Australian Journal of Mining
The recently released Pilbara Water Pre-Feasibility Study highlights the need for sustainable water management in the Pilbara. It forecasts total demand in the region to more than double in the next 20 years.
This could see demand rise from 90 gigalitres per year in 2007 to 214 gigalitres a year in 2030.
According to the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia’s (CME) Reg Howard-Smith, the increases in demand are considerable and require careful management.
“For example iron ore mining water demand will be increasing from 56 gigalitres a year at present to 124 gigalitres a year in 2030.
“These figures are consistent with the recent CME study on the State’s Growth Outlook which forecast future demand for people, water and energy at State and regional level,” he said.
Howard-Smith said the Pilbara study, prepared for the Department of Water, is to be commended in the broad approach taken to evaluate 13 different supply options including mine water discharge, groundwater and desalination.
This report identified a range of options for water in the Pilbara:
1. use of water extracted by mine dewatering operations
2. supplemental groundwater for water supply schemes
3. development of aquifers near the coast
4. construction of transfer pipelines from source to demand locations
5. desalination options
The estimated cost of options varies considerably depending on the level of complexity and scale, however, the report said there are “some known entry level opportunities with development of agriculture and other diversification options utilising mine dewater.”
The development of such projects was estimated to start at $74 million. A number of areas in the Pilbara may be suited to irrigated agriculture developments and provide for the development of a more diversified economy in the region. The least-cost option was an abridged (8GL/yr) version of Option 1 from the report, which stipulates development, ownership and operation by a State-owned agency.
The regional large-scale and more complex options would require but further investigation through the development of a full feasibility study said the report.
The investigations identified mine water surplus as short to medium term opportunities as well supply from underutilised aquifers.
“These opportunities need to be fully evaluated and the move to the next stage of a full feasibility study is welcomed. It is essential that industry is closely consulted on the development and refinement of these options,” said Howard-Smith.
“Water availability is seen as a potential constraint on future growth and development and the new feasibility study must arrive at practical long term solutions.”
He went on to say that the Study highlights the future competition for water use and it is essential that realistic planning and allocations are made.
In the context of the Study, water demands were determined for the various sub regions of the Pilbara and by category of use.
Overall the fastest growing subregion is expected to be South Coastal Region, mainly due to the proposed operation of the Citic Pacific Mining project at Cape Preston. The total demand for water in the Pilbara is expected to increase from 90 GL/yr in 2007 to 214 GL/yr in 2031.
“The Pilbara is the nation’s economic powerhouse and it needs careful, thorough and timely planning. This study will make a significant contribution to the region’s future development,” Howard-Smith said.
Adam Morton
SOUTH Australia has taken a different approach to Victoria in securing its water future, opting for a large-scale expansion in recycling of storm and wastewater. It yesterday announced a goal to recycle 45 per cent of urban wastewater for use in agriculture, industry and parklands by 2013.
Victoria last week scrapped two water-recycling projects, saying they were too expensive. Water Minister Tim Holding said proposals to pipe recycled water to the Latrobe Valley to cool coal-fired power plants and using it to boost Yarra River flows would add hundreds of dollars a year to the cost of water for households.
About 23 per cent of Melbourne’s treated sewage is recycled, mainly for use within wastewater treatment plants.
South Australia has also set a target to more than double the amount of Adelaide stormwater harvested each year to 20 billion litres by 2013.
Melbourne uses less than 0.25 per cent of the 400-550 billion litres of stormwater in its catchment each year.
Victoria’s water policy focuses on two multibillion-dollar projects - a desalination plant near Wonthaggi and the north-south pipeline.
South Australia also has a major emphasis on desalination, with plans to eventually draw up to half of Adelaide’s drinking supply from desalination, reducing its reliance on the struggling Murray River.
Environment Victoria chief executive Kelly O’Shannessy said Victoria should be investigating all potential uses of water recycling, including topping up drinking supplies.
She said it made little sense to invest in improving the quality of wastewater at treatment plants only to pump most of it out to sea.
“Last week minister Holding proudly announced that Victoria is at the top of wastewater recycling in the country. If they want to stay No.1, the Government will need to come up with some firm plans about the use of recycled water,” she said.
A Labor-dominated parliamentary committee earlier this month recommended that all Melbourne’s treated wastewater be put to productive use.
Mal Holland, Environment Reporter
ANGRY farmers believe their efforts to help save a vast underground water network are being exploited and undermined by a cash-strapped State Government water licence auction.
Scores of landholders in northwestern NSW have added caps and pipes to the free-flowing bores on their properties, at costs of thousands of dollars, in order to stop water being wasted from the Great Artesian Basin.
The basin is a massive body of underground water stretching from southwestern Queensland into northwestern NSW, northern South Australia and the Northern Territory and is the main source of water for a vast part of parched Australia.
But there have been fears for years that the basin is being overused and, in particular, suffering a fall in the natural water pressure which meant pumps were not necessary.
To fight the problem farmers were urged to join the means-tested “cap and pipe the bores” scheme, which offered subsidies of up to 50 per cent to stop water from the bores evaporating. (more…)
SA Govt says it has secured critical human need water for the next year. (ABC Local: Grady Winfield)
The South Australian Government says it has secured conveyance water needed to ensure critical human need flows to the state for the next 12 months.
Last month the Murray-Darling Basin Authority reported the catchment was only holding 17 per cent of its capacity.
The Water Security Minister, Karlene Maywald, has told a budget estimates committee that the 201 gigalitres of critical human needs water stored in the Hume and Dartmouth Dams will reach South Australia.
“The conveyance water is secured, yes, there has been agreement with the states on the water sharing arrangements,” she said.
“The water sharing arrangements provide for contingencies to cover off on any shortfall in the conveyance water in the 09-10 year to deliver the critical human needs.”
Mrs Maywald says there is evidence that saline water from the lower lakes is taking longer to disperse when it flows into the Murray channel.
She says such events are being taken into account by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority in its plans to secure future drinking water for Adelaide.
Consumer reporter MARGARET LINLEY investigates the best water filtration options for those opposed to fluoridation
THE addition of fluoride to the Geelong water supply has divided many.
People either have strongly held views for and against or have strongly held views that people shouldn’t be bothered holding strongly held views.
But what are the options for those who want to remove fluoride from the tap water?
Drink bottled water? Filter it out? Boil it?
The only effective way to remove fluoride is with a reverse osmosis system, according to online water filtration company director Byron Cottone.
“It’s 1960 technology but nobody has been able to beat it,” Mr Cottone of Water Filter World said.
“Other systems either leach alum back into the water or become exhausted after 50 to 100 litres.”
But reverse osmosis is not without its drawbacks, Mr Cottone said, with some water wastage occurring during the filtration process.
This makes a whole-house system of filtration prohibitive for its waste and cost. This is a problem, he said, since fluoride is absorbed rapidly through the skin in hot water. (more…)
22 June ABC New England North West NSW
The water users group Namoi Water says Northern River basins are unlikely to see much of the $650 million the Commonwealth has agreed to release of improvements to water infrastructure in the Murray-Darling Basin.
It is the first part of more than $1 billion the Government has earmarked to improve on-farm water saving measures.
Namoi Water’s chief executive, John Clements, says the Government’s rollout is random and will benefit southern parts of the Murray-Darling, while ignoring those in northern New South Wales.
“We’ll get very little. It’s only irrigation districts that can access the funds, so 99 per cent of people in the north of the state, private irrigators who’re in a sense a private operation with a pump site on the river, they’re ineligible to apply. That’ll apply to $1.1 billion in funding … no-one in the north will be able to apply for it,” he said.
Monday, 22/06/2009 ABC Rural
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission does not plan to speed up its inquiry into Australia’s water trading rules, despite continuing concerns over Victoria’s trading caps.
The commission’s Peter Betson says it will release a position paper on water trading rules in August, and provide advice to the Murray Darling Basin Authority by March next year.
He told a Senate inquiry this morning that the need for wide consultation meant the process couldn’t be fast-tracked.
Mr Betson also says it’s not the ACCC’s role to specifically investigate the competition issues that arise from Victoria’s four per cent cap.
June 22, 2009 - 12:32PM The Age
Anti-fluoride extremists have threatened to kill a Victorian government minister and blow up a regional water authority.
As anger over fluoridating Geelong’s water supply mounted today, Labor minister Lisa Neville has been targeted along with water and health officials.
A death threat was left with a bottle of water on the verandah of Ms Neville’s house on Saturday night, a government spokeswoman said.
Anti-fluoride activists have also threatened to blow up Barwon Water’s treatment plants as the authority begins on Monday adding fluoride to the water supply in Geelong, 70 kilometres southwest of Melbourne.
The Department of Human Services (DHS) received a threatening letter in the mail last week.
All three threats are being investigated by police.
A government spokeswoman said Ms Neville, who is the member for Bellarine, returned home on Saturday night to find the bottle of water and a note on her front verandah.
It read: “We’re going to kill you, bitch”.
More to come.
Text and photo by Amar Guriro
KARACHI: After crossing the last town of
Hathongo, as we moved into the vast desert we came across mounds and mounds of sand. There was nothing but sand as far as our eyes could see, with little black scattered specks on it, which on closer inspection turned out to be plants, the only living things able to bear the intense desert heat.
After travelling across what seemed to be endless plains of sand, we entered a village. Our arrival brought a very warm response as villagers came running out to greet us but before we could enjoy the welcome, we discovered that we were mistaken for welfare workers.
The village that we were visiting is called Thooraho and it is a small village located in the desert area of district Sanghar just a few kilometers out of the white desert, which is locally known as Achhro Thar.
What brought us here was the fact that numerous people of the village were suffering from lower limb paralysis due to the high levels of fluoride in the underground water sources. As many as 17 people, belonging to the Hajam and Rajar clan, have died in the area during the last three years because of the fluoride contamination. Earlier in May, 2008 Daily Times had published a feature highlighting the people of the village and their problems. (more…)
Peter Farago
June 22nd, 2009 Geelong Advertiser
ANTI-FLUORIDE extremists have threatened to blow up Geelong’s water treatment plants in protest against the introduction of the chemical today.
Sources have told The Geelong Advertiser that a bomb threat was made by phone to Barwon Water. The authority is set to start adding fluoride to Geelong’s water supply at the Wurdee Boluc and Moorabool water treatment plants today.
Police have also confirmed a threatening letter was sent to the Department of Human Services.
A State Government spokesman said the threats had been referred to police.
Barwon Water managing director Michael Malouf said while he was not certain the threat was credible, the authority was taking it very seriously.
“Barwon Water is working closely with police and other agencies to find the person responsible,” he said.
“Security measures have been ramped up at Barwon Water sites but the threat will not be allowed to impact on the delivery of services to customers.”
Mr Malouf said fluoride was scheduled to be progressively added to Geelong’s water supply from today. (more…)
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