Thread: Drought.

we are already on level 5. don't want to go to the next level, but it will happen I reckon - just a humble opinion and I soooo hope I'm wrong

No I agree with you there Wendy. The annoying thing is seeing people still wasting water and not caring. Wivenhoe dam fell to under 25% a couple of days ago. Best rain wev'e had was 48mm last month and most of that came ion one huge down poor. Iv'e started measuring what little rain fall were getting just to see how much we end up with.

Whats Somerset Dam like ?
I used to live near it.

Personally I don't think there is a drought but we had a complete climate change as an effect of global warning. The lack of adequate rains are here to stay for a long long time.

Pity our politicians are not prepared to face up to this and insist that we learn to live with a diminished water supply. The lack of adequate measures to cope with this climate change will come to haunt us if we don't take steps to cope with it now.

Peter.

Peter

I totally agree with you I reckon this is the new norm and when we get GOOD rain that will be the exception. Tanks and water recycling HAS to be a priority for both federal and local government.

Pete

Hi,

I think that those in a position of authority hope the problem will go away(good rainfall), and the water issue will be forgotten about........ I don't think so!!!

Drought
I live in Central West NSW on 800 ha (2000 acres) and run cattle on this 3-1/4 sq miles of sticks & rocks & dust. Our average rainfall is 26 inches and we have had 9" so far this year (about 30% of our average). The last four years have been about the same. So I am in business to supplement my farm loss but my customer base is 90% broke farmers. All of a sudden I have become a de-facto financier for my customers. How dumb is that?
BUT
I wouldnt trade places with anyone. My farm raised kids have grown up to be heads down committed & ambitious workers with common sense and true blue aussie values. I have an endless supply of native timber. Every day that goes by is a day closer to the rain that will get us back to normal seasons. I live far enough out of town to have my weekends to myself. Cant think of a better place to be right here and right now.

Geez the politicians are morons! They have been publicly denying the huge amount of evidence about climate change and global warming. They have pretended that the lasy 10 years have not been rainfall deficiency years. They have always said - there will be good rains next year. They have not listened to their own advisors. And guess what - yesterday they decided that things were serious, all of a sudden like. Almost like, gee why didn;t someone tell us this before. And not just federal polies - around bendigo they at least started getting alarmed a few months ago.

We are all going to be up the proverbial creek, but with no need for a paddle. I guess if we all take the drought seriously, and each one of us does our bit in conserving water, we will get through it. I hate to think what happens if we do NOT get proper rainfall in the next 12 months though - it really doesn't warrant thinking about.

I feel for those folk who are totally dependent on tank and dam water - at least here we have reticulated water at the moment, and can live with level 4 restrictions.

I'm not anywhere near conviced the climate has changed forever. Let's face it, we only have reliable records for the last 200 years or so. I don't think we cans say definitively there has been a change forever and ever. I think we need thousands of years worth of reocrds before that. I know all about research, ice cores, and yadda yadda yadda, I just think most of that stuff is open to really small errors and interpretation.

After all of that though, I can't for the life of me follow some peoples reactions to water solutions, particularly the pollys. They take what water there is, treat it until you can drink it, then pour most of it into industry, on gardens, or flush it. To contemplate recycling water brings outcries. The solution is to ship it in from Tasmania, or desalinate. The whole thing beggars belief.

At some stage we need to realise that climate change, or climate going through its normal cycle or whatever, we need to manage our water better. ANd while I'm on the soap box, pouring water on water hungry crops like rice and cotton on the driest continent is bloody bizare.

It is several years late for the drongo's in Canberra to finally realise we are running short on water, and you can bet your boots they have been dragged into looking at the issue beyond just talking about privatisation and commercial forces providing better outcomes. The last bit is rubbish as all commercial forces do is give to those with the biggest wallets.

For once it would be timely for someone to behave like a statesman get the states and feds together along with those in industry and come up with some alternatives to what we are doing now. In irrigation I understand there is more lost in delivering water through soakage, spillage and evaporation than ever makes it to the farms. In the towns we flush perfectly good rainwater down the gutters when it could go on gardens or through toilets, not to mention grey water that can be used likewise.

It seems we don't have to look to far to make savings. The water wallies arguing for more dams need to remember that enviromental flows are needed and healthy rivers and streams do have an economic benefit in maintaining fish stocks, and in the quality of water pumped from rivers for crops, grazing and towns. Not to mention the ascetics of clean water rather then the sludge we used to call the Latrobe down stream of the Latrobe Valley for instance.

The worn out line that it would damage our industry to make enviromental improvements ignores the fact that new technologies often result in lower energy and input costs and less waste. In other words investment properly managed makes us more competitive, pity our tax system and attitudes reward the speculators and get rich quick suck holes rather than those whose activities lead to greater efficiency and more jobs.

John

I heard on Channel 10 news last night...

"the worst drought is history.. coming up.. how it will effect your shopping bill"

That is why I hate channel 10.. sydney centric b*stards don't give a damn about people in the country.

Cheers
Pulse

Just caught the end of a news clip last night.
Seems a trainer in the racing industry, (horse) is complaining the "track"
is to hard and needs more water!!!! :mad:
Now.........we can't have the Gee Gee's running on hard ground can we??
Priorities people??:confused:

Originally Posted by fred.n

Just caught the end of a news clip last night.
Seems a trainer in the racing industry, (horse) is complaining the "track"
is to hard and needs more water!!!! :mad:
Now.........we can't have the Gee Gee's running on hard ground can we??
Priorities people??:confused:

If the horses can't handle the firmer conditions, they shouldn't be racing.

I think that most metropolitan race courses use recycled water as do a lot of parks and gardens and industry (in Melbourne).