We Don’t Need a Desalination Plant in Victoria

by Don Child on August 29, 2010

yourwateryoursay.org tell us why a desalination plant will not solve Melbourne’s water problems.

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{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }

purpleuteTV August 29, 2010 at 7:52 pm

Thanks for this comment pandhej because in essence you are right. Desal does not address metropolitan water consumption or our attitude to it, thinking of water as some kind of endless resource that just comes out of a tap.

The Victorian Bumby government is very happy to keep us ignorant and irresponsible about our metropolitan water consumption because they just want to be re-elected.

purpleuteTV August 29, 2010 at 8:50 pm

Hi reggie2112,
Desalination is a reverse osmosis process, where increasingly smaller membranes are used to remove salt. However it is not just a physical process. What the Victorian government will not tell you is that chemicals such as chlorine are used to kill micro organisms present in the sea water. Chemically laced brine back washing into the Powlett Inlet and settling on the sea floor will harm the smallest end of the food chain.

purpleuteTV August 29, 2010 at 8:53 pm

rolandsquare there is (unfortunately) overwhelming evidence that we are experiencing detrimental climate change effects already. Simpy put, climate change is heating up the atmosphere. The chemistry is pretty simple.

However, you are absolutely right in saying we should not be growing certain crops – cotton and rice come to mind immediately!

rolandsquare August 29, 2010 at 9:48 pm

Umm yeah… “It will exacerbate climate change reducing rainfall on our food producing regions”

first – what evidence is there of that. THAT, is fear mongering pure and simple. Nobody knows the effects of climate change.

second- half the places we grow crops, we are ruining the environment anyway .

reggie2112 August 29, 2010 at 10:38 pm

Sorry for resurrecting an old post. But why do you say the plant would release chemical laced brine ? What method of desalinization is this plant using ? Reverse osmosis or something else ?

pandhej August 29, 2010 at 10:59 pm

Hi Peter, first of all great video mate but I believe that the real conflict does not lie with the desal plant itself but with the amount of water wasted by people in Melbourne. Melbournians in fact are using up to 158 litres a day per person where 2/3 of the world successfully live on 55 litres a day. If we could recycle all types of water more efficiently and if every single person took more responsibility for our precious recources we wouldn’t be in the mess we are in now.

DxsPro August 29, 2010 at 11:29 pm

huh
didnt the government come up with the problems.. like 3.1billion dollar cost.. the massive amount of energy requirements for desal and the greenhouse gases that would create, as well as the output back into the ocean? Seems the creator of this video alludes to water tanks to be installed in homes.. ‘free’ water, lower water bills, they dont create pollution etc..

purpleuteTV August 30, 2010 at 12:17 am

Thanks for your support. It is young people who will inherit this environmental and financial mess if it goes ahead. Cheers, purpleute.

mashnbangers22 August 30, 2010 at 12:37 am

Great Video Peter, you have really shed some light on the overwhelming disadvantages that the construction of a Desalination plant in Victoria would have. I have to do an Oral presentation arguing against the construction of the Desal plant for a year 12 assement task, and you have really improved my overall understanding. Thanks.

purpleuteTV August 30, 2010 at 12:56 am

We don’t want desal precisely because there are better solutions.

Google:
watershedvictoria

or
yourwateryoursay

tri400 August 30, 2010 at 12:58 am

Groups like you always come up with “problems”….and never any solutions….

purpleuteTV August 30, 2010 at 1:40 am

Yep, that’s right. And the irony is we could very easily updgrade existing industrial zones to improve water recycling at Eastern Creek and prevent storm water going out to sea at Gunnamatta outlet. But no, that would display common sense… a feature the Brumby government lacks.

crackers95 August 30, 2010 at 2:24 am

The first ever Privatisation desalination plant in the world not to be in an industrial Zone.

purpleuteTV August 30, 2010 at 2:57 am

awesome… you must be Tim Holding, our Victorian “water” minister!

jazzaj2003 August 30, 2010 at 3:57 am

I’m all for a desal plant, I love them.
I like my long extended showers with double outlets blasting me every day twice a day for 30 minutes. I even bought a nice big fat showerhead to use more water that goes nicely in winter.
Best part is I’m in an apartment block so nobody knows it’s me using thousands of mega liters each year so I don’t even pay for it.

In fact I’ve got the tap running right now just cause i like the sound of it.

Have fun darlings.

harrison1993301 August 30, 2010 at 4:03 am

sign me up how do i help

purpleuteTV August 30, 2010 at 4:59 am

write to your local Labor member and tell them that. The pressure is mounting on them to quit being such environmental muppets and we need to keep applying that pressure – cheers for your comment!

Archangel7999 August 30, 2010 at 5:51 am

First of all I would like to say that I never voted for the brumby government I voted for Bracks and Bracks quit in an illegal fashion wtf is that? I would never have voted for Brumby and as a matter of fact I am never voting labour in Victoria again…

purpleuteTV August 30, 2010 at 5:59 am

Absolutely!

dilligafone August 30, 2010 at 6:32 am

PTV , both sides of politics are absolutely appalling. In my mind we Australians need to desperately break the two party preferred voting system and do what Germany has done and make The Greens more of a political voice .This may take time. In the short term we all can hassel our local sitting members and their counterpart for their opinions and ideas , and vote accordingly . Put them on the spot . Make them work for your vote. We deserve much better Governments .

purpleuteTV August 30, 2010 at 6:53 am

You are right of course. I wish there was an effective Opposition but there isn’t of course…

dilligafone August 30, 2010 at 7:28 am

Electors are under the mistaken idea that the Brumby Government could possibly learn to think outside the square when it comes to water conservation.His Govt are absolute drop kicks.Brumby intends to sell us all more water and take more off your hard earned dollars to feed his greedy Govt coffers.They are not interested at all in water conservation.They want you to use more and to charge you even more cash out of your already tight household budgets. Brumby= Grab more cash , whatever the excuse.

dilligafone August 30, 2010 at 8:21 am

It’s Something to ask your local MP. My last top loader used 172 liters per wash. My front loader uses 64 liters per wash , same size wash . Why are top loading washing machines for sale in Australia when we are the driest continent on Earth and are pollies selling a a product(water), which is in demand, or are those pollies serious about fixing a problem that is all too apparent to anyone with basic schooling ?

dilligafone August 30, 2010 at 8:25 am

With 114 sewage ocean outfalls in Australia, and with several in East Gippsland it beggars disbelief that that cannot be recycled. How much water does the Yallorn Power Stations use to cool the towers.Or why was there no recycled water pipe put down along the Eastlink freeway when one end goes past the Carrumdowns sewage farm and one day the other end goes past Werribee sewage farm ? How much drinking water does the Domain and Burnley tunnels require to be stablized. A no vision Government.

dilligafone August 30, 2010 at 9:21 am

If its anything like the Miki ticketing disaster,and numerous other “big” projects Brumby has embarked upon , it will be well and truly over budget , totally under performing , envionmentally dangerous and a huge white elephant. Sounds a bit like the state labor govt really. Good thing the Brumby Govt will have to face the electors in a short 12 months time.

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