Water levels a factor ?
- Thread starter Tandella
- Start date
Acey,
Water from the Orara River is used to fill Karangi dam and currently it is able to reliably supply 4000 ML/year.
This is 4 thousand million litres pa pumped into the dam.
So how much runs into the sea???? I know that the pumps at Karangi dam are only capable of pumping approx 13 ML/day MAXIMUM!
Thats a lot of water flowing past the pumps and into the ocean.
But nowhere near as much as what is flowing down the Nymbodia River.
Existing rules state that the Nymboida power station can only divert water from the Nymboida river when flows exceed 225 ML/day.
So if the flow falls below 225 million litres per day the water runs straight into the ocean. No pumping allowed.
We don't need to transport this water, as it is flowing past the Dam and reservoir pumps of towns and cities at the moment.
I am not saying that these rivers are flowing at capacity, Yes the flows are low, But there is a lot of water being wasted to the ocean.
And this is only 2 of many rivers.
Regards
Water from the Orara River is used to fill Karangi dam and currently it is able to reliably supply 4000 ML/year.
This is 4 thousand million litres pa pumped into the dam.
So how much runs into the sea???? I know that the pumps at Karangi dam are only capable of pumping approx 13 ML/day MAXIMUM!
Thats a lot of water flowing past the pumps and into the ocean.
But nowhere near as much as what is flowing down the Nymbodia River.
Existing rules state that the Nymboida power station can only divert water from the Nymboida river when flows exceed 225 ML/day.
So if the flow falls below 225 million litres per day the water runs straight into the ocean. No pumping allowed.
We don't need to transport this water, as it is flowing past the Dam and reservoir pumps of towns and cities at the moment.
I am not saying that these rivers are flowing at capacity, Yes the flows are low, But there is a lot of water being wasted to the ocean.
And this is only 2 of many rivers.
Regards
With the quite large range of colours and shapes now available in PVC water tanks I believe that any one who wishes to install a water tank on their house should be encouraged to do so. Eventually every house could get a free 4-500 litres of water for the garden or laundry each time it rains, over time, the amount of water a city like Sydney would save is amazing.
I believe that our rivers need to be managed better that they have been, and our farmers more realistic in their choice of crops. To see the huge dams which they have created in order to grow cotton in western NSW an QLD is an eye opener. The amount of water diverted from our river systems into these dams by weirs and pumps is a frightening, our river ecosystems have no hope of surviving, and pity help the farmers on the lower reaches of the rivers.
It reminds me of the old western movies when feuds were started because someone upstream dammed the river, well I believe that farmers would be justified in blowing up some of these dams and allowing the water back into the river system and wetlands.
The whole water problem needs a united approach with a master plan for the total length of the river, therefore it can only be done by a federal authority, lets hope it happens soon
I believe that our rivers need to be managed better that they have been, and our farmers more realistic in their choice of crops. To see the huge dams which they have created in order to grow cotton in western NSW an QLD is an eye opener. The amount of water diverted from our river systems into these dams by weirs and pumps is a frightening, our river ecosystems have no hope of surviving, and pity help the farmers on the lower reaches of the rivers.
It reminds me of the old western movies when feuds were started because someone upstream dammed the river, well I believe that farmers would be justified in blowing up some of these dams and allowing the water back into the river system and wetlands.
The whole water problem needs a united approach with a master plan for the total length of the river, therefore it can only be done by a federal authority, lets hope it happens soon
Haven't you guys got better things to do than to argue about water
what's next???
Regards
Jerry
what's next???
Regards
Jerry
Hi all,
I have left this thread alone til now, as my ideas on the subject often come from outside the square.
Twenty years ago(during the 82-83 drought), I was having a conversation with a friend who was fairly high up in the MMBW. It was about raising and changing the pricing of water. They didn't wont to bring in a REAL user pays system, where the criteria of your rates depended on water useage. They felt that with real cost savings to be made their revenue base would be diminished because people would drastically cut down on their water use.
Of course what has come to pass as cheaper rates for lower water useage is the savings of a few dollars for almost halving water consumption in any one household.
The availability of water is not the issue, pricing it correctly is. If it's too cheap, demand will outstrip supply, if it's too dear (say $10 per 1000 litres, no "other" charges), water consumption will crash and after a few years all the dams will be happily overflowing.
If what we want is more water, then lets think big.
a/ pipe water from lake gordon/pedder to the mainland.
b/pipe water from some large weirs(not yet built) in wet tropics to southern areas.
c/ create canal feeding salt water from the sea to lake Eyre/torrens.
The do nothing approach other than bring in water restrictions is the easiest answer for our political geniuses.
bye
I have left this thread alone til now, as my ideas on the subject often come from outside the square.
Twenty years ago(during the 82-83 drought), I was having a conversation with a friend who was fairly high up in the MMBW. It was about raising and changing the pricing of water. They didn't wont to bring in a REAL user pays system, where the criteria of your rates depended on water useage. They felt that with real cost savings to be made their revenue base would be diminished because people would drastically cut down on their water use.
Of course what has come to pass as cheaper rates for lower water useage is the savings of a few dollars for almost halving water consumption in any one household.
The availability of water is not the issue, pricing it correctly is. If it's too cheap, demand will outstrip supply, if it's too dear (say $10 per 1000 litres, no "other" charges), water consumption will crash and after a few years all the dams will be happily overflowing.
If what we want is more water, then lets think big.
a/ pipe water from lake gordon/pedder to the mainland.
b/pipe water from some large weirs(not yet built) in wet tropics to southern areas.
c/ create canal feeding salt water from the sea to lake Eyre/torrens.
The do nothing approach other than bring in water restrictions is the easiest answer for our political geniuses.
bye
Macca said:
Check out the new inventors website - they have showed some pretty cool 'water tanks' for the suburban garden.
http://search.abc.net.au/search/cac.../www.abc.net.au/newinventors/txt/s1112481.htm
Ecogirl
We've just made the decision to install a rainwater tank - in total I expect it will cost us less than $600 for a 5000L tank connected to 2 toilets.
We're getting a tank from Bushmans @ $935 delivered.
We'll get a $400 + $150 rebate from Sydney Water
And I'll do most of the easy plumbing myself (it's Hepworth pipes), my friendly local plumber will the final tricky stuff.
And Sydney Water will replace my meter with a one which has a one-way valve for free.
The plan is to keep the tank 1/4 full from the mains. And the toilets will be filled from the tank.
Does anyone have any tips or suggestions or pitfalls ? The Bushmans site has a fair bit of useful info.
Cheers,
KJ
We're getting a tank from Bushmans @ $935 delivered.
We'll get a $400 + $150 rebate from Sydney Water
And I'll do most of the easy plumbing myself (it's Hepworth pipes), my friendly local plumber will the final tricky stuff.
And Sydney Water will replace my meter with a one which has a one-way valve for free.
The plan is to keep the tank 1/4 full from the mains. And the toilets will be filled from the tank.
Does anyone have any tips or suggestions or pitfalls ? The Bushmans site has a fair bit of useful info.
Cheers,
KJ
BTW: Here's an article about the role of frogs:
Source: The Scotsman (http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=1198352004)
Remember, no more frogs, no more frog princes!
Cheers,
Aceyducey
Source: The Scotsman (http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=1198352004)
Remember, no more frogs, no more frog princes!
Cheers,
Aceyducey
Dear Acey,
I don't think that bores always cause salt problems. Salt problems are often a result of rising water tables which bring salt in the soil to the surface. Removing trees which hold the moisture in the soil allows the water table to rise and subsequently cause the salt laden water to come to the surface. Once the salt rises the trees will no longer thrive-so the trees cannot be replaced.
I think bores and water tables are different issues.
Regards Plumtree
I don't think that bores always cause salt problems. Salt problems are often a result of rising water tables which bring salt in the soil to the surface. Removing trees which hold the moisture in the soil allows the water table to rise and subsequently cause the salt laden water to come to the surface. Once the salt rises the trees will no longer thrive-so the trees cannot be replaced.
I think bores and water tables are different issues.
Regards Plumtree
Talk about water (or the lack of it) in Sydney by mid-2006, Four Corners have produced this report.
Here's a link to the transcript
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2004/s1222567.htm
Danny D.
Here's a link to the transcript
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2004/s1222567.htm
Danny D.
Some brief respite, although I found this odd given that it's rained in Syd all week :
Warragamba Dam's level even slipped slightly, falling from 39.3 per cent full last week to 39.1 per cent yesterday
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/21/1098316790628.html
T.
Warragamba Dam's level even slipped slightly, falling from 39.3 per cent full last week to 39.1 per cent yesterday
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/21/1098316790628.html
T.
Blue Mountains Council weather station at Katoomba reports 233mm so far this month. It is in the catchment area.Tandella said:
