People in the Australian state of Queensland will soon have to start drinking water containing recycled sewage, the state premier has warned.

Premier Peter Beattie said he had scrapped a referendum on the issue, because there was no longer a choice.

He also warned other Australian states might eventually have to do the same because of mounting water shortages.

Water is already recycled in places like Singapore and the UK, but the idea is still unpopular in Australia.

But the country is currently suffering from a severe drought - the worst on record. Last week Prime Minister John Howard declared water security to be the biggest challenge currently facing Australia, and he announced a A$10bn ($7.7bn; £3.9bn) package to tackle the problem.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6308715.stm


How bad is drinking water shortage? What is the situation like in other places?

How safe is recycled water for drinking?

...How safe is recycled water for drinking? Very, if properly done, as on maned space craft to moon etc.

Also note a small part of every glass you dirnk was some creature's piss once. I.e. nature does a good job of recycing H2O.

In the Great Lakes area (my area), we have some of the best water treatment facilities in the world. Needless to say, our drinking water is some of the best, and it's pretty much all recycled.

How bad is drinking water shortage?

Not sure what the situation is in Queensland. In my state, Victoria, total reservoir storages are at somewhere between 30 and 40% capacity. That sounds like nothing to worry about, but the levels are sinking year after year. Already, the city of Melbourne is on water restrictions where people aren't allowed to do things like water lawns during the day.

The dams that supply to the city and surrouding suburbs and most of the South East areas of Queensland are at 23% at the present time.

I'll put it this way. Those who have small children and have those blow up kiddy pools that take about 2 bucket loads of water to fill up, are no longer allowed to use town water to fill up said kiddy pools. If you are caught using your garden hose and it is not connected to a rain water tank, you can and most probably be fined. You are not allowed to wash you car, windows, water the garden, do anything at all with the water from a tap (unless that tap is connected to your own rain water tank) except to bath and drink basically. I'll put it this way, no one even has their garden hose connected to their taps anymore since there is a blanket ban on ALL outdoor hosing. Those who own swimming pools are now required by law to have pool covers installed to prevent the water evaporating and then having to top up their pools.

The water supply in South East Queensland at present is dire. It has basically come down to the point where we simply have no choice. The drought is also ensuring that we don't get enough rain in the catchment areas.

As for the safety of recycled water, I believe that many countries already recycle waste water and it is perfectly safe to drink. The thing is, we are probably already drinking a small percentage of waste water anyway as sewage treatment plants and those with septic systems in the catchment areas release their waste water excess into the catchment areas, where it then flows into our resevoirs. At least now with a proper recycling process in place, we can be assured that it is done officially and all safety precautions are taken.

I think the "eww" factor is turning some people away from the thought of it, but in Queensland, the situation is bad enough that our State Government has scrapped a referendum into the matter and will just be implementing it. It is cheaper than a desalination plant (which uses up ridiculous amounts of energy and electricity to force the water through the turbines and filters) and easier to set up.

dumb... australia... has a massive super sized aquafer...

the largest in the world....

hummm.... strange behavior.. they must just be too cheap to dig well pipes, and pump the water over distances.

-MT

Mosheh:

If that was true, don't you think somebody would have thought of that solution by now?

dumb... australia... has a massive super sized aquafer...

the largest in the world....

hummm.... strange behavior.. they must just be too cheap to dig well pipes, and pump the water over distances.

-MT

Aquafers are replenished by rainwater. Seeing we are in the depth of one of the worst droughts in history, if we tapped into the underground water supply, it would have no way to replenish itself. Aquafer's (in Australia at least) are not limitless. So if we just tapped into it now, we could risk damaging the environment, as they also feed the river systems, as well as using up the water resource contained in them. Recycling water is clean, cheap and easier to do.

We lose massive amounts of water down the drains on a daily basis. It is prudent to basically watch every drop and recycle what can be recycled. Why tap into a limited water supply, which will cost a ridiculous amount of money, when we can recycle what we are using now at less cost to the environment and our hip pockets? Lots of countries use recycled water with no detriment.

Also note a small part of every glass you dirnk was some creature's piss once. I.e. nature does a good job of recycing H2O.

Makes me wonder. How many people here would drink a glass of water knowing it was distilled from another persons urine?
If the answer is not many, can this be another case of human irrationality?

Makes me wonder. How many people here would drink a glass of water knowing it was distilled from another persons urine?
If the answer is not many, can this be another case of human irrationality?

See? Like I've said thousands of times before ......Ignorance is bliss! They never should have told anyone about it, then no one would have complained! :D

Baron Max