wanderingwombat

Mosts Australian towns use recycled water. The 'cleanest' water is at the head waters of the river system and the most recycled is down at the sea.

Just depends on whether you like a regular flow (flush? ) or not.

It's funny how in times past how no one gave a sh1t. . The rivers historically have always been an open sewer that have carried all sorts of nasties (think UK industrial revolution) :scared: . It's actually amazing that the industrilaised societies actually survived with all the chemicals that were used at that time. This is what drove the no vote.

It's the current paranioa about personal cleaniless, perpetuated by manufacturers and their advertising companies that encourage us to only products that some sort of germ killer so that our children will manage to survive past childhood.

Toowoomba was just a litmus test for Powerpoint Pete. Goulburn (NSW pop. 30K) is currently trucking in water to maintain supply. I wonder how they would have voted?

The logistics of trucking water for Toowoomba's 90k pop. in the worst case scenario is scary.

WW

JaneandJim

I think that part of the problem is that 25% of the water was to be recycled sewerage, whereas in Europe the figure is 2-3%.

Our illustrious mayor has just declared that its too late for us Brisbane residents to even have a referendum. If we don't get rain this summer then it will be forced onto us. Meanwhile Peter Beattie and the council mayors are all fighting about whose fault it is. As usual.

Jane

The Bloke

Brisbane CC apparently has been selling truckloads of water to developers for as little as $5 each tanker.

JaneandJim

And hasn't one of the power stations been taken millions of litres from Wivenhoe? A few weeks ago, the council laid new pipes along the side of the road. When they'd finished they covered the soil in that spray grass. A water truck came every day for a week to water it! Its all a big sick joke. On us.

Jane

wanderingwombat

The issue urban councils have had with water tanks is the maintenance of them. Old water tanks were notorious being mosquito breeders not to mention having the odd dead possum or two. Most people who are dependant on tanked water maintain their tanks by neccessity. In near city areas where houses had both town n tank, the tanks were let go (not essential) due to other lifestyle pressures.

The current feel-good of 'each house must have a tank' is fine if the tanks are of such a size that they will make a difference long after the rain has stopped, not just for the following weekend. When there is a normal rain pattern in BrisVegas it wont take long to fill a tank.

When outbreaks of Ross River or dengue fever start in BrisVegas there will be a whole new business opportunity removing water tanks when Councils ban them again.

WW

JaneandJim

You're right about size. We have a 7000 gallon tank, and if our garden had been finished, then that wouldn't have been enough over the winter. The tanks in the cities, by neccessity, are a fraction of that size, so what use are they?

Ours has mesh on the top to stop the mossies and the downpipes all had to be cut in half so that mesh could be put there too. We did have bees take up residence in the pipe leading into the tank, though. They all got flushed out when it rained.

Jane

The Bloke

It is not an issue of urban councils but more of city ones.
Most of the houses in Wondai Shire are in urban areas and they get the same average rainfall pattern as Brisbane. Also BTW they do have townwater supply laid on to the houses so tanks are not altogether necessary and I'm referring to sizes from 2500 gal up and the council has never had any problem with domestic water tanks. You can have a bigger problem with mosquitos in open dams, rivers and resovioirs. As for the possums, birds etc, fine mesh is put over the hole in the top when they were made.

232Bar

Thought you were coming up here to use the bore to do your car? I can also provide coffee LOL

Nicstids

We've just had another tank put in so we've got 10,400 gallon capacity. Looking to put another one in on our new shed so should have about 11,000 gallons hopefully. We had 20mm rain on Monday, a little bit the week before and the 2 existing tanks are nearly 1/2 full. That's from only 1/2 our roof as for some reason when the house was built half the downpipes go out into the road
It really doesn't take much rain at all to fill the tanks but I agree that in town they need to look at putting in underground tanks for new builds.
We have a friend who is on tank water only and he has had to have water tankered in but apparently it tastes pretty horrible Don't know where it comes from!

wanderingwombat

Lets look a few years down the track (after the rain has returned) at a water tank in an urban area..

That mesh at the top of the tank has rusted, broken down if PVC or been damaged during cleaning/removing tennis balls. The mesh is usually out of sight out of mind. When the home owner discovers that a replacement is required and that the shape/style/model is no longer available at Bunnings, what will they do?

Nothing.

Why? All too hard / too expensive / not my problem those mosquitoes.

Collecting roof water and piping it to a neighbourhood holding tank and then on to the main dams would make sense.

But what developer/council/state govt/federal govt would be prepared to fund that?

WW

The Bloke

Coffee!!!!!!

Need detergent to wash car not coffee.

JaneandJim

Only half our downpipes go into the tank too, otherwise it will fill up in no time when it does actually rain. Jim keeps talking about getting another one for the other side but we don't really have the room.

Tanker water comes from a fire hydrant. We got a couple of loads to start off our pool and he just went down the road and filled up his second tankload from there.

Jane

The Bloke

Townwater in a tank then?

The Bloke

That's why there are plumbers and it is treated as part of house maintenance.

232Bar

Ever tasted my coffee?