Recycled water scare campaign

Recycle it, then put the testing of the output water in the hands of a separate agency or organisation. If the water meets the necessary quality/cleanliness level, then what’s the problem?

We need to take the emotion out of this debate and start looking at cold hard facts. If water meets the requisite cleanliness standard, I am happy to drink it.

Where do these people think water comes from? It just appears somewhere, brought by special magical elves? Here’s a clue: it’s all recycled. All of it everywhere has been through countless paths already. Animals have *already* peed in it. Humans specifically recycling water is just speeding up the process of filtering.

And like Catriona said, we could even just use it for toilets and bathrooms and laundries, watering gardens, washing things, hosing down factory floors and all the industrial uses that aren’t already using recycled water. The water for drinking and cooking could just be saved for one kitchen tap. For example.

Whats wrong with drinking tank water and leaving the recycled water for all other other uses. I was brought up on tank water and it never caused any problems to myself and other members of my family. A 3000 litre tank for drinking purposes only is very hard to empty. This is not realy a big tank.

Water that has been distilled is entirely safe – but I don’t trust membrane-filtered water in the hands of a semi-privatised utility. How about when cost-cutting kicks in hard? Do you seriously think it’s unlikely nasties could slip through, and do you seriously trust the water company to be transparent in the event of a fault and not cover up to the slightest degree? I’m all for membrane-filtered recycled water for washing etc – but not for drinking or cooking.

I also received this letter in my mailbox. I think GnT has missed 3/4 of it. The pamphlet is mostly about the alternatives we have as explored by ACTEW in 2005.

There are many.

If any of you have lived in Adelaide or London, you will know how poor the water quality is. I lived in London for 2 years no one I know drank anything other than bottled water.

Do we want to go down this track when there are feasible alternatives.?

Where in the budget are their local sewerage mining plants to water local playing fields? Apparently you can have these things installed at home.

In London you get to drink your piss 7 times on average, so I am told. And how many men have boobs there? (Hormones folks)

Why do these people always have to focus on the drinking aspect of recycled water? How much of our water consumption is actually for drinking? It’s ridiculous that we flush our toilets and water our lawns with drinking-quality water – we SHOULD be switching to recycled, and those people who are scared by the “ick factor” can just drink bottled water if it bothers them so much. I bet most of these people hardly drink tap water anyway.

GnT,

I think there is an common expression “Opinions are like a$$holes – everyone has one” and these individuals are simply stating their opinion (whether right or wrong)

They do however appear to be a “genuine” incorporated organization:

Extracted from ASIC’s database at AEST 09:47:42 on 11/06/2007
Name WATER OUR GARDEN CITY
ACT
A 04214
Type Associations
Registration Date Unknown
Next Review Date Unknown
Status Registered
Principal Place of Business not available
Jurisdiction Registrar-General’s Office, ACT

However the document has not been correctly authorized in accordance with the ACT Electoral Act.