NationStates Jolt Archive

The NSW Government has announced permanent water restrictions for Sydney in a bid to deal with climate change.

Called Long-term Water Saving Rules, they will remain in effect regardless of dam levels or downgrades of the current water restrictions scheme.

The rules include restrictions on watering between 10am and 4pm (AEST), the fitting of trigger nozzles on hoses and no hosing of hard surfaces.

Premier Morris Iemma today said the permanent restrictions reflected the Government's commitment to conserving water in the long term.

"The lessons that have been learnt about managing water are now going to become part of the way we will manage water in the future," he told reporters in Sydney.

"We know that climate change is real, it's here and the changes brought by climate change are going to change the way we use water."


(source (http://www.smh.com.au/news/drought/permanent-water-restrictions-for-nsw/2007/09/16/1189881319895.html))

It was obvious they'd have to do it one day; I wasn't sure there'd be the political will to do so quite so "soon". Interesting.

It was obvious they'd have to do it one day; I wasn't sure there'd be the political will to do so quite so "soon". Interesting.
Why? We've had a drought for years, no one's been allowed to wash their cars since 2000, our backyard's grass is literally dead and we have a bucket in our shower to catch water so we can water our plants (on the alotted days twice a week after sundown). Our dam levels are dropping below the 18% mark with the trend pointing downwards.

Call it what you want, but living with a warm, dry climate isn't exactly new for Australians. Every year they wonder whether Adelaide can still get enough water out of the Murray-Darling to survive, or whether they need to start trucking in water (as they're doing with a bunch of towns further inland).

The only thing that would need political will is stopping the subsidies for water prices charged to farmers. They can get hectolitres for cents - that's the real travesty. If you still have wastage, it's because water is too cheap.

But you find me the politician who will make things even harder for fair dinkum true blue Aussie farmers. :rolleyes:

Why not build a pipeline from the North of Oz where it is nice and wet to the south?

Why not build a pipeline from the North of Oz where it is nice and wet to the south?
Because apparently water is a council issue. Here in Brisbane we could get water from the Tweed Heads area only 100km or so to the south and it would solve a lot of issues.

Unfortunately Tweed Heads is in NSW and couldn't give a shit about Brisbane.

Basically, a pipeline from Cairns to Brisbane and further could be worth billions over the years, but the government's standing in its own way.

Why not build a pipeline from the North of Oz where it is nice and wet to the south?

oh, yes, things are nice and cosy in Washington, but over here, we don't just build multi-billion dollar projects for the fun of it. Fact is, taking water from one part of the country and placing it in another isn't going to solve the problem.

As for the permanent water restrictions... boo hoo Sydney, how about you come and live in South-West Victoria for a change.. hmm??

Actually I did hear of an idea of doing a redux of the Snowy Mountains Project, but Nationwide in scale. It worked in a very similar way, too:

Sponsor incredible numbers of skilled immigrants to come and work on a massive work of water-engineering with a handsome contract job and the prospect of permenant residency in return. Build a nationwide irrigation system stretching from the tropical North southeast through western QLD and NSW, all the way down to Adelaide, and another stretching southwest along inland WA. Afterwards you are left with millions of hectares of vastly improved agricultural tracts, and an army of skilled new Australian migrants to boost the economy and ease unemployment (which is seriously starving particularly for vocationally skilled tradesmen). Plus, then Australia would again be famous for a unique milestone in water management as it was with the snowy mountains project.

I like it.