Victorian government committing households to years of high water bills
Capturing the rainwater that falls over Melbourne makes sense.
Friday 31 July 2009
The state government has committed generations of Victorians to high water bills because of a failure to capture and harness the rain that falls on the city each year, says Australia’s leading sustainable living organisation, the Alternative Technology Association (ATA).
“Up to 600 gigalitres of rain falls on Melbourne every year, yet at a cost of billions to taxpayers the desalination plant will only supply up to 200 gigalitres,” says Anjali Brown, ATA’s Water Policy Manager.
“Even in dry years more rain falls on Melbourne than the city uses, but with no stormwater capture infrastructure most of this is lost down stormwater drains.”
“It is unforgivable that the government has done nothing to harness the rain that falls, free of charge, on Melbourne, but is locking Victorians into paying for high quality drinking water to flush the toilet,” says Ms Brown.
The Brumby Government announced, last night, that French company Suez Degremont have been awarded the Public Private Partnership to build the state’s first desalination plant.
Ms Brown says desalination plants should only be used as a last resort.
“The Victorian Government has put all its water eggs in to the one desalination basket and their failure to diversify Melbourne’s water portfolio has left the state with no back-up plan.”
Ms Brown says the government’s water strategy fails on 3 counts.
“This government’s water strategy does not provide the city with any water security, the lack of stormwater capture infrastructure leaves the city vulnerable to severe flooding events predicted under climate change and it has not provided households with the financial support needed to install smart water saving technologies that would help then reduce their water bills.”
Ms Brown says ATA’s Greywater Research Project found that reusing greywater for gardens and toilets can reduce drinking water consumption by 33 per cent.
“By using greywater on the garden and to flush toilets, households could save up to 33 per cent on their water bill every year.”
Ms Brown says while tax payers are footing the entire bill for the desalination plant, no additional money has gone to helping homes install water saving technology that would help them cope with increased water bills.
“By installing smart water saving technologies in homes, that use water in the right place of the right purpose, Victorians would not need to pay to flush expensive drinking water down the drain.”
Media enquiries: Bojun Chiswell – T. (03) 9631 5409 E. bojun@ata.org.au
