You might be drinking it already
- Details
- Category: Water
- Created: Monday, 14 August 2006 10:52
- Written by Courier Mail
A study by The Courier-Mail showed twice as many towns as previously thought relied on water containing at least some treated sewage.
Most of southeast Queensland, including Brisbane, Logan and Ipswich, as well as Bundaberg, Maryborough, Rockhampton, Caloundra, Roma and Beaudesert take water from rivers that have wastewater treatment plants upstream.
Smaller towns include Gympie, Tiaro, Duaringa, Mareeba, Kuranda, Moura, Dalby, Chinchilla, Jondaryan, Tinaroo, Mitchell, Bollon, St George, Dirranbandi, Theodore, Tieri, Murgon, Kingaroy, Goondiwindi and Kooralbyn.
Toowoomba residents rejected a plan to pump recycled effluent into their main dam at a referendum two weeks ago.
But the city discharges treated sewage into Gowrie Creek, which Dalby uses for some drinking water.
"Obviously the debate on drinking treated effluent is going to develop over the next six to 12 months," Local Government Association of Queensland executive director Greg Hallam said.
"We hope the debate will take regard of the fact many people in Queensland already drink sewage treated to a much lower degree than what is proposed for Wivenhoe Dam," Mr Hallam said.
"People seem to have a psychological problem about what type of water body they will accept having sewage put in, but there is no scientific evidence that there is any difference between a dam or a river."
Mr Hallam said the quality of treated sewage entering waterways was rapidly improving because councils were spending $1.5 billion over the next three years on upgrading discharges, in line with tougher Environmental Protection Agency rules.
An inspection by The Courier-Mail this week showed the Wivenhoe-Somerset catchment, which supplies most of southeast Queensland, contained a heady cocktail of innumerable cow pats, treated sewage, decaying road kill, power boat emissions and farm fertilisers.
Linville grazier Simeon Lord, also a veteran Esk Shire councillor, said he had grazed his cattle beside the headwaters of the Brisbane River for decades.
"The water coming out of the dam is better than some tank water. We get a lot of tests coming in for tank water and the results are often bad," he said.
"I think recycled water should be used for industry first, but if the water scientists say it's fine I believe them."
Esk Shire has recently started allocating treated sewage from its Toogoolawah and Esk wastewater plants to local farmers. However some of their sewage still flows into Wivenhoe.
Despite popular impressions, the water coming out of the sewage plants appeared very high.
Treated water gushing from the Lowood sewage plant, which flows directly into the Brisbane River, looked and smelled almost as good as tap water.
Brisbane City Council water committee chairman John Campbell said Wivenhoe's water was cleaned up naturally after flowing downstream to the Mount Crosby treatment plant, where it was chlorinated.
"We have never been in a situation where we have not been able to bring it up to drinking water standards," he said.
Originally published as You might be drinking it already
Source : https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/special-features/you-might-be-drinking-it-already/news-story/13b4576cb55472f53e9ba64599ac93a6?sv=c9dcb53b264571ff5a953a06e52fe4b3
