Op-Ed: Think like the sheep; Australia’s future water fiasco, explained

If there’s one working brain cell in this country on the subject of water supply, it’s well camouflaged. Recent reports from the water industry indicate both a water shortage and more expensive water, partly through the costs of desalination.

The 19th century is alive and well and living in Australian infrastructure planning. Desalination, which works in countries the size of Australian golf courses, is the preferred option. That's like saying you can only eat diamonds, not corn flakes, for breakfast. This disingenuous load of self-serving garbage needs a look. There are a few points the museum-based form of infrastructure prefers not to look at: To start with: 1. The concept of the water utilities flagging more expensive water is hardly impressive. 2. This is a cartel, sitting (euphemism) on an essential service. 3. The current service is chronically inefficient, the antiquated mains in Sydney leak like a million sieves, and these guys are saying things are going to get worse? 4. Desalination is the most expensive possible fix. It incorporates more expensive systems, more expensive servicing, and more expensive distribution into the cost base. It’s entirely unacceptable. 5. Desalination also includes massive use of power, adding further cost inefficiencies into the cost base as well as a lot of wholesome pollution from a country which is supposedly trying to reduce pollution. 6. The Top End gets the equivalent of Sydney Harbor dropped on it every day in the wet season, and we’re not going to harvest it? 7. Lake Argyle is bigger than the Hoover Dam, and we’re not going to do anything with it? 8. We’ve ignored successive CSIRO reports for decades about water resources management. Now we want to install the most costly possible systems? 9. Evaporation causes most of the water loss in catchments. Nothing, not so much as a piece of tissue paper, has ever been installed to reduce evaporation, let alone underground storage. 10. Most Australian cities would get enough rainfall, if they harvested it using the huge drainage works that are currently used for sending it back to the sea. All it needs is standard filters and pumps. This is far less costly and far more efficient in terms of actual water management. 11. Water recycling has got exactly nowhere, in terms of mass acceptance. That alone could cut real water use by a very large amount. 12. Mismanaging the river systems hasn’t been a stunning success, either. If irrigators were able to retool to use modern drip systems, demand would be down to about 30% of current levels. Part of the basis of the report is the projected urban growth rate, up to 45 million, whether anyone wants it or not. As usual, “growth” is a synonym for increased pressure on infrastructure. That, in turn, means increased costs, as the dear little bunnykins do nothing to improve their own margins, just jack up prices and talk about their great performances. The word is “maladministration”. “Fraud” would be the alternative. Who the hell believes that there are no alternatives? Nobody who’s read the news in the last 20 years, at least, and this is a serious proposal? A dead rabbit could do a better job of managing Australia’s water resources than this pack of antiquarians. The selective ignorance regarding a huge raft of information and technology no longer cuts any ice at all. Australia’s politicians and industry should take a good hard look at this bit of homespun charity on behalf of the water supply industry to itself. If Australian consumers, governments and industry are such sheep that they’re prepared to tolerate the massive expense of the “boutique” version of water supply, they deserve what they get. There is absolutely no need whatsoever for anyone to put up with even the thought of unrestricted cost blowouts in water. Basing an entire continent's infrastructure on urban growth which is equally mismanaged is equally insane. Back to the drawing board or hell, buttercups, find out what you’re talking about, and take your spreadsheets with you.