Swerv-o

Somebody actually appears to be taking the water crisis seriously!

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...685553908.html

S

chels

Why not encourage water recycling, make all new build homes be water efficient and give rebates / incentives to other homes to become more water efficient (eg fit dual flush toilets)? Why not make businesses use grey water? Put a moratorium on pools being built, and old pools refilled?

Swerv-o

I must admit that I find it just a little distasteful that we are in the middle of this drought - crops are failing, livestock dying, farmers losing their livelihoods/lives - and all some members of this forum can do is twitter on about their huge pool/getting a huge pool built.

Maybe the drought doesn't apply to new immigrants...

S

stevemich

It is this sort of thing I find especially worrying...
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/...685591193.html

Working on the principle that we should just keep sucking up water from aquifers, causing unknowable long term damage to the environment, and not addressing the stuff Chels mentioned - grey water usage, water tank rebates, storm water collection etc.

Heads in the sand.

BadgeIsBack

!

2 things are often important to new arrivals.

i) a Pool
ii) a Pool Table

It was not on my list, but the house did come with one and I've been duty bound to maintain water usage hence the purchase of a cover.

chels

Why have you been duty bound to maintain water usage? Could you not let it go dry? Don't you feel guilty watching the coverage on TV of all those little animals suffering in the dry, ruinous conditions? Package that water up and send it over to them pronto! It could be a new Government campaign - Drain your pool, keep little lambs cool

Swerv-o

Well, if you already have one, then fair enough, and glad to hear you're doing your part.

But surely rocking up to a country that's in drought crisis and then building a hulking great pool in the back yard isn't demonstrating an overwhelming level of social awareness is it?

S

Raiinoz

I must admit I was totally gobsmacked when a friend told me that they use fresh water for everything... that grey water is not even considered fit for flushing is just crazy!

I live in a lovely newish apartment that has a dual flush loo, my office is fairly new, all with dual flish toilets... I thought that they were pretty switched on to that type of thing... In fact I spent the first little while here in blissful ignorance, convinced that in Australia of all places they'd have figured out that water is a precious commodity that should be made the most of... That didn't last long.

Then my friend told me that they use fresh water for everything, and I saw the TV ad saying that they plan to increase water recycling to 70billion litres from 15!!! 15???!!!

Does anyone know if they have desalination plants? Do they know they shouldn't leave the tap running when they've got their toothbrushes in their faces?

Sorry, it's just shocking.

chels

I heard someone on the TV the other day saying not to use water from the kitchen sink hot tap because it's not suitable for drinking. But I would have thought that all the water is suitable for drinking as it all seems to come in through the one pipe? Am I being blonde?

Swerv-o

Hmm, not quite blonde.

Usually you shouldn't drink water from the hot tap, as it potentially sits in the feeder tank and then the hot tank for hours before you actually get to it, and this carries a much higher risk of infection apparently.

I know that my mother always used to freak at the idea of rinsing hot rice under the hot tap. She always used to boil the kettle. Yet more energy saved. Great effort mum...

S

gedge

is there any water down there?

stevemich

chels

If you use the hot tap to fill a kettle, it should be okay to drink as boiling it will kill off the germs and stuff??

If you drank the water that was intended to supply an Australian toilet (before it got into the sewerage system), would that be safe to drink??

BadgeIsBack

I agree! Absolutely! There's no way I'd build a pool.

stevemich

Not quite sure why tap water aint good enough for you ( ), but yes, technically it is exactly the same supply for both toilet water and tap water...