Water woes !

Water was something that in the past we took for granted. Just turn on a tap - and it was there !

It is still there, but the difference is that now it is costing more and is fast becoming a major item of household expenditure. One of the reasons is the desalination plant nearing completion at Kurnell. That was planned when drought looked like bringing Sydney to it's knees - but a bountiful act of nature has restored dam levels and it may be moth balled as insurance against the next drought - whenever that may be !

Sydney Water has been trialling a sneaky plan to cut down on pipe maintenance and avoid water loss from leaks. The idea is simple ! Simply decrease the supply pressure and the aged pipe system is less likely to break. So far Stanwell Tops and Lane Cove have been the venues of this experiment - and soon it may extend to all areas.

There are some problems that Sydney Water does not want to talk about. Buildings with fire sprinkler systems are unable to safely cope with reduced water pressure and owners are forced to install costly holding tanks and extra pumping equipment.

One of the problems the fire brigade encounters when fighting fires is inadequate water pressure. So far there has been no comment from fire authorities as to how this will affect their operations.

There has also been a suspicious silence from politicians all all persuasions. Reducing the water pressure may make sense from a cost of maintenance point of view, but it should be evaluated from all aspects of public safety before it is introduced city wide.

We are resigned to the inevitability of paying much more for water - but that does not make it acceptable to charge more and deliver less !

Reduced pressure should not proceed further until a full safety audit has been carried out and the wider implications revealed !