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July 31, 2006
Australian Water Association calls for national water survey
Toowoomba,in Queensland's south-east, recently voted against using treated effluent in drinking water, forcing the Australian Water Association (AWA) to call for a national survey of the quality of the country's drinking water supplies, to educate people about water recycling.
AWA chief executive Chris Davis said, "I have a feeling that Australia is a little bit complacent. We've got very good drinking water quality guidelines but we don't actually have a strong regulatory system underpinning that."
Davis went on to say, "We need to do a proper risk assessment so that you can actually compare what's called unplanned, indirect, potable reuse, and plans such as Toowoomba's for planned potable reuse."
He believes that the study might show that well planned, scientifically validated, recycling is a better product than current water supplies, as reported by ABC News AU.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 24, 2006
Report that Arabs must spend $100 billion on water by 2016
Should the demand for water continue, which is growing at an annual average of 6 percent, double the global average, then the Arab states will need to invest a $100 billion on desalination over the next decade, according to a report just released by Energy Management Services (EMS), the leading energy experts in the Mideast.
EMS said rapid economic growth in Dubai, commercial hub of the arid Gulf region, was putting an unprecedented strain on the emirates energy and water resources.
They further noted that demand for water in Dubai during the peak summer season rose 10 percent to rise to 184 million gallons per day in 2004, according to the latest available figures, as reported by Reuters UK.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 20, 2006
Fabled New York City water may need filtering
New Yorkers for many years have been proud to say that their unfiltered tap water was not only the best in the country, but also much better than bottled water. Changing weather patterns are now putting these claims to a new test.
According to federal officials, the largest unfiltered system in the country is getting muddier due to increased storms and land runoff from upstate delvelopment.
"The single most important item we're looking at, and the one that could be a problem for the city, is turbidity," Walter Mugdan, a local director of the Environmental Protection Agency, testified at a City Council hearing this spring.
The expense of a large scale filtration system for the water supply is between $6 billion an $8 billion to build a plant, along with hundreds of millions of dollars in operating costs. The city would rather avoid doing that.
"Even if, 75 years from now, some accountant asks how much has it cost the city to avoid filtration versus how much we would have spent to build it," Mr. Mugdan said, "we'll still be ahead," as reported by The New York Times.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 10:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 03, 2006
Thames Water to be fined for wasting it
Thames Water, which recently declared a 31% increase in earnings, and has been adament about wanting a drought order, is now facing fines for failing to meet its own annual leak reduction target for the third year in a row.
Thames Water is a division of the German utility group RWE.
"It is immensely frustrating that despite our strenuous efforts to reduce leakage we have missed our target," said Thames Water's chief executive Jeremy Pelczer last month.
"We remain committed to achieving our target over the full five-year regulatory period," as reported by BBC News.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack