Health

Australian families to drink purified sewage

by liamssoft | January 30, 2007 at 01:40 pm

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Families were told yesterday they would soon to have to drink water purified from sewage because of the country's severe drought.

All of Australia would be drinking recycled water in a few years if the dry weather continued, said Queensland state premier Peter Beattie.

Overriding plans for a referendum on the issue, he added: 'These are ugly decisions but you either drink water or die. There is no choice. It's liquid gold.'

Prime minister John Howard backed the idea, saying: 'I am strongly in favour of recycling.'

Photo Source: metro.co.uk

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matte

at 19:13 on January 30th, 2007

I live in Queensland, Australia, in a city called Toowoomba. Here, last year we had a vote on this issue, as we are fast running out of water - our water storage is less than 18%, the council has been puttin in deep wells etc to maintain a reserve.

It still does not rain in the catchment.

For South East Queensland we have no choices if it does not rain. Yes flooding rains have fallen in the Western parts of the state, but this water flows to Lake Eyre, not to any populated places.

Science shows recycled water to be safe. It is used in many countries as part of their potable water supplies.

In Australia, there remains much scaremongering and media hype over this issue.

matte

at 22:04 on January 30th, 2007

Update to this, in todays Adelaide advertiser was this

ADELAIDE residents are already drinking recycled waste water
with SA Water yesterday confirming that treated waste water from
Hahndorf was channelled into Mt Bold reservoir.

The
confirmation from chief executive officer John Ringham has confused
people who had been assured by the State Government that they would not
be asked to drink recycled water.

Source

Lexiphanic

at 19:30 on February 1st, 2007

The headline of this article is intentional scare-mongering. The English have been using recycled water for years without problems ... at least in QLD we have the added benefit of having things like calcium and flouride added to the water (or we'd have teeth like the English, too... ;) )

liamssoft

at 19:40 on February 1st, 2007

In England Sewage is kept separate from drinking water. We also have fluoride
added, which is nothing to praise about, and we have plenty of lime.

Due to the additives most people here drink bottled water, it taste better, no flouride added. As for English teeth that sounds like a racist remark.

matte

at 20:02 on February 1st, 2007

News as of 1 Feb 2007, the Caloundra City Council has rejected plans to be included the the SE Qld water grid, saying they were happy to share their recycled water with other areas of the south-east buy would stay with their own 'pure' water.

Typical of Australian weather, 1000km to the north, heavy rainfall has closed roads and airports between Mackay and Cairns, where ongoing flooding is expected for several days. In addition a cyclone is expected to develop later today in the Gulf of Carpentaria, which has the potential to bring more rain to the flooded north.

Many other areas of Australia remain in drought.