The News Review:

- Bracks’ water recycle claim a ‘big swindle’
- Chemical spill threatens water supply for 100,000 residents in Shaanxi
- Mercado: Dry broken wells
- Fair rates for water customers

Bracks’ water recycle claim a ‘big swindle’
The Age – Aug 27, 2006
3 per cent of Melbourne’s waste water was recycled in2004-05. 7 per cent of the water that is branded as recycled is inreality class C effluent, which has been subjected to “on site”recycling at two of Melbourne’s main water-treatment plants, theWestern Treatment Plant and the Eastern Treatment Plant. The water is not pumped back into the water supply system to bere-used in agriculture or industry, but is used to wash MelbourneWater plant equipment and then allowed to flow out to sea, or ispumped out on to 6000 hectares of Melbourne Water-owned land inWerribee. 6 per cent of Melbourne’s water is actually recycled andre-used in agriculture and industry. “I was in charge of all this when the Bracks Government pulledthis target of ‘20 per cent recycled water by 2010′ out of thin airand the decision was made to inflate the existing percentage byincluding this internal recycled water,” Mr Forrester revealed…
7 per cent of the water that is branded as recycled is inreality class C effluent, which has been subjected to “on site”recycling at two of Melbourne’s main water-treatment plants, theWestern Treatment Plant and the Eastern Treatment Plant. The water is not pumped back into the water supply system to bere-used in agriculture or industry, but is used to wash MelbourneWater plant equipment and then allowed to flow out to sea, or ispumped out on to 6000 hectares of Melbourne Water-owned land inWerribee. 6 per cent of Melbourne’s water is actually recycled andre-used in agriculture and industry. “I was in charge of all this when the Bracks Government pulledthis target of ‘20 per cent recycled water by 2010′ out of thin airand the decision was made to inflate the existing percentage byincluding this internal recycled water,” Mr Forrester revealed. “The State Government has never set up a structure that willdeliver recycled water for the state, and the evidence is there forall to see,” said Mr Forrester, who parted amicably from MelbourneWater less than 18 months ago.

Chemical spill threatens water supply for 100,000 residents in Shaanxi
China Economic Net – Aug 27, 2006
Meanwhile, the government has transported 10 tons of hydrochloric acid from the provincial capital of Xi’an to neutralize the water contaminated by liquid caustic soda, he said. So far, a small amount of pollutants has flown into the reservoir, but that is not enough to constitute a threat to the water quality, which is now being closely watched by technical workers, the official said. Local government has ordered departments concerned, such as environmental protection, health, and water resources, to monitor the water quality of the riverway at several sites and report the result every hour, he said. In addition, the government has issued an urgent notice to the residents along the river, reminding them about the chemical spill and not to use the water. A spare well has been put into use to provide drinking water at intervals for about 100,000 residents, and so far, the water supply have not been affected much, Duan said.

Mercado: Dry broken wells
sunstar.com.ph – Aug 27, 2006
The Philippines isnt what hydrologists tag a water stressed nation. That applies only when annual water supplies, per head, drops below 2,740 liters. Water lack then cripples food production, renewal of ecosystems, etc. But we have little to spare. Each Filipino has 4,476 liters of internal renewable water resources, World Water Resources notes. Malaysians have 21,259 liters and Burmese 22,219…
Water lack then cripples food production, renewal of ecosystems, etc. But we have little to spare. Each Filipino has 4,476 liters of internal renewable water resources, World Water Resources notes. Malaysians have 21,259 liters and Burmese 22,219. Water is basic for life. When cisterns go dry, disease and death rates surge. Diarrhea remains leading cause of illness among children here.

Fair rates for water customers
Denver Post – Aug 27, 2006
The notion may initially annoy residents who have already done a good job of husbanding the arid West’s most precious natural resource. But if crafted carefully, the new rules should not only help ensure adequate water supplies for the future, they can hold down water bills in the long run. The region’s largest water utility faces a projected $12. 2 million revenue shortfall, in part because customers have installed more efficient appliances, such as low-flow toilets, and otherwise responded to pleas for conservation. In addition to saving water, such conservation should and does save most customers some money. But because the large fixed costs of building and operating reservoirs, treatment plants and transmission facilities must still be recovered, conservation often forces utilities to charge more for each thousand gallons of water delivered, even if total billings drop modestly.