Drinking sewage....

[Kaylene]

Hi all,

I just would like to hear your opinions of this recycled water problem looming over everyone’s heads. Ok its safe to drink its tastes the same etc etc but my 2 Major issues are:

Problem 1. The high level of people on hormone replacement therapies at the moment. They use the toilet too....Ive heard, no matter the treatment they cannot remove these "hormones" from sewage regardless how its refined/treated. All this time I have avoided things like hormone enhanced chicken and milk etc just to find out that I will be feeding it to my daughter through everyday drinking water. What is going to happen to the next generation? Babies born with C cup boobs? Menstrual periods at 5? Why hasn’t this issued been raised and addressed properly?

And 2. Once they turn it on they cant turn it off. Once this filth gets into our dams and pipes it will always be there festering away….

Am I the only one who is worried? :(

K

[jasminesmum]

I would be very worried too.

My mum actually lives in Toowoomba and she has rain water tanks.

The recycled water might taste the same but it worries me too about medications that people take and all the waste products from hospitals etc.

And what chemicals they have to put into the water to
treat it so that it is drinkable.

I'm just glad I don't live there.

[diamonds22]

i'm worried about it too...i'll be buying spring/bottled water to drink if it happens...(i hate the thought of bathing in it too) I just dont think enough tests/research has been done..it wont surprise me if they make the conversion..then 10/20years down the track its bad for us... (it seems they bring out things that are good for us only to recall them in a decade or so cos something is wrong:no: i dont want my family at risk )

its just a shame the cant separate the water...ie only use recycled water on the garden/in toilets ect.

[cwsmum]

Problem 1. The high level of people on hormone replacement therapies at the moment. They use the toilet too....Ive heard, no matter the treatment they cannot remove these "hormones" from sewage regardless how its refined/treated. All this time I have avoided things like hormone enhanced chicken and milk etc just to find out that I will be feeding it to my daughter through everyday drinking water. What is going to happen to the next generation? Babies born with C cup boobs? Menstrual periods at 5? Why hasn’t this issued been raised and addressed properly?

I'd never actually heard this...maybe I don't pay enough attention to stuff. Doesn't sound like something I'd want to be drinking, or giving my kids to drink.

Are they planning on asking the public before they do this? I might have to move if they are gonna do this to our drinking water :mad:

[SilverStarfish]

After treatment, recycled water is cleaner than what comes out of your tap. Hell, most of it will be cleaner and more pure than the water you buy in bottles.

Have you ever given a thought the the sewerage that is already in the water? What about the farms that are up stream of the dams and catchment areas? When it rains the water runs through the COW POO into the dams...

Ever been to Wivenhoe? All the birds, fish eels etc that live here all poo in the water too.

I have no trouble with the idea of recycled water. :thumbsup:

[cheezelkat]

I woudn't drink it, but I'll use it in my indoor plumbing.

[BJelly]

I hadn't heard the hormone thing before - that does sound disturbing.

I've heard a lot of Australians are already drinking treated sewerage not because of some conspiracy, but simply because they get their water supply from a river, and towns and cities upstream have already introduced their treated sewerage into the river system - ie the cities downstream then treat the water containing sewerage and turn it into safe drinking water.

I'll be interested to see what others think about this topic. At present I'd choose drinking treated sewerage rather than creating more dams on premium farmland which is the plan at the moment.

It's scary to think that our dams are only a third full and there is no end to this drought in sight, while the population of the SE of Qld continues to grow and grow.

[SilverStarfish]

I've heard a lot of Australians are already drinking treated sewerage not because of some conspiracy, but simply because they get their water supply from a river, and towns and cities upstream have already introduced their treated sewerage into the river system - ie the cities downstream then treat the water containing sewerage and turn it into safe drinking water.


Yes! This is absolutely true. The water being recycled and put back into the dams woulde be even cleaner than that. Big cities, London for example, have been doing it for years already.

[annsam]

I have no trouble with the idea of recycled water. :thumbsup:


Ditto. I think its a good move. Ok, the idea of drinking sewage isn't appealing but it wont be sewage coming out of the tap. Some inland communities drink this water now as the sewage from the community upstream goes into the river and the community downstream drink the water.

I hadn't thought about the hormone replacement bit but in the whole scheme of things wont that be an incredibly minute quantity?? Isn't there probably worse in our water now?? (I have no idea, thats just my assumption).

We have to be able to do more with our used water than flush it. Its too precious. You always have the choice of installing a rain water tank or buying bottled water if its really a big problem.

[Desertress]

I havnt been following this very much so can anyone tell me where they are thinking of trialing this??

[SilverStarfish]

Problem 1. The high level of people on hormone replacement therapies at the moment. They use the toilet too....Ive heard, no matter the treatment they cannot remove these "hormones" from sewage regardless how its refined/treated.


This is not true, sorry. Hormones have an atomic weight in the hundreds of thousands. The ultrafiltration units used by many companies in the food industy
can remove everything up to 100 atomic weight. And they are not even designed to produce potable water - which is what the recycled water would be.

Which would then be pumped back into the poo soup that is Wivenhoe, to be treated AGAIN before coming back to our houses through old, dirty pipes...

[annsam]

Great info Wendy.:thumbsup: thanks for that.

[SilverStarfish]

No problem... I don't blame people for being scared of the idea. If you don't know or understand the processes, then it does sound really yucky!

Don't get me wrong, I'd rather that we didn't have to do it either... but I'd much rather drink/use clean recycled water than to have none at all.

[Mister Noodle]

Also, every molecule of water on earth has been through the bodies of countless billions of animals, people, etc. All they're doing is making the loop a little smaller.

No worries here.

[Kaylene]

See this is what is so concerning for me. For every one person who says hormones will be removed you have 2 that say they wont.

I just dont want to find out its wrong information at the expense of my future grandchildren’s health, know what I mean?

K

[Mister Noodle]

And for everyone voting against Howard and Bush, there's at least one for them...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_populum

[Kaylene]

True. I just wish it would rain more regularly...

Dont we all..

K

[Seekrit]

I have no problem with drinking recycled water. I don't think that there would be any harm done to us and I think a lot of the supposed issues like hormones etc are just scare tactics which appear to be working.

I'd much prefer to be drinking recycled water than to drink what we will be in a few years - nothing at all.

[SilverStarfish]

I have no problem with drinking recycled water. I don't think that there would be any harm done to us and I think a lot of the supposed issues like hormones etc are just scare tactics which appear to be working.

I'd much prefer to be drinking recycled water than to drink what we will be in a few years - nothing at all.

I absolutely agree :thumbsup:

[OM]

Can we add a poll to this?

[Milliner]

I don't like the idea of drinking sewage. I would just be very worried what was still learking in the water!!!!! Not for me!!!! I would use it on my garden and to wash the car but not to drink!!

[Mister Noodle]

But *all* water is recycled. All of it. Every single drop of water you come in contact with in your entire lifetime has been through someone's intestines - not to mention those of cows, tapeworm and anteaters.

And that's not even getting into what fish do in there.

Just because it's easier for you to see the path it takes, doesn't make it any worse or better.

[JenNT]

But *all* water is recycled. All of it. Every single drop of water you come in contact with in your entire lifetime has been through someone's intestines - not to mention those of cows, tapeworm and anteaters.

And that's not even getting into what fish do in there.

Just because it's easier for you to see the path it takes, doesn't make it any worse or better.

Thats exactly right, there will never be anymore water than what is on Earth today...it comes down, gets used, goes up again.....you know the old way of learning.......condensation, evaporation.......what goes up must come down......just isn't falling in the right places.
I live in the NT and we have a pretty decent wet season every year for a good 4-5 months of daily heavy rain.It saddens me that we flood yet my family in qld can't even chuck a bucket over plants these days....or rather what plants?:(

[Minke]

For all those who live in Brisbane, did you see seven news tonight? There are seven sewerage treatment plants pumping their waste into the river that flow into Wivenhoe, not to mention the run-off from farms etc. Whether we like it or not we're all drinking recycled water.

[MonkeyMum05]

I have no problem drinking 'sewerage water'. I know it has already been said many times in this thread... but the water we drink now is recycled.

[Chickadee]

I've moved this thread to the Current Affairs section, as I think it is a slightly broader issue than just Health.

Personally I don't see a problem with drinking water that has come from treatment of sewage.

[Sarie]

I don't actually have a problem with it at all.
Anyone who lives on a river system is already drinking it, only toowoomba's water will be of higher quality.
It will go through plenty of processes to clean it and the uv treatment get's all the nasties out.
There are far too many people using scare tatics to get the no votes through and. But in reality it is only part way to fixing the problem. There are other options that also need to be looked at in conjunction with this one.
I would vote yes. Absolutely.

[SilverStarfish]

Something to think about for anyone who is worried "But what if something goes wrong...? (a legitimate concern)

The clean treated water will be pumped back into the dams, where it will be then taken up as normal to be treated (again) and pumped into our houses. It means that there is a 'buffer', if you like, between us and the "contaminated" water. Dam water is so icky and full of nasty things anyway that it really would not make much difference at all.

It would be a whole other story if the recycled water was put directly into our pipes.

A question for those who say they would use it for gardens/car washing etc but not for drinking, short of laying new pipes to every house, how do you think that could actually be done? There are newer housing estates that actually do this (a pink tap outside for recycled grey water for garden use) but that doesn't really seem feasible for existing houses.

[xkwzit]

I'm feeling a bit better about it now, found out its been happening in Sydney for a while now. You Sydney ppl aren't ill yet are you?

Sydney Morning Herald: http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2006/07/01/1151174440246.html

Cheers *clink*

[Pippi Longstocking]

Can we really afford to be fussy about it? What are the alternatives? Building more dams is just plain stupid - there is no rain to fill them. Desalination is expensive and uses far too much energy to make it financially and ecologically viable. Recycling the water appears to be our only option. So no, I don't have a problem with it.

[EskimoMumma]

I have absolute no reservation about it.

Eventually we are going to run out of water and I would rather have a system in place NOW before its to late.

[Jamily]

I am from London and there is a saying that tap water has been through at least 7 people before you get it.....

I am just grateful to live where there is safe water on tap ('scuse the pun!) for my children and I to drink....

[M O P]

It's probably safer than drinking my rain water.
It comes off the roof and down the gutters and they aren't always glistening clean.
Plus there's the chance of a dead bird or mouse floating in the tank.

[Rell]

But *all* water is recycled. All of it. Every single drop of water you come in contact with in your entire lifetime has been through someone's intestines - not to mention those of cows, tapeworm and anteaters.

And that's not even getting into what fish do in there.

Just because it's easier for you to see the path it takes, doesn't make it any worse or better.

So true.:yes: I have absolutly no problem with it at all.

[B-belle]

I bet once this all happens, as soon as we get used to drinking sewage water..it will rain for 6 months straight:gloomy: :laughing:

[hippee]

The way things are going with our water supplies with the lack of rain, decent catchment areas and every greeny having a protest whenever the mention of a new dam is brought up to service our growing metro areas, I don't think we can afford to be picky about where our water is coming from.
Unfortunately we rent, but if I owned I would have my own rain tank and reuse my grey water so as not to rely on the town water.

The treated water is heavily diluted with the "normal” rain water.

I congratulate Toowoomba council for its proactive approach and trying to find a solution rather than waiting until it’s too late like Goulburn in NSW, they have NO water and have to truck it in.

[Kaylene]

I bet once this all happens, as soon as we get used to drinking sewage water..it will rain for 6 months straight:gloomy: :laughing:

My thoughts exactly.

But will they shut it off if the supply is not needed?

What happens during a malfunction? This is inevitable as it is with everything new. Do they have a back up plan, a disconnect valve or bypass? If so who’s back yard will the untreated run off be pumped into? Were talking millions of litres of waste here. Hopefully they wont just pour it untreated into our dams during these mishaps.

Im just not sold on the idea.

[mummyof5]

In arab countries they have been doing it for years, as it doesn't rain there for years at a time, and they are fine. Can't be any worse than the water running through our very old pipes at present, which is only palatible when boiled, so that's what I would do with recycled if need be.

[1+1=5]

i already use bottled water because i don't trust the cleanliness of tap water as well as because our house has old pipes that have started rusting. ewww.
if they introduced recycled water i would happily use it to bathe in, wash clothes in etc but i couldn't see myself drinking it or cooking with it. like some people have said, you don't know what they put in it to make it so 'clean'.

[SilverStarfish]

Although the governement has not shared with us the exact recycling processes that the would use, generally not so much is added to the water. Rather it will pass through a series of separators and filters to take the out the bad things.

I think the reason many people are so frightened of the idea is that there is practically no information out there about exactly how water recyling works. I just tried to Google it... nothing!

So for what it is worth... here's a bit of a information for anyone who's curious. Like I said, the governement hasn't told us exactly how they are going to do it, but here's an overview of the general process:

First the water to be recycled is pumped into tank where it is airated, much like your bubbles in a fish tank except the bubbles are tiny. They are so small that it looks like a cloud in the water, you can't even see the actual bubbles.

The bubbles bring to the surface all the big particles which are scooped off by big machines, in the same way you scoop off the foamy stuff off when you are cooking stock or soup with lentils in it.

Two substances, "flocculants" and " coagulants" are added to the water. Flocculants (think 'flotsam') help the waste rise to the surface and coagulants bind the stuff together to make it easier to remove. Potentially the collected waste could be used in landfill, but that would depend entirely on what was used and what was collected. An example of a coagulant is clay.

After this the water is about 98% clear. All of the physical waste particles have been removed. This leaves the things that are actually dissolved in the water - such as salts, sugars and pigments. These are removed by processes such as (click on each of them to go to a link with more information) microfiltration (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microfiltration), nanofiltration (http://www.eurodia.com/html/nab.html), ultrafiltration (http://www.gewater.com/library/tp/716_Methods_of.jsp) and reverse osmosis (http://www.gewater.com/library/tp/697_Reverse_Osmosis.jsp).

Ultrafiltration is just filter, but one that is so so so fine that not even viruses and bacteria can get through. This leaves the water even cleaner than the stuff that comes out of our taps now.

This clean water is then pumped back to our dams which contain dead animals, blue green alge, car bodies, tyres, mosquito lavae and veritable smorgasboard of poo and dieaseses!

So you can see that water recycling is not the "easy way out". It is very expensive to set up and maintain and extremly energy intensive.

Did you know that many of the waste water treatment plants that we use today (that put their water straight into river systems) were built in the early 1900's? The plant at Rosewood in Qld was built around 1890!!

Hope that helps :thumbsup:

[Pippi Longstocking]

This clean water is then pumped back to our dams which contain dead animals, blue green alge, car bodies, tyres, mosquito lavae and veritable smorgasboard of poo and dieaseses! :barf:

I love my rainwater tanks!:cool:

[reAllytee]

Do people realise that a lot of "bottled" water comes from the taps or this treated water ? It doesnt all come from mountain spring water lol.

I have no dramas with this its a solution to a problem.

[pegasus]

Do people realise that a lot of "bottled" water comes from the taps or this treated water ? It doesnt all come from mountain spring water lol.

I have no dramas with this its a solution to a problem.

My thoughts exactly - even if it has been pumped from a mountain spring, it still has to have been treated...

[flowerpot21]

i can understand concerns over the idea of 'drinking sewage' - but that is a little misleading as obviously that wont happen. let's be realistic. there isn't enough (clean) water for people to drink and that isn't gonna change. so we either do nothing or plan for the future and bring in treated water. it is common in soo many countries. i am from the uk and we all drank it there. and it rains heaps in the uk!!! it really doesn't here (isolated parts do i guess) tell you what makes me laugh though - it rains like a stupid amount in the uk - then they get 2 weeks worth of hot weather and there's tales of doom over the reservoirs and there's hosepipe bans. and then you go to WA and there's hardly any restrictions! isn't the aussie artesian well nearly empty??! or at least a heck of a lot emptier than it was, and that took millions of years to get filled up in the first place.

one poster has posted lots of info on filtration etc, and from what i can remember (baby brain) from my degree and what is the norm in UK, that sounded pretty right. all tap water now has chemical treatment in it and the vast majority of us wouldn't know what is in it, so i really can't see the problem with having filtered recycled water. you aren't gonna be having a shower and see your neighbours dinner float on by! :p

[GirlGerms]

My partner is an environmental engineer and designs sewage treatment systems for a living. He shakes his head at the sort of rubbish a lot of people believe.

The media have spent the last few years feeding this debate - but feeding the wrong information.

The technology available is unbelievable, yet so many people still seem intent on desalination and reverse osmosis. The idea of this seems great until you realise how much energy (ie. pollution) it takes.

Personally, I'll drink treated effluent because I'm lucky enough to have been'educated by someone in the know on the matter.

The threat of hormones and drugs is not a real one - not past the sewage treatment plant anyway.

Just keep in mind that no-one has ever reproduced a H20 molecule - all the water in the world is essentially 'recycled'.

Let's be a bit sustainable, shall we? Let's lessen the enormous footprint we, as Westerners, leave on the world.

GG :-)

[Sarie]

Now they've got the no vote I guess they'll now be looking at a new dam?? I can't believe the fuss over this, lets damage the environment more for the sake of not building a recyling plant.

[GirlGerms]

Took the words right out of my mouth. Well said.

[Nan]

....Problem 1. The high level of people on hormone replacement therapies at the moment. They use the toilet too....Ive heard, no matter the treatment they cannot remove these "hormones" from sewage regardless how its refined/treated.....
This is VERY strange to me and doesn't seem quite right. I'm just wondering where this information comes from. Do hormones get digested? I thought they were in your blood and therefore part of your circulatory system. Do we excrete hormones? Call me dumb (probably am) but I didn't know this.
I know blood vessels supply the digestive tract with oxygen and nutrients but do they give hormones, too?
Can anyone tell me where I can read more about this? I was fine with the whole recycled sewerage thing before hearing this. Is it true?
Love,
Nan. xx

[hellsbells]

I agree with GirlGerms, the media loves misinformation.

I'm just curious what it is we're supposed to do if we don't recycle water?

The Premier wants it to go to the vote regards recycling in 2008, if we don't get significatn rain, Brisbane will be on the next level of restrictions by Oct 06. If we don't get the 'wet' in Jan - March, level 5 by April 07, not that long away.

I believe they should bring in the next level now and save what we've got. We're not going to get a dam built quickly enough and then we have to assume it's going to rain to fill it. I'm for recycling. UV is one of the most powerful distenfectants we have and we have plenty of that in Qld, so that kills all the yucky things that are in the dam now.

[flowerpot21]

My partner is an environmental engineer and designs sewage treatment systems for a living. He shakes his head at the sort of rubbish a lot of people believe.

The media have spent the last few years feeding this debate - but feeding the wrong information.

The technology available is unbelievable, yet so many people still seem intent on desalination and reverse osmosis. The idea of this seems great until you realise how much energy (ie. pollution) it takes.

Personally, I'll drink treated effluent because I'm lucky enough to have been'educated by someone in the know on the matter.

The threat of hormones and drugs is not a real one - not past the sewage treatment plant anyway.

Just keep in mind that no-one has ever reproduced a H20 molecule - all the water in the world is essentially 'recycled'.

Let's be a bit sustainable, shall we? Let's lessen the enormous footprint we, as Westerners, leave on the world.

GG :-)

yay - someone in the know!!! i agree, especially with the pollution aspect. desalinisation is as a last resort i believe. where do you think all the salt goes?? the effect of salt on land is dreadful - the landscape would wind up as dead as death valley. i've been there and as weirdly beautiful as it is, it is dead; you wouldnt want that for australia believe me. i agree that the government seem to have been overly secretive on the methods they would employ for recycling the water, and that kind of behaviour makes us all instantly suspicious. as girl germs points out, all the water in the world that we have has been around forever so not one drop you have drunk is brand spanking new. with all the pollution in the world the water that is recycled naturally through the normal water cycle (ie evaporation and precipitation) is not as clean as it used to be anyway so i bet any human attempt at recycling will be cleaner than the rain that falls and fills reservoirs today.

[pestiferous]

And for everyone voting against Howard and Bush, there's at least one for them...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_populum


I'm not sure which is more amusing, the link timing or the fact it's a wiki link.


It's no wonder we are all turning into a mob of hypochondriacs (lol) don't drink 'cleaner than bottled' water, we might catch a bug!

Makes you wonder how many 'no voters' went straight from the poll to their local hamburger joint for nice big juicy ecoli and fries. :D

[SilverStarfish]

:laughing: lol too true

[GirlGerms]

Another small piece of information for those who are against drinking treated effluent (let's not call it 'drinking sewage' because that's NOT what we're talking about).

My partner was telling me this morning that only approximately 3 grams out of every litre of sewage is actually solids (ie. poop). The rest is water.

[gremily]

The truth is, every one of us already drinks recycled water. The rain we pray for to fill our dams so we can drink it happily comes from a natural process of filtering and cleaning. Water is a very old thing and is constantly being recycled by Mother Nature. We drink this and we are fine.

It is now well known among scientists that the major hurdle left for water recycling to overcome is not about the technology. The technology involved is proven. It is used around the world so there is no issue about being guinea pigs.

The hurdle is us. If we don’t have the information about how safe recycled water is then we won’t accept it. Fair enough.

Is there evidence that recycled water is safe to drink? Yes there is, if it is treated properly.
Is there evidence that it is unsafe to drink? Yes there is, if it is not treated properly.

The proposal of the Toowoomba council would produce water so safe that you could use it in hospitals for kidney dialysis treatment.

As for chemicals in the water, you’d have to live for 138,000 years to drink the equivalent of one headache tablet. The water you drink now has more chemicals in it.

[jessgray]

i think it would help with the water shortage, but i think the public needs to be consulted and educated first :D
i know vic goverment has already said no to this

[Kaylene]

Yes, we definitely need more information. I am still worried as is most of Toowoomba. .

I keep raising this issue with my friend who is a water quality tester for bcc, he doesn’t even know the answers. Goes to show even the people working for this project have limited information, when or if will we?

I understand that after processing/refining that most people say its safe and don’t have a problem with it. What I would like to really know is what happens in the event of a malfunction or heaven forbid sabotage? Arnott’s biscuit factory, Tip Top, Westerns (and the list can go on forever) had to recall all products thanks to a disgruntled employee. How do they plan to prevent this from happening? What strategies do they have in place? They can’t just recall the raw waste water from the dam or our rusted pipes, that would take hundreds of years and boiling it apparently wont remove poo. Will they even tell us if this does happen or cover it up?

I suppose im about to get chewed out over my worries, Im not trying to scaremonger, it REALLY does concern me and no one has any real concrete answers. I say its time to come clean with this project and stop using it as a political issue. :no:

[SassyMummy]

I'm fine with drinking recycled water. Like others have said, water is already recycled anyway...

I'd much rather drink recycled water than die of thirst...

I'd also much rather nobody AT ALL watered their gardens...that'd save a lot of water. The elderly are apparently allowed to use hoses because they can't lift buckets...but seriously...I think ALL garden-watering should be banned unless you are growing something edible (like veges) or it is your occupation (florist, farmer or whatever). Having a nice green garden is NICE...but it's not necessary. Drinking IS.

[GirlGerms]

Well said - I totally agree with you on watering gardens. All of my ornamental plants in pots are either succulent (ie. get watered every few weeks), or edible (blueberries, strawberries, lemons, limes, herbs etc). The rest of my garden has not been watered since we bought the house (January) and we don't intend to do any landscaping until we have a big water tank and rain has stepped up somewhat.

That's something that really bugs me - we're in such short supply of water now, yet people are watering their gardens with potable water. That's just wrong on so many levels. :banghead:

[SilverStarfish]

I agree. My garden hasn't seen the hose in about 2 years (too lazy, really!!) and for the most part it's still going ok. I few little things have died off... but that's just a few fewer plants to worry about :o

I think the government needs to be clearer on the rules surrounding pools too.

[Mister Noodle]

One very minor thought: plants do help prevent erosion, so there could be knock-on effects if all watering ceased completely...

[BJelly]

I was saddened that so many people voted against the recycled water in Toowoomba - about 60%. Their dam is just over a quarter full, like the ones in Brisbane. To me it feels like a collective vote to keep their heads in the sand and wait for some other magic quick fix for their problem to arise.

And yet the only other solutions open to them is to use way less water, get water from Brisbane's supply, and to dig more bores to access bore water.

This is time for people to get real about the reality of drought - there is no immediate end in sight - there's no telling how long we have to wait until we get good rain in our catchments.

Recycled water does have a certain yuck factor, but we have to act like grownups and face reality. And the reality is that many communities eg Adelaide, already use recycled water simply because they are at the end of a river system in which other towns have already added their treated waste water.

I too have chosen not to water our garden for more than a year - the grass is still alive as are most of our plants. We are consistently using much less water (about 50% less) than average in our local area according to the graph we get with our rates, and we do nothing special apart from not having the water on when we brush our teeth - it makes me wonder what others are doing to use so much water. Especially when my DH has to have long showers after work because he gets so greasy from working on cars.

[GirlGerms]

Recycled water does have a certain yuck factor, but we have to act like grownups and face reality. And the reality is that many communities eg Adelaide, already use recycled water simply because they are at the end of a river system in which other towns have already added their treated waste water.

Some people might find this scary, but contrary to popular belief, we are in actual fact already drinking treated effluent (please stop calling it sewage - that's not what it is) in Brisbane. Treated effluent from treatment plants beyond Wivenhoe Dam, ends up in Wivenhoe, then the Water Treatment Plant, through a slimy green pipe into our homes. Voila!

What I'm gathering is that most people who oppose drinking treated effluent seem to be upset that we haven't been well enough informed or educated. I'd like to remind everyone that it's not our politicians jobs to do that. They've come up with a solution to the problem that's relatively cheap in comparison to most other proposals. It is up to us to educate ourselves and to fill our heads with information about issues - particularly those we feel strongly about.

The problem with bore water is that it tends to be brackish (ie. quite salty). The process in order to treat bore water to potable quality is quite rigourous (reverse osmosis) and thus expensive.

[Pippi Longstocking]

Shansh for that community shervish announshment! I feel sho mush betterer now. I luff yoush maaaaan! I luff you shooooo mush! *falls over, snores*