Recycled water - experts arguing over safety
For the information of Queensland MPs, Councillors, Media and Public
Australian National University Emeritus Professor, Patrick Troy, an authority on water infrastructure, on the 29th October was widely reported (The Australian newspaper, Channel 7, 9 ,10 Television news and on radio) with advice that it was not possible to prevent potentially harmful organisms from entering southeast Queensland's water supply when recycled sewage is added to it in February.
The Courier Mail, however, appears to have not reported on this issue.
Professor Paul Greenfield, chair of the Queensland Water Commission Committee which advised the Queensland Government to proceed with the recycled water project, has rejected suggestions that the practice is unsafe. Professor Greenfield has stated that Peroxide and UV light will destroy all organic material (presumably that escapes through membranes ) but no mention of inorganic compounds was reported.
The Queensland Water Commission has in the past stated - there are 7 safety barriers and the first barrier is that no Hospital and Industrial waste goes into the sewerage system - this has been changed to "residential /industrial source control including hospital waste".
However, the very first barrier one is a barrier in name only, there is no actual control over hospital and industrial waste entering the sewerage system because hospitals and industrial areas do not have separate reticulation systems. Business owners in Industrial areas can purchase Trade Waste certificates to dispose of industrial wastes to sewers. There is no control over what happens in residential premises, there is no government monitoring of domestic sinks and toilets and there is no mechanical barrier to prevent any chemical substance (eg expired drugs) from entering sewerage.
On 4BC Radio (Thursday 23rd Oct am) Premier Anna Bligh said that hospital waste was required by law to be treated to " a certain level ".
Investigative journalists and others are urged to contact their local hospitals to find out what this " treatment " entails. They will find that the " treatment " is that part of the waste stream (almost certainly not toilet waste) goes through a greasetrap.
The rate of cancer is very high and increasing and many patients in hospitals are receiving cytotoxic drugs which will be excreted from the body in urine, faeces and vomit, which then enters the sewerage system via hospital toilets. It would be extremely unlikely that a greasetrap would be be able to remove cytotoxic drugs, and other chemicals such as antibiotics from the waste stream.
The presence of large amounts of excreted antibiotics in infectious Hospital waste streams gives great concern for the evolution of Super-bugs and Professor Troy's advice should be noted.
Many cancer sufferers receive Chemotherapy as Oncology Outpatients in chairs (virtual beds) and after treatment, return home, with the result that cytotoxics enter sewerage via domestic toilets.
Queensland Health does not currently know what actually goes into the sewerage system from Hospitals, but recent information from a public Hospital source is that the Qld govt is paying for a privately contracted survey to try and find out.
On the 22nd Oct a spokesman from the Deputy Premiers Office phoned Radio 4BC and claimed the Labor government went to the last election and was voted in with recycled water clearly on the agenda. He said people had voted for it. This has been pointed out by the radio host as being incorrect.
"We are being conned. The Labor Party did not go to the election with recycled drinking water on the agenda. Peter Beattie was emphatic before the last election. On Friday 2 June 2006 the Labor government released a statement which said "Premier Peter Beattie and the Minister for Water, Henry Palaszczuk said today that it was not government policy to place recycled water into dams across Queensland." (#10;718.html">www.4bc.com.au/blogs/michael-smith-blog/water-is-important/20081023-5718.html)
Premier Bligh stated Oct 29th 2008 "there will be no going back".
Indeed, there can be no going back, the pipes are in the ground, the Queensland Tax payer has been committed to having to pay for the Water Grid (9 Billion dollars plus interest) for many years into the future. There is a solution however, to minimise risk to the population of SE Qld.
Recycled water is now being used to guarantee supply for Swanbank and Tarong power stations. A short spur pipeline line of only 6 kms is needed to place water in Atkinson Dam and this water can be used to guarantee water supplies for one of Queensland most important agricultural areas.
In Singapore recycled water is added into a small reservoir that is separate to the domestic supply. Only 1% of the Singapore domestic supply is comprised of recycled water. With only 1% added, it is obvious that recycled water is not needed to replenish the Singapore water supply, it does however assist the marketing of hugely expensive Reverse Osmosis systems and the promotion of the concept of placing recycled water into domestic water supplies.
The deliberate extensive addition of recycled water to domestic supplies as planned by the current Premier, is a world first. If there are accidents, mishaps or cover-ups, it could become a world worst. There are no safety studies that the Government can put forward, because there are no comparable situations.
The Liberal National Party (LNP) has maintained that adding recycled sewage to our drinking water supplies is an Armageddon solution, this was first admitted by Peter Beattie. The words sewage and sewerage have almost been removed from the Queensland Media's vocabulary, substituted by the euphemous phrase "purified recycled water" by promoters and sections of the media that will not report any negative stories. This is helping keep the public in the dark about where their water will be coming from.
The LNP as an alternative future government, is urged to help make the public aware that their drinking water under a Labor government, will be sourced from sewerage treatment plants. If the LNP remains committed to their policy that recycled water should not be added to domestic supplies, and makes it an election issue, it should be a winner to them.
Recycled water for industry? Great idea! Recycled sewage water for human consumption? Who came up with this insanity ?
This message authorised by M Haines a spokesperson for Queenslanders For
Safe Water (Air and Food) Inc. Media contact mob 0418 777 112
See also: "Queensland Premier Anna Bligh tells water plan critics she will drink recycled sewage" the Australian of 31 Oct 08 (including readers' comments), "Disease expert warns on recycled sewage" in the Australian of 30 Oct 08, "Bligh says academic ill-informed on water claims" in the ABC on 29 Oct 08, "WA slow to recycle sewage as drinking water" in Perth Now of 29 Oct 08, "Recycled sewage 'will have bugs', Queensland Government warned" in the Australian of 29 Oct 08, "Flush then drink in the Sunshine State" in the Australian of 30 Oct 08, "Water talkfest simply a farce" by Bill Hoffman in the Sunshine Coast Daily of 15 Oct 08
Comments
Tristan Peach
Mon, 2008-11-10 14:58
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Recycled water
Rod Cronin (not verified)
Wed, 2008-11-12 12:27
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Recycling water
Gosh! I hope none of these experts ever travel overseas to such places as Britain, France, Germany, some of the USA and Asia who've been recycling water for years.
The term attention seeking nobodies comes to mind.
James Sinnamon
Wed, 2008-11-12 15:37
Permalink
South East Queenslanders industrial sewage recycling guinea pigs
You don't seem to have been following the news lately, Rod.
The claim that everone overesas is using industrially recycled water is a lie peddled by the Queensland Government and the Toowoomba City coouncil at the time they tried and failed to win the supprt of Toowomba residents for water recycling in a 2006 referendum.
From "Flush then drink in the Sunshine State" of 30 Oct 08:
From "Support wavers for use of recycled sewage water" of 1 Nov 08:
From "Health chief out of loop on recycling" of 4 Nov 08:
Rod Cronnie disliker (not verified)
Tue, 2008-11-18 20:40
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Re: Rod Cronnie
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