Dmartyos

Would that mean some of the biggest engineering projects in the world?

Creating flood channels through a contenant size of Australia. Canals/Dams etc . How would the government fund this? What about their thursday afternoons jolleys at the local cricket club? Where would the walming of palms & backrubbing take place otherwise?

Have heard that WA was or have created canal that runs from Kimberleys to Perth outerdistricts for water irrigation & future use. I think the scale of this is unreal to imagine.

Sounds like a huge task for future of Oz government, would be worth looking at city of Phoneix/Arizona & how they "import" water from California/Pacific.
This would be a small scale compared to Oz & they already have their own huge issues.

Wasent there a quote before in a thread to show where exactly levels of water went? Something like 1 in 20 went to households, & something like 15 in 20 went to farmers or crop growers. Id there a more efficient way of using this?

Then again even UK has water shortages & is surrounded by seas. They did say in the past the next future world war will be fought over fresh water supplies. Who has the most? Currently thats Brazil. Anyway on a brighter note Im one off 100 posts?!!! Cheers Marty

astonished

Feb was the COLDEST EVER in recorded history but you wont see it in the mass media as it doesnt fit the message.

JackTheLad

Read in the paper yesterday, that they are going to start a massive advertising blitz on TV and other media on Friday in Queensland to encourage water saving. This kind of media blitz should only be triggered if dams dip below 40% capacity, most are still above that, and the current rain will keep them above it, but they are going ahead with advertising blitz anyway.

What is also said was, there is a 50% greater chance on an El nino effect this year.

Thats all it said. Is that good or bad? 50% more chance of what? I know El nino is a warm water current off the south american coast that screws up weather patters? But in a good or bad way from Australias perspective?

Cheers,
JTL

tonyk38

That's one of their madder ideas I take it...

When it rains sufficiently in the outback, the large salt lakes such as Lake Eyre fill with water. Then it all evaporates again. The only way you'd be able to stop that happening is by constantly pumping vast amounts of water from other parts of Aus. If you do that, then you not only damage the ecology of the areas you're pumping water to, but the areas you pump water from. Why on earth can't water just be used more responsibly?

If you have to pump it from one area to another, don't do it in open canals, as most it will evaporate before it gets to where it's going, and don't use it as a means to 'alter' the climate. You will probably cause more problems then you solve. Drought is a natural part of Aus ecology. It is only being exacerbated by ecological damage such as global warming.

I will be dead set against it for that very reason.

ABCDiamond

Maybe because at 28.9°C coldest day time and 18.3°C coldest night time doesn't seem to be overly cold ? And a top of 34.8°C seemed quite nice.
At least that was in Brisbane
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/20...9.200502.shtml

Megalania

Lake Eyre, elevation -15m. The idea was to flood with sea water. What to do with the salt - let it blow away or pump more saline water back to the sea.

Might have a small effect on local climate but probably not enough to pay the pumping.

tonyk38

Which is another reason it's a mad idea.

If everyone (bar the cost, obviously) installed water tanks and collected water from their roofs, they would have most of the water they would need for domestic purposes, and industry could do likewise. I intend to do this myself when the opportunity to do so arises in Aus (i.e. I have my own place).

It's always nice to look at technological 'fixes' like these big canal projects as being the saviour, but the down sides should never be ignored.

JayDeee

There was a lot of talk about one of these canals before the elections earlier in the year, I cant remember who but one of the parties wanted to build a canal from the Kimberlies to Perth, bloody massive job doing something like that.

I use a lot of water and feel bad about it but at the same time how can you run a business like mine and not use lots of water, up to 50 people showering a day and doing the laundry for up to 50 beds.

Kala

kirsty&al

I'm not sure this creates more water; doesn't it just change the location of the water (i.e. it is no longer in the dam or more worryingly it is no longer in the river where it is still needed).

For my 5 cents worth, I reckon we should start recycling the water - yes I know this doesn't create water either, but it does mean you can use it several times before it gets back to the sea.

Regards
Alistair

ozzieeagle

Personally I already recycle all my washing machine, grey water, and use it on the garden, just a big wide black hose, attached to the outlet pump and out of the window, onto different parts of the garden.

I do also intend to get tanks, I suspect there are 10,000's of people across Melbourne, doing exactly the same, thats fine for households. However when I look around at the new estates being built, The grounds and surrounds look drab dull and dusty, Miles and miles of dust and brown.

If it takes the biggest engineering project in the world to solve this, and other water shortage problems, be it either pumping water in via pipe lines from New guinea as has been previously suggested, or just pumping seawater and flooding lake eyre and other inland lakes, then using desalination at the point of use, then personally I'm 100 pct for it, Just think of the ramifications if they really can get water to arid areas and turn them over to farmers. I'm sure this will all happen one day, just by sheer weight of population, It's just how long it takes to eventuate.

Migrants and their financial power, will force this issue upon us, Australia far from not being able to afford to do it, Cannot afford not to do this.

bondipom

Some of the grand plans of pumping water across the continent are probably a bit fanciful and economically out there along with Stalins 5 year plans.

So far Sydney has announced it will pump water fromt he shoalhaven into the Sydney grid and build a desalination plant. The politicians are too feeble to implement water recycling which is used as standard across Europe. Sydney currently pumps all its waste water out to the Ocean. I believe the other cities do the same. 87% of NSW is in drought.

Anyone in doubt that the East coast in in drought should read the following.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...5/s1364724.htm

http://canowindra.yourguide.com.au/d...522&y=2005&m=5

http://www.theage.com.au/news/Editor...585025907.html

ABCDiamond

All this talk about about drought !!

We seem to be getting flooded here

In our area in May 2004 we had three days of rain totalling 12.6mm

So far in the first 10 days of May 2005 we have had rain totalling 20.5mm on 9 out of those 10 days.

It has also rained on the 11th and 12th days, but no rain fall records are available yet.

It's WET up here !!

Megalania

Not only are rain water tanks and ancilliary equipment expensive, hence supply very expensive water, but they do not store sufficient water for the modern way of life in drier areas - it can be a long time between significant rains and when it does rain, adequately much larger storages than can readily be accomodated on most housing blocks are required.

Further, rain water is much poorer in quality than expected of reticulated supplies. It contains dirt, bird poop etc, who nows what's in the dust. At the moment, the magpies have hoisted a rotting dog's bone on to my roof - doubtless a source of bacterial contamination. For drinking and the like, rain water needs treatment.

There is a place for rain water recovery - irrigating gardens, flushing toilets and washing and the like.

One simple modification to existing irrigation controllers would make rain water useful in the garden - the ability to switch on the set irrigation program when the rain water tank is full - currently all controllers switch on under timer control not when adequate water exists in a tank to complete the programmed irrigation cycle. The best time to irrigate is when it is raining or shortly there after - better penetration of water into the sub-soil. This would allow much smaller tanks to be installed and maximize use of rain water. These "on adequate storage" irrigation controllers do not currently exist.

MrsDagboy

20mm is 80 points or .8 of an inch. That's NOT very much rain!!! Our average annual rainfall is something like 1200mm, when you look at 20mm in comparison to that its not very much .

Thank god, finally we have been having some steady rain last night & this morning. Still not terribly heavy, but better than the light drizzle we've been having on & off for weeks. Fingers cossed that it continues (& gets heavier again before it stops).

(Had to laugh at your "we're getting flooded" comment - I should show you some pics of the 1974 flood, about 1/3 of Brisbane was under water - right now, we're lucky if there are puddles in the driveway )

ABCDiamond

It's just that its so unusual
It always seems to be wet just recently, although I must admit I haven't used an umbrella yet

But every time I walk on the garden my feet get wet !!