Tuesday October 19, 2004
Your Say

It's raining hard - what are your experiences of the current downpour? And what do you think of the State Government's plan for Sydney's water supply? Please keep your comments brief.

Click here to send us your views.

I just want to say thanks to Ticki Fullerton and Four Corners for the comprehensive report on this subject last night. Clearly, there are solutions and those announced by the Carr government are inadequate and short sighted.
De-salination is not green-house friendly, and raiding the shoalhaven is to continue with unsustainable practices. Harnessing storm water and recycling our own waste and the use of "grey" water, if not for drinking then at least for industry, is a way forward.
Objective and intelligent leadership on this issue needs to be taken at State and Federal level today!


What I can't understand is why all Sydney buildings don't have rainwater tanks as mandatory fittings. It should be in the local building code. In addition, the government should put their money into financial assistance so all existing buildings can have them installed with a mandatory compliance date stated. Isn't it obvious?

Lindsay Parsons

Aqua boy,

you are right about cotton being an unsutiable crop for Australia. 70% of all Australian water is used for irrigation - and around half the total used by these overpaid hayseeds is wasted via evaporation and seepage! We need massive price increases to force these corporate farmers to place water conservation first and foremost. It sure has not happened to date

Don't Believe The Hype

Sydney is running out of water - so the answer is to steal it from the Shoalhaven? Supplement Warragamba (39% full) with water from Tallawa (31% full?)

So after Sydney is finished sucking the Shoalhaven dry, what do the residents of the Shoalhaven drink?

It's time to put measures in place to reduce our water usage, repair creaky old infrastructure and find alternate sources of water, like desalination and recycling.

A stitch in time now...

Chris Parkes

It is wonderful to see rain this week and 3 weeks ago but unfortunately it is only a cup full in an olympic pool compared to what we need.

The ever decreasing rainfall is obvously due to global warming and will only get worse.

I believe we need to re-cycle grey water and storm water now for use in farming and all external taps.

The thing that infuriates me more than words can describe is the continuing bury the heads in the sand attitude of state governments.
Sure it is not their fault that it doesn't rain much nowadays but this latest proposal of a hidious 2 year feasability study of solving the water crisis is shocking. The water treatment plants need to be built now

Give something back Mr Carr - we are the ones that pay taxes to line your house with Plasma TVs and exhorbidant lifestyles

Action needs to be taken today !


Whatever happened to seeding clouds over the catchment area with silver nitrate? It works.

Bill Wilson

Yes, it's raining in Sydney and yet again the doom merchants say that it is not hitting the catchment area's.

The community has been misled by successive governments about how our taxes are being spent on infrastructure in this state, and water resources are one example. Now we see that the government are planning to invest in pumps etc. to secure more water, with a promise to increase the price we pay for a commodity that is essentially free. What's next, electricity and power?

Robert Smith

I am not particularly happy with the solution that has been offered. Especially using bore water, as that too seems to be getting affected. If the catchment area isn't benefiting from the rain in Sydney then why aren't we looking at trying to recycle storm water run off? Maybe underground dams in certain locations in Sydney can then pump water back to Warragamba dam. As for the use of rainwater tanks, Sydney Water still has a Rainwater Tank Rebate Program offering customers up to $650 to install a rainwater tank.


The Water shortage problem is here and now.
It's Oz wide,and requires real plans and thinking. In WA a desalinating plant may work short term, But for Sydney,Melbourne its not the answer. I watched 4 corners last night, and think Melbourne's plans for recycling is by far the best, It will cost money, but doing little or nothing will see Australia become a wind swept sand bowl. We are lucky we have the money,brains,and resources to remedy the situation. Lots of other poorer countries do not.In ten years we will be flooded not by water,but refugee's from less fortunate countries.

J Richmond

Watching the new inventors the other week, a chap had invented a water recyclying unit for brick cutters. Apparently, most brick cutters go through about 4,000L a day in water. This unit would reduce that to about 80L, with the sludge captured able to be used for grouting the paving. Unfortunately, the cost was about $1,000 or so. I say unfortunately because you would expect brickies would not fork out $1,000 when they can use the property owner's water for free. Another invention last week or the week before was for a special damn cover that could effectively be self-installing, that could allow significantly larger water surfaces to be covered to prevent evaporation.

Not to worry - these types of technology will be sold overseas so we can import the final unit in 10 years time.

One question - why has the Carr government NOW come up with strategies 2 years after the worst drought on record started?


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