Australian expert refuses to drink recycled sewage

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA — The scientist who set Australian drinking water standards is speaking out against the recent plan to use recycled water to boost supplies, saying, “This is one bloke who isn’t going to drink it,” a January 29 story in The Advertiser of Adelaide reported.Prof. Don Bursill  said there are too many risks involved with drinking recycled water, according to the story.
“You can turn anything wet into drinking water if you have enough money … The risk is orders of magnitude higher than when dealing with conventional sources.” Areas throughout Australia have faced serious water restrictions due to the worst drought in the past century. And it does not look like it is going to get any better.

We believe a complete re-thinking of how society uses water will be needed to avoid crop failures, spread of diseases and economic growth stagnation.

 To read the entire story, click here.

Drought plagued Australia – billions needed.

lCANBERRA, AUSTRALIA — Australian Prime Minister John Howard says it will take $7.8 billion dollars (US) to fix the drought-plagued continent’s water supply, a January 25 Associated Press story on MSNBC reported.

All eyes should be on Australia and its drinking water problem because – guess what – your country might be next.

Technological advances stemming back to the Victorian era in England are seriously catching up with us.

1) MIFSLA. That stands for mix first separate later. Mixing grey and black water together, then cleaning it, letting it out into natural watercourses – or worse – letting it out into the sea where is is irrecoverable in principle – only to turn it into drinking water which you use to flush the toilet may have worked back then.

Today it requires a lot of work, a lot of energy and uses too much of the available water.

2) Piped water. Piped water, although more environmentally friendly as drinking water than bottled water, has to be chlorinated to travel down the pipes. Chlorination is associated with carcinogenic bi products. No technical solution to that seems to be on the horizon expect for placing POU (Point of use) purifying devices in every home. (See link for details of one solution)Howard, calling  for radical and permanent changes, tsays of the he water shortage “it is one of the greatest challenges of our time, …..the current trajectory of water use and management in Australia is not sustainable.”

nd  the story reported.

The cost of improving U.S. water infrastructure may triple the cost of water by 2030

A recent article (YAHOO)says the ageing pipe distribution network is threatening water supplies so much that major investments (or a radical re-think) will be needed.

The pipes corrode and let water water out, but worse, let bacteria in.

Receding glaciers threaten drinking water for 500 million in India

A new study published in Current Science reports that receding glaciers in the Himalayas means the flow of fresh water will be reduced, threatening drinking water supplies for millions in the region. Global warming is cited as the cause.

We are alarmed that on the same day that financial markets celebrate an all time high, the pursuit of economic growth is taking attention away from coming water crises. Regardless of how much money you have in the bank, you cannot manufacture water. If the water issue is ignored, whole continents could be facing not just economic  but physical catastrophe.

The link between water and energy consumption

Hyman Rickover in 1957, 50 years ago this year, said “With high energy consumption goes a high standard of living. Thus the enormous fossil fuel energy which we in this country control feeds machines which make each of us master of an army of mechanical slaves. Man’s muscle power is rated at 35 watts continuously,” little more than you are working, but you have got to sleep, “or one-twentieth horsepower. Machines therefore furnish every American industrial worker with energy equivalent to that of 244 men, while at least 2,000 men push his automobile along the road, and his family is supplied with 33 faithful household helpers. Each locomotive engineer controls energy equivalent to that of 100,000 men; each jet pilot of 700,000 men. Truly, the humblest American enjoys the services of more slaves than were once owned by the richest nobles, and lives better than most ancient kings. In retrospect, and despite wars, revolutions, and disasters, the hundred years just gone by may well seem like a Golden Age.”