Sustainable Urban Water Management without stealing rural water

Transcription

1 Sustainable Urban Water Management without stealing rural water Professor Charles Essery Managing Director Sustainable Water Solutions Pty Ltd Adjunct Professor Engineering & Industrial Design University of Western Sydney

2 Australia urban water policy - litany of spin and failure The climate excuse The crisis policy development The by-passing of due-process Policy is political, non-resource based and NOT based on sound economics and science. Community and non-urban users are isolated from decisions

3 Sir Nicholas Stern s view - the CO 2 economic crisis, 5 0 C temperature rise Insert Stern slide on CO2

4 Climate variability - 20,000 BP to now Climate is not constant, never has been, never will be. Current global climate pattern is on a natural cyclical high, has been for 9000 yrs Human impacts are minor in the scheme of the earth s development Policy and its associated planning, industry and development need a sanity check

5 Climate Change the bureaucrats excuse for mis-management? How many predictions have you seen that look at the consequences of 5 o C reductions in global temperatures and consequently water supply? In essence, climate is naturally variable & temperatures, rainfall etc vary up and down. The crisis humans face in urban areas is one of narrow, centralised, over-engineered solutions to water supply services overseen by weak urban water policy

6 Societies which learnt the hard way Mesopotamia - Post- Mini Ice Age of BC explosion of population growth Romans - the climate driven plagues of AD Mayan, Central America 800AD collapse after 500 years of development driven by drought Europe - The late Middle Ages AD Europe - The Black Death of AD Europe - The Little Ice Age 14 th -18 th Centuries Ireland - The Potato Famine of 1840 s The World - in the 21 st Century?

7 Current water policy solutions Water trading Inaccurate Measurements Losses in transmission Impact of land value Impact of regional economy Recycling polluted seawater in coastal regions (e.g. Perth, Sydney, Gold Coast, Gosford & Wyong, Broken Hill.) Cost and energy Inappropriate behavioural signal Catch-up solution Ignores receiving water impacts from the desal, waste and stormwater pollution Water conservation and water restrictions Sydney and Perth failures and now the lead-in to desalination plants Water restrictions, the false economy & short-term solution Pure, political distractions by old-style economists, Greens and the na?ve who have access to the media!

8 Breakdown in NWI funding by reformist impact. Cost Shift for existing unfunded state activities, 12.5% Innovativ e Reuse, 5.9% If Brisbane Western Corridor is Included (37%) But this was already planned and funded Commerc ial activity subsidy, 3.6% Planning Studies, 4.3% Tradition al everyday water utility activity subsidy 73.7%

9 Examples of unsustainable Sydney urban water strategies desalination & increased waterway pollution Shoalhaven transfers Groundwater extraction from S Highlands? Lower Hawkesbury rural trading? Central Coast & Hunter Build a new dam on prime agriculture land Water trading

10 Hunter & Central Coast Water Balance 254 GL/yr Potable recycled 185 GL/yr Non potable recycled effluent 106 GL/yr 134 GL/yr Tillegra dam Stormwater Rainwater G&W dams G&W G&W dams G&W dams 2030 demand Hunter Dams & G water Hunter Hunter Dams & G water Hunter Dams & G water 2006 demand 2030 demand Yield by New dam Sustainable yield

11 Sydney GL/yr Water Balance 785 GL/yr Recycling Ground water Potable recycled (IPR) Non potable recycled effluent Stormwater 2030 demand 600 GL/yr 675 GL/yr Desalination Shoalhaven transfers Shoalhaven transfers Rainwater Shoalhaven 2007 demand Existing 6 Sydney dams Existing 6 Sydney dams Existing 6 Sydney dams Existing 6 Sydney dams 2000 demand 2007 demand The Metro Water Plan Demand/yield Balance Sustainable Sydney yield

12 Establishing the low risk, drought-proofed urban water supplies Re-discovering virgin sources Reforming mismanaged sources Addressing wasted sources Discouraging dumb water use Deleting dumb pricing

13 What can be done? Sensible, liveable water conservation Non potable recycling for industry & irrigation Potable recycling planned for future demand Urban water seasonally harvesting for new and existing buildings Pricing that is on & off-peak targeted Sustainable water cycle planning & management strategies that are auditable Improve understanding of water resources within global earth systems

14 IN 100% Local Water Utility EXTRACTION from the Environment & now farmers Consumer USE cycle Circa 80% Disposal - cycle The current water urban cycle - Is it sustainable? State Treasury Conflict of Interest??? -$??? Pricing, government and societal pressures on sound water use and value Waste water Toilet Kitchen Shower Garden OUT Local Water Utility DISCHARGE & RETURN to the Environment

15 Changes needed re previous diagram On-site harvesting of rainfall. On-site storage of rainfall. On-site plumbing to water use in: Toilets (20% of current use) Laundry(20% of Current use) Hot water supply (15% of current use) 40-70% supply 40-70% demand On-site grey-water reuse (10-25%, dependant on local/state government regulation) On-site entry point for recycled water or adoption of IPR

16 The sustainable water urban household? Example of the potential.if policy was soundly based! IN Local Water Utility On-site Rainwater Harvesting On-site Storm water Harvesting Indirect Potable Recycling Household USE cycle RE-USE cycle RETURN - cycle Grey water recycling Community or On-site effluent recycling??? -$??? Marketing - cycle??? +$??? Pricing, government and societal pressures on sound water use and value Community or effluent Recycling thru central treatment & river return facilities OUT Community or individual Re-selling of treated water to other users (effluent-drinking water or niche quality) ownership/property rights?

17 100 year demand (twice current demand, minimum) Traditional Rural Water Theft No New dams Token urban harvesting Token non-potable recycling Desalination (DDPR) 50% energy increase 200% real price increase 100% increase in waterway pollution 200% water demand increase on water cycle No margin for extra growth Sustainable No need for rural transfers No new dams 25% urban harvesting 25% Recycling (IPR) Desalination fad abandoned 25% energy increase % real price increase 50% reduction in waterway pollution NO increase on water demand from water cycle Excess capacity for growth/risk management

18 Current Urban Water Policy??? A Black Hole? Behind closed doors? or Blindfolded bureaucrats, under the orders of politicians in a dark room, looking for a black cat.. that isn t there!!!

19 There are two good black cats in water security & sustainability cv Urban Water Harvesting + cv Recycling effluent back to raw water standards Can deliver 50% of existing demand Can deliver 80% of future demand

20 Water for Sydney. needs commonsense, transparency and the effective management the water cycles. Environment Society Economy We need to end water mismanagement by the same old crisis managers