Re: Drought
 

It depends what you mean by a tender. If you're talking about a fire truck then they can take grey water. At the recent Morwell Open Cut fire the trucks (tankers) were taking in black water which was being recycled from that which had already been poured onto the fire. It also meant the water was coming out the hose at something between 20C and 30C (which kept the chill out for those of us doing the night shift).

If you're talking about some sort of supporting water truck containing grey water then the fire truck could take water from it. This could be used in areas where there is no town water supply. Basically away from the town a fire truck will get water from anywhere it can, including people's tanks, pools, etc. if it was necessary. In Victoria, firefighters have legal access to all and any water in a fire situation.

If you are talking about a hydrant then the hydrants are connected to the towns water and, fairly much, laying separate pipes to carry grey water to these hydrants wouldn't be practical or economic. I can't see the water savings being large enough to justify this. The money would probably be better spent elsewhere.

Most firefighters in the Union are paid firefighters. Paid firefighters are used in large towns and not in rural areas. In a town fire, given the choice between a static supply of water and a reticulated supply, you have to choose the reticulated supply for firefighter safety and for speed of suppression. Unless the reticulated supply is grey water then it's not going to be used.

Note that in Victoria there are just under 60,000 volunteer firefighters and about 500 paid firefighters.

So the question is not really about whether grey water can be used or not - it can. It's about whether it's safe and practical - I'd say it's not.

:)

Re: Drought
 

Hi

We're currently on Level 4 restrictions - with 15.4% in our 3 local dams - all too far inland to be of any real use. We expect to go to Level 5 within 6 months.

Here on the coast we have had good rainfall over the past 3 months or so but its all run off to sea.

The 2 local councils have joined together now to build a pipeline from the Hunter area to top up our supply when it gets down to 10%. Now the State government want to introduce a new water board for the area and the councils have reverted to type - and are concerned that (some of their) jobs will be lost.

There seems to be a great aversion to recycled water here which I think we were drinking in UK for years and it hasn't done us any harm - as far as I can tell :) That really has to be the way to go - desalination is too costly and too minimal and can only be a hole-plugger.

This, of course, is all part of the great global warming debate - we are probably only now seeing the start of the catastrophe. I am not hopeful that my grandchildren's children will have much of a world to live in unless all of the major governments release the money and encourage any initiatives which will start to reverse the current warming process.

OK - that's my two-penneth

Jim

Re: Drought
 

>>This, of course, is all part of the great global warming debate - we are probably only now seeing the start of the catastrophe. I am not hopeful that my grandchildren's children will have much of a world to live in unless all of the major governments release the money and encourage any initiatives which will start to reverse the current warming process.<<

Make that your children. It's been evident for some years that the permafrost is in the process of melting and releasing vast quantities of greenhouse gases, reinforcing the positive feedback of warming. It's probably too late to stop runaway warming within the next 30 years now.

I see Tony has now joined Al in the warming "debate". Each has four children - and the global population is the real problem in essence. Hypocrisy, ignorance or what?

Re: Drought
 

Global warming is a reality that's for sure but the cause is not certain. For every expert saying it is a man made problem there is another saying it is a natural issue.

Re: Drought
 

But generally you will find all the experts claiming its a natural issue are being funded by industry or the USA government!

Re: Drought
 

In our brigade we have a dedicated vehicle designed to fill tankers from any water supply we can find. It always goes out in support of the tanker. It is in high demand across VIC during fire season and is often out on 'strike' teams.

Failing a reticulated supply, and a dam, tank or pool, on the urban/rural interface, I have seen tankers go to hydrants - fill up, go back to the fire, fill another tanker/pumper which is daisy-chaining to another doing the attack then head back again.

If we can get our dedicated vehicle set up on the hydrant it makes it quicker too. I feel sorry for the family living across the road from the hydrant - 5 tankers ferrying water for a few hours must keep them up all heading around with lights flashing eerily.

Re: Drought
 

Sure, some are but some are not. Some of the 'man made' experts are part of the green lobby that also has it's own agenda, part of which goes far beyond environmental issues.

Re: Drought
 

Thanks for that - I was actually just talking about the fire truck. In NSW, the fire union has refused to use grey water in their trucks.

I guess (as with everything here) it is probably different in Vic.

S

Re: Drought
 

Haven't had the pleasure myself off Guinea Pig and not touching my Koalas... saving them for when I'm desperate... :D .

Re: Drought
 

I used to be agnostic on the cause(s) of global warming ad indeed on the actuality of it, given the rather complicated natural cycles upon cycles.

However, the evidence from many sources over the last couple of years has convinced me beyond any reasonable doubt that (a) Global warming is very real, (b) that we as a species are responsible for the majority of what we see happening and 9more recently) (c) the warming trend is rapidly increasing and there are quite a few positive feedback mechanisms that will almost certainly take us through the tipping point within the next ten years or so. After that, it won't matter *what* is done, the acceleration of warming through feedback will keep increasing.

I won't be around in 20 or 30 years but I don't think those under the age of about 20 now have much future to look forward to.

Re: Drought
 

It'll be just like 'Mad Max' out here then.

Re: Drought
 

I was wondering if it might be causing the large number of men with man-boobs :D

(As they can't filter out the high levels of oestrogen in the piss water caused by The Pill.)

Re: Drought
 

There IS a problem with global warming... it stopped in 1998

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/m.../09/do0907.xml

Re: Drought
 

Thank God for that then - we can all rest assured.

I am as far as it's possible to get from the treehugging, bearded besandalled environmentalists. But I have been convinced by the overwhelming factual evidence - OK, second hand, because I'm not privy to the data - from many sources. There are a few sceptics out there who, on investigation, appear to have "connections" and "funding" who quote apparently large numbers of authorities to further their cause. But when these authorities are themselves investigated it appears that either they have been misquoted or have retracted in many cases.

Recently some 10,000 scientists have signed an open letter deploring the anti-science attitude of the Bush administration, which is to a large extent the backer of the sceptical minority. They can't all be rabid commies or idiots.

The billions of tonnes of methane - which is many times as powerful a greenhouse gas as is CO2 - locked up in permafrost is probably going to be the final nail in the coffin when it's released. And it *is* being released in rapidly increasing quantities.

Re: Drought
 

The alpacas will probably act as canaries, giving fair warning! <g>