Urban water: one size does not fit all
Date: 21-Sep-2007
Treasurer Peter Costello’s vision of “a desalination plant for every capital city” will not solve the water crisis or the climate crisis, the Australian Conservation Foundation said today.
“A one-size-fits-all approach is not the answer to the urban water crisis,” said the Australian Conservation Foundation’s Kate Noble.
“Governments should be investing much more in water efficiency and water recycling – desalination should be an option of last resort.
“While 11 per cent of urban water is lost through leaky pipes and the Federal Government’s own research shows households would reduce water use by 50–70 per cent if a rainwater tank was connected to the toilet and laundry, there are clearly better options than desalination.”
A recent ACF study found 65 per cent of the houses in Sydney, 73 per cent of the houses in South-East Queensland and 72 per of the houses in Melbourne have potential for a rainwater tank.
“One of the main reasons we have a water crisis at all is because of our spiralling greenhouse gas emissions, so an energy intensive desalination plant for every capital city is not a constructive, far-sighted solution to the problem,” she said.
“Once you take into account the emissions generated from converting saltwater to fresh and from pumping water long distances, energy guzzling desalination plants simply do not pass the sustainability test.
“A combination of water recycling, rainwater tanks and water efficiency measures would be a more appropriate option for our cities,” Ms Noble said.