the drought
 

well this is td1's hubby and wanted to ask about the drought.

we have been here 6 months now and all i can see is that there is sooo no water!!!!
the dams are 39% full, there is no rain coming. unless i do the rain dance!!!

does anybody else think about this and go to work wondering why they are here when in a couple of months the dams could be even lower and we could be all out of water soon.

i mean why has the government decided to go to level 3 restrictions now, why didnt they go to level 4 months ago.?

does anybody know what they are doing about this? my family are very water saving people and when we get our bill we are well under the amount that it says that only 3 people should use.

is there anyone who might be able to reassure me that im wetting me pants for nothing. just that im thinking about buying a house and dont know if this country is going to the bones, ie very dry. that its not worth being here.

apart from this problem the country and lifestyle i have is better than uk, just that i need to drink and wash!!!!

Re: the drought
 

Well here is South Oz we are going on to level 3 restrictions in January. It doesn't affect us so much as we are on re-cycled water for watering gardens, flushing toilets etc.

I have heard they are going to cut water supplies to them that use too much though. I'll look for a link :)

Re: the drought
 

http://au.news.yahoo.com/060913/2/10ivp.html

Looks like it's for Victoria

Re: the drought
 

I read somewhere today (wish i could remember the link) that in the last few years due to poor management, Australia has lost the equivalent of 92 Syndey harbours of water. Enough to sustain life in Sydney for the next 80 years :eek:

Re: the drought
 

Well you do realise that this country is turning into a desert...not actually reverting from being one?

20 million others also need to drink and wash, but seems very politically dicey to force recycling of water here like they have in UK, Singapore etc. People just don't like the thought of it. Maybe when everyone gets rationed like 2 litres a day drinking water they might change their minds :D

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Now we all know that poms don't wash :D So it's just drinking you will have to worry about.

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If the drought continues everyone in OZ will be drinking sea water and their own urine.:scared:
But not me l have an unlimited supply of bore water beneath my land which l pump up and its all free, no water restriction for me.

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That might stop those who don't give a damn about fines from watering their lawns ...
Walked past a house down the road from me and couldn't believe they still have green grass.

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I'm not being funny but bores do dry up y'Lordship. If it was that easy why aren't there bores being drilled in every town as we speak? ??? Would that work? (until they dry up of course). Maybe the aborigines are having a laugh now cos they know how to get water. We've had it too good for too long perhaps?

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His Lorship's mannor is underneath a massive underground water supply, l use stacks of water all through summer and its never run out. l live in an area near the coast that gets high rainfall, most places on OZ don't have the underground water reserves my area does.

Re: the drought
 

Thanks for the link Wendy. We are in Victoria and had come across some of that info already - will just have to wait and see what happens.:)


It may be politically dicey to force re-cycling of water on people here and they might not like it, but too be honest what is the alternative!!!!! If the dams dont fill up, where is it all going to magically come from.

It also worries me that on this site people emigrating are more worried about which 7 seater car they should buy !!! I think that people need to be so aware of the more serious situations going on and i would love someone to let me know anything they have heard that will hopefully get us all out of this situation.

Re: the drought
 

I don't get it!

What's the problem with drinking desalinated & treated sea water?
Or with recycling waste water to make it re-usable?
Aren't there desalination plants in Australia already, and more on the way?

Re: the drought
 

Not all of Australia is in drought. The north of the country is fine & we have no restrictions in WA (or any planned). As usual this is all being blamed on global warming, end of the world etc & is being called the worst drought ever. There was an interesting article in The Weekend Australian about the droughts in 1900 & 1920's & others being far, far worse. That doesn't make good headlines for the tabloids & Today Tonight though.

Re: the drought
 

We have a desal. plant in Perth & another planned. We should have recycled water though & it is criminal that we don't.

Re: the drought
 

If there is one thing that really pisses me off about this country, it's the fact that they dont have a decent water infrastructure.

I would definitely pay 300 pct on my water rates, if i could get all the water I want.
I think these government restrictions on water is the most intrusive thing I've ever had any government do to me personally.

To those that complain about rain and sleet, at least you know it will end up being used as "GREEN"....

I'm sick of drought now... BTW I talked to my wifes uncle... It was worse in 1983.... It's just that there are more people using water now, without the added infrastructure.


F... the federal system, which is the main reason for this.

Re: the drought
 

Spot on... I"m with you on this, and I've been here 26 years... Actually into my 27th tomorrow.

I'm the only one around my area with a Green lawn, and thats because I'm the only one that can be bothered to link up my Washing machine to a big black pipe to get that sense of lushness that I seem to need.


This Drought situation is really making me think my position here.

Re: the drought
 

Happy anniversary:)

I totally agree with you. I like it here and I am ready to buy a house but a part of me is constantly thinking about how it can all turn out.

The news and papers may be trying to just get the biggest headlines, and there may have been worse droughts in the past, but it doesn't get away from the fact that some of the major dams in Victoria are hugely under capacity at present and the fact that we are about to enter 2007 and we are still having similar problems that we had in the 1900's!!!!!

Re: the drought
 

We're in Brisbane & on level 4 restrictions:scared:
I can't help wondering how long our supplies will last. When we came in Feb, dam levels were about 30% I think, & now they're about 23%:scared:
Can't believe the aussies don't want to re-cycle etc. Long term forcast scares me senseless. We've just bought a house & have thses doom & gloom thoughts of us ending up with a worthless piece of Oz, bone dry & everyone moving back to UK !

Re: the drought
 

Hate to tell you this but that 'never ending supply' under the ground WILL in fact run out if you do not watch your consumption. Its fed via the drainage through the earths layers. hence no rain no refill, It may seem like a never ending supply but as they say on the add, 'it won't happen overnight ..but it WILL happen':rolleyes:

we too have a spring fed bore, beautiful water, crystal clear and icy cold, an although we could asume we do not need to watch our use of water, living in a rural area we are totally aware of the need to be frugla with it.:( I live in a high rainfall area Gippsland actually, have been in this location for the last 7 years , 28 yrs in oz, diary country, never seen it this dry, and dams so low. We recycle the waste water from our showers and washing machine onto some of our paddocks to keep some green pick for our stock and to reduce dust around the place a little.
We then travel into the city area, and here they are out their watering their lawns washing their cars, hosing their houses, then they complain about restrictions and want water from the country areas to be shipped into the city areas, for their use. Where the hell do they think their food comes from, it needs water to be grown, raised and fed etc. No water in the country equals no food or very expensive food in the supermarkets folks.
Just because you have what appears to be surplus supply your lordship please don't disrespect it.

Re: the drought
 

My wifes uncle reminded me that there were a lot more dust storms, which equates to the ground being dryer in 1983, most towns in Victoria experienced these, even Melbourne. More livestock was culled as well.

The Catchment dams have remained exactly the same, since that year, with none being added, However the population has gone up by at least 10 to 15 pct.

I dont think the state will run out of water as such, as they can import it, the most likely emergency route for this would be 500,000 ton Supertankers filling up dams in Gippsland with water from the west coast of Tasmania, where there is a massive surplus. What this does mean though is we will be on stage 4 restrictions indefinitly here in Vic, unless something unforseen happens, like abundant rains.

Question is do people want to live in a brown enviornment, without prospect of it getting better, with stage 4 restrictions compounding the problem, or would they prefer cold wet and crowded conditions of the UK. Personally I think it's a close call.

BTW.. My 27 Anniversary in this country is in August 2007... I'm just into my 27th year ...2007... as from NYD.

Re: the drought
 

can you use bore water on your gardens as much as you like or only on your watering days (Perth) as a neighbour has it on more than on his watering day, thanks Paul.

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Considering how long the drought has been going for (more than 7 years in some places), I would have thought is testimony to having a decent water infrastructure throughout the country.

True there has been little spent on infrastructure in the past 20 years which isnt so bright given the population increase (especially SE QLD).

Given the period of the current OZ drought how would the UK cope in a drought of the same duration http://www.midkentwater.co.uk/drought/ ?

WW

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l think l read somewhere if OZ built a large nuclear powered desalination plant it would solve all of OZ's water problems, just pump the treated sea water into the Murray and other rivers

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I think this weather pattern known as drought, is just a natural part of this countries natural cycle. They have coped far better in the past than they have this time around. With barely any restrictions in the major cities, from memory I think it only got as far as stage 2, or Hosepipe bans. This time around people cant even wash cars, and the levels are still depleting.

The situation needs a radical cure, like the Nuclear desalination plant, however it's got to get a lot worse before the masses realise we will have to go down that path or similar. Thats the annoying part, it's inevitable and no amount of conservation will fix the problem. They are now urging people in Ballarat to shower once every two days.... Great fix guys, I suppose when that is the norm, thats when people will demand a quantam level fix.

I just wish they would get on with it.

Re: the drought
 

I gather that there are other things the utils can do - as in the next few years - we're not dry yet. The utils do have limited plans up their sleeve - but we need a better plan going forward and sustainable, alternative resources.

DO IT MR HOWARD. MAKE IT LOOK LIKE YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING..

Re: the drought
 

I think we all need to take a bit of responsibility.
I know it's late, but I think the QLD govt are getting into the swing of things now. We live in the burbs, and are now proud owners of a water tank. It's only a small one, but it's a start. We also took advantage of the Home Waterwise Service, which was a bleedin bargain. Best $20 we ever spent! We got a choice of 4 showerheads, all in either white or chrome, plus leaky taps fixed and those pressure thingies installed.
J

Re: the drought
 

[QUOTE=ozzieeagle;4237809]I think this weather pattern known as drought, is just a natural part of this countries natural cycle. QUOTE]

The usual weather pattern is have a couple of cyclones on both coasts. The WA side brings rain to the centre while the QLD become rain depressions and heads south. A quick way to fill dams and rivers and towns :eek: That hasnt happened in a loooong time.

Then the complaints will follow about fixing up the rivers to stop floods.

WW

Re: the drought
 

What OZ should do, as it has the world largest supply of uranium it would be cheap to built 10 large nuclear desalination palnts around the country, capable of treating billions of litres of sea water, pump billions of litres into the outback flooding it , turning the desert green, plant millions of trees in the outback , help solving global warming and this may cool OZ's climate a bit and create more rainfall over OZ, also pump billions of litres into the snowy river system in the Victorian Alps which will get the river Murray and other rivers flowing to full capcity and also full of all the resoviours.

Re: the drought
 

I'll take that one personally as it was me that started the 7-seater thread :p . (back in May before there was too much talk of drought).

:beer:

Buzzy

Re: the drought
 

If feasible, this would be a bloody good idea. Maybe you should email it to senior pollies on both sides of the camp...seriously.

Re: the drought
 

You'd need to contact the water authority or your local council about that.

Also one of the problems with respect to gardens is that people in drier parts of the country planting the wrong stuff. There are many native plants etc that can be bought from your local nursery that live on far less water. Also watering the roots and not wasting it over the leaves etc makes for more efficient use of water.

6PR 882AM have a gardening segment wednesday arvo at 1pm and sat n sun 8-10 I think. You can ring in with your questions. www.6pr.com.au for details

Re: the drought
 

Headlines:

"GST INCREASED TO 1010% TO PAY FOR WATER SAVING TECHNOLOGY"

"EVIAN SOLD OUT AS CHEAP LAWN WATER"

:D :D

WW

Re: the drought
 

l would probably get a knighthood for coming up with such a brilliant idea, you would have to call me Sir Lord Pom Percy.:p

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Lol :p

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Lol wombat...I did use the term 'if feasible' :D

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If you buy water, to fill a tank, can you use it as you wish?

I would be quite happy to pay a premium for this of course.

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Anything is feasible, it just co$t$ money:D

WW

Re: the drought
 

It seems like using grey water would be an excellent idea, however am i right in thinking that some of areas of Queensland will not let you use grey water?:confused:
and if not why not? if it can go to water garden and washing cars and things like that, it would seem that it would ba a sensible thing to do?
We are hoping to go Queensland, Brisbane ish, and are quite prepared to reduce reuse and recycle as much as possible!:D

Re: the drought
 

totally in agreement - With Oz holding the Worlds largest supply of Uranium, it could be used to better effect and because the country is so large...the power stations could be located well away from any settlements. Just hope George Bush doesnt start looking for more uranium instead of Oil!;)

Re: the drought
 

Most Australians seem to be far more paranoid about any form of nucleaer power or uranium mining than they are about running out of water.
Personally, I think it should be compulsory for every new-built house to have a water-tank to catch rain run-off from roofs - but the governments couldn't control how much you use, or charge you for it. Maybe that's why they discourage the idea.