Category: Water

The world’s fresh water supplies are almost fully exploited.Almost al, 97 per cent, of the world’s water is salt. Of the fresh water in the world, two thirds is locked up as ice and snow (the cryosphere – to you and me, kid!). Globally, three quarters of the water that is used is used by agriculture. India, China and the United States, use more fresh water than is available. The water level in those nation’s aquifers is falling as a result.The current food crisis has come about largely as a result as the shortfall in available water begins to impact on the cost of irrigation. 

Plug the Pipe targets Brumby family farm

admin /26 July, 2008

Country Victorians may need to drink recycled water sooner than Melburnians, according to one of the state’s top environmental officials, as tensions between the city and bush continued to simmer.

Environment Protection Authority chairman Mick Bourke’s comments came as plans by a water protest group to rally at Premier John Brumby’s farm near Bendigo were abandoned.

Speaking at a waste water conference in Melbourne, Mr Bourke was asked how long it would be before Victorians were drinking recycled water.

Golbourn farmers get zero water

admin /13 July, 2008

Allocation Data The seasonal allocations for Goulburn-Murray Water customers on 1 Jul 2008 are   High Availability Water Share Change to High Availability Water Share Comments Murray 0% % – Broken 0% % – Goulburn 0% % – Campaspe 0% % – Loddon 0% % – Bullarook Creek 0% % – Further Information   Goulburn-Murray Continue Reading →

Failure of rice crop costs Riverina jobs

admin /1 June, 2008

World rice prices have doubled in 12 months but that hasn’t helped Riverina growers. Australia has recorded its smallest crop due to a lack of irrigation water. The Riverina, NSW, is traditionally the country’s largest rice producer. But in the past season just 30 of 2500 growers planted crops and the final harvest was down Continue Reading →

Farmers look to recycled water

admin /1 June, 2008

From Farm Weekly WA

The first phase of the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling (AGWR) and how to manage risk associated with recycled water will be highlighted in a paper to be presented at the annual national conference of the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA).

The paper will be presented by Dr David Cunliffe from the SA Department of Health

Dr David Cunliffe says that there is a long history of using recycled water, particularly treated sewage, for livestock watering or production of pasture.

Farmers need time to reduce water use

admin /24 May, 2008

Lucy Skuthorpe in The Land  Farmers should be paid up front for the value of their water and be given three years to adjust to slimmer water sharing rules rather than have the government buying allocations over 10 years, according to Wentworth Group economist, Professor Mike Young. Professor Young told the ABC this week he Continue Reading →

Fishermen, farmers and scientists fear desal plants

admin /24 May, 2008

ImageBy Kathryn Crisell in the Yorke Pensinsula Country Times

Plans for a desalination plant in Spencer Gulf to support BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam mine expansion have raised fears, hopes and questions since late 2006 when YPCT (November 28, “New threat to gulf fish stocks”) first posed concerns from local fishers and marine biologists about the “unacceptable risk of ecological damage to the upper gulf and marine-based industries”.

Ron Sherriff says a “yes” to desalination at Port Hughes could harm local fisheries