels then...

[jaster]

Sorry but I take offense.

It is funny how everyone who doesn't live here comments like they would be happy to drink 20 - 40% (yes that's what was stated) recycled water. I am currently going through chemotherapy as well as have various bowel issues due to my cancer and I sure don't want to be drinking my own discharge and I can't believe for one minute you would either. No matter how many times it is cleaned.....but recycled water is not the real issue.

Sure if it was the ONLY option available but it is not and none of these other options have even been considered much at all by our council.

Surely it would have been more wrong to vote yes without throughly investigating the other options first?

A no vote doesn't mean we won't get recycled water, it means that as a community we are forcing our council into not taking money from the highest bidder and actually doing so work for a change by investigating the best solution.

Surely the best solution is not the cheapest? Our current major would have you believe that this is the case.

I would hope that the 4 other options for our water future get investigated before a hasty decision is made.

Something else to think about....

Our "Major" just happens have bought a pub in Tasmania with her "Girlfriend" for $11 million in the past few months. Gee, looks like she is going to live here after her term is up.

[McCoy]

Good call by the people of Toowoomba, but you need a lot of rain in a big hurry. Your Mayor might be making the right decision in going to Tassie, they've got water.
I can also appreciate the irony of Premier Beattie's total support for the coal industry whilst bemoaning our present environmental predicament. Money talks, global warming walks.

[AndyP]

The fact that I don't live in Toowoomba makes no difference, as Brisbane may be faced with the same situation soon. If science says it is safe, then I don't have a problem with it.

[clikchic]

I have to agree with Jaster. While I don't specifically have a problem drinking recycled water the whole way the council has gone about things has been wrong. There is no other place in the world that uses recycled water to the extent that they want us to use it here.

There are several other options available to us and yes they are more expensive. However, recycled water will only give Toowoomba 7yrs more water supply. There are other options that need looking at that will provide Toowoomba with a lot more water. I remember one (I think it was the gas fields option) was meant to give us 40yrs worth of water.

I for one would rather pay a little more in rates and have a water option that has a bit more staying power.

[clikchic]

Good call by the people of Toowoomba, but you need a lot of rain in a big hurry. Your Mayor might be making the right decision in going to Tassie, they've got water.
I can also appreciate the irony of Premier Beattie's total support for the coal industry whilst bemoaning our present environmental predicament. Money talks, global warming walks.

Humph, yes a lot of rain for sure! Something should have been done about it years ago! How many years have we been in drought now?? !

[Courty]

If science says it is safe, then I don't have a problem with it.

I agree completely. My last job was working for Cairns Water. The sewerage up here is only treated to a point where it is safe to let back into the creeks, but it is still plenty safe enough to drink (I tasted it, and I'm fine). If it was to be returned into circulation, it would be treated a lot more and would be indistinguishable from fresh water. The council messed up by asking the people what they thought. They should have just changed it and nobody would have noticed a thing. People are rejecting the idea because of the thought of where the water comes from. If they didn't know, they wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

[goughy]

The council had no real option with regards to the vote. The state govt and federal govt offered to kick in 1/3 each of the cost of this, but they required us to have a vote on it.

All I can assume now is that with the yes vote losing we will also lose the funding.

Robyn is spot on. The council has allowed tons of extra development in toowoomba without taking a real look at how our infrastructure could handle it, in particular the extra strain it would put on our water. This should have been looked at years ago, not at the last minute.

I can remember 18 years ago when I had to ride a different route to get to school cause my usual path was under water. Personally I have no doubt the drought will break. I have no doubt the dam will fill again. When this will happen I don't know. I also believe we will be under water restrictions forever up here, but I have no probs with that. All some sort of water restriction will affect is really how often you can water your garden. I've been doing my bit - haven't watered our gardens in probably 7 years now.

I have no idea what's gonna happen now. Yes, it will most likely cost us a lot more in a rates, but in the end as long as they pull their fingers out and start doing something instead of bickering I'll be happy.

[amanda]

I saw a report on Ch 7's Sunrise a little while ago - the water that was to come out of the plant in question was going to be of high enough quality that they could use it in kidney dialysis!

Giving an opinion to the masses never works! (look how US and Aust elections turn out)

[jaster]

Looks like a few free samples need to be arranged ;)

[Coffs_Hacker]

Just a curious Q, what are the other options other than reclaimed water. You entioned jaster that there was 4 others. My dad was telling how years ago JOH wanted to build pipelines from up north to ship water down to the south east incase of a drought (for some funny reason he was laughed at). A shame how i see old clive on TV pushing the no vote only cause he wants to keep making money out of the real estate market.

[terryand]

People have drunk tank water fort years where there is no town water.I've seen what is in the bottom of a rain water tank that is feed off the roof. 4" of sludge which would contain its fair share of bird crap and not to mention asbestos from the old fibro roofs and that tank water was drunk with no filtration whatsoever.

this is very similar to the catchment areas, do you think the water is filtered when it runs off the land through cow crap,dead and rotting carcases,herbicide and pesticide runoff, and lord knows what else.



However, recycled water will only give Toowoomba 7yrs more water supply


What happens if it doesn't rain in the next 7 years, this extra 7 years could be the difference between it raining or not and filling the dam or having no water.

Terry.

[jaster]

My debate is not about recycled water but about the local council being accountable for spending my money in the correct areas. I grew up in Charleville drinking tank and warrego river water which I would still drink today if there was no choice...that's the point...there is.


Just a curious Q, what are the other options other than reclaimed water. You entioned jaster that there was 4 others. My dad was telling how years ago JOH wanted to build pipelines from up north to ship water down to the south east incase of a drought (for some funny reason he was laughed at). A shame how i see old clive on TV pushing the no vote only cause he wants to keep making money out of the real estate market.

Mate to be honest my interest is in the fact that our Mayor and council didn't do there job properly rather than a debate against who wanted whatever option for whatever reason. I found a lot of helpful information here though regarding the alternatives.

http://www.toowoomba.qld.gov.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=782&Itemid=294

[terryand]

I like the one alternative for a pipe line from Wivenhoe dam,geez the dam is going to be flat out servicing the area it already does and the want to add more areas to it :shock:

Terry.

[jaster]

That's option 27 of 37 other options Tezza ;) stop muck raking otherwise I'll swear you and Di Thorley have something going on :p

http://www.toowoomba.qld.gov.au/images/stories/people/mayor06.jpg

[terryand]

That pic makes her look 1000% better than on the telly :-s

Could be worse Jaster, you could have that idiot from down the coast who wants to go it alone (with water restrictions) just because his dam is full :confused:

*Edit*Or our media tart premier that wants to spend 3 million on a feasibility study now to run a pipe from north Qld,in 50 or 100 years time.

Terry.

[jaster]

Hehe...yeah mate water certainly brings out the best qualities in people :)

[clikchic]

What happens if it doesn't rain in the next 7 years, this extra 7 years could be the difference between it raining or not and filling the dam or having no water.
Terry.

Possibly, however even if it goes ahead now, it will not be put into place till 2013... council should be hung!

[terryand]

Possibly, however even if it goes ahead now, it will not be put into place till 2013... council should be hung!

Well that sux, I guess they have to spend millions of $$$$ on feasibility studies first :-s Typical bureaucratic bulls!t :?

Terry.

[Choppa]

I liked one of the comments on the 60 minutes report.

ALL water is recycled. There has never been new made water....EVER! So if people don't like drinking recycled water, then they are shit out of luck I am afraid (pardon the pun).

[Ducky]

I like how the lady promoting recycled water looks like a mutant. I know that would encourage me to drink the water!

:rolleyes:

[Fishman Dan]

Well that sux, I guess they have to spend millions of $$$$ on feasibility studies first :-s Typical bureaucratic bulls!t :?

Terry.

London, Singapore and other major (western) cities all do this in some form. I heard that the council spent a good 13 months preparing for this day.

[goughy]

Well, looks like we're gonna get our recycled water anyway now - as I fully expected. I knew the No vote in toowoomba was only wasting time. Honestly I think the Govt's just wanted a conservative city to vote yes; it would be easier to sell elsewhere if somewhere like toowoomba took it up.

Now we're not even gonna get the choice. Not that I wouldn't vote yes again anyway. Personally I just thought they should have just done it and people could make up their mind if they moved or not. Granted, a lot more areas of australia could end up with recycled water anyway.

They were saying that with recycling and de-salination it could take another 10 years to get the dams back to the 40% 'safe' level. Time to pull the fingers out and do something.

My biggest gripes with all this - This problem has been coming in Toowoomba for many years. Excess developement with nothing done to water infrastructure to sustain it. And then waiting till emergency time to do something. We're already on level 5 restrictions and there's talk of level 6. We already can't do pretty much anything these days. I believe you can even be fined if there is a hose attached to a tap at your house.

At least a decision is made. Now pull there fingers out and get it done. They're talking recycled water to industy by the end of the year - and to houses by the end of the next. We're currently at 17% capacity in our dams.

[AndyP]

Hehe, I was going to dig this thread up too. I don't see what the problem is, I've been drinking out of the dunny for ages......

You're right about it being the powers that be's fault in the first place. They should have had tighter restrictions in place long ago, such that, Joe Schmo down the road couldn't have his sprinklers on full bore in the middle of the day.

I actually dobbed some guy in to the council the other day for watering a path and driveway with a hose in the middle of the day in New Farm. Unfortunately, there wasn't much they could do about it, as they would need to either catch him in the act or see a photo.

[goughy]

So you didn't get a photo of g69 then eh?? :)