Australian State Leader Says He Must Recycle Drinking Water Because Of Drought

International Herald tribune ^ | 1-28-2007 | AP

[blam]

Australian state leader says he must recycle drinking water because of drought

The Associated Press
Published: January 28, 2007

CANBERRA, Australia: An Australian state will become the nation's first to introduce recycled sewage to its drinking water, and the rest of Australia would follow suit as a record drought threatens water supplies around the country, a state leader said Monday.

Queensland state Premier Peter Beattie announced his government had scrapped a referendum planned for March on whether Australia's third most populous state should introduce recycled drinking water.

Beattie said falling dam levels left his government with no choice but to introduce recycled water next year in the state's southeast — one of Australia's fastest growing urban areas.

"We're not getting rain; we've got no choice," Beattie told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.

Australian farms and most cities are in the grip of the nation's worst drought in a century, with some areas receiving below average rainfall for a decade.

"I think in the end, because of the drought, all of Australia are going to end up drinking recycled, purified water," he added.

Morris Iemma, Premier of New South Wales, the most populous of Australia's six states, said drinking recycled water was not inevitable for Australia's major cities including his state capital, Sydney.

South Australia state Premier Mike Rann said his state — Australia's driest — already used recycled water to irrigate crops but would not introduce it to the drinking water supply.

Victoria, the second most populous state, did not need to recycle drinking water, the state's acting Water Minister Justin Madden. He said using recycled water for industry was a better option since that would free up more drinking water.

Prime Minister John Howard, a Sydney resident, congratulated Beattie and predicted recycled water would be introduced to Sydney in the near

[sarasmom]

You forget a very important point...most consumers of recycled water wouldn't know where to site their outhouse, if given the opportunity to do so...

But I am sure they have at least a bachelors degree in liberal arts...

[american_ranger]

To: blam Honey,did you change brands on the coffee?Something tastes a little off..... 8 posted on 01/28/2007 4:50:13 PM PST by Farmer Dean (Every time a toilet flushes,another liberal gets his brains.)

True story. We lived in Alabama. Coffee brewer had a lid to close where you poured water. My wife never closed it even though I bitched about I repeatedly. One day wife complains about how long it takes to brew coffee. I take machine apart and fine that a cockroach has crawled down water shoot and we have been brewing cockroach coffee for several weeks. Wife claims that it is my fault and I should never mention it again.

[theBuckwheat]

Shortage of water? You mean the ocean is lower than it once was? No, you didn't mean that? Don't you really mean a shortage of money to spend on converting sea water, which is in shall we say, very abundant, supply, into usable water?