December 06, 2007 06:00pm
THE plan to build a desalination plant for Adelaide has largely been backed by AdelaideNow readers, but many say we should be taking the water strategy further.
Our poll on the State Government's plan to build the $1.1 billion plant at Port Stanvac has received more than 1000 votes since yesterday and nearly 60 per cent say they accept that the public should pay higher water charges to fund it.
But more than a third say we should be recycling stormwater instead.
At 5pm today, 27 per cent of readers agreed that water had been too cheap for too long and that users should fund the new plant. Another 32 per cent said they were happy to pay, but only if big business paid more.
To vote in our poll, click here and look for the voting box on the right of the pageThirty-five per cent of readers said they did not want to pay for a desal plant and that we should instead be recycling the stormwater that now runs into the Gulf St Vincent in amounts comparable to that consumed from Adelaide's mains system.
Only 5 per cent said there was no need to fund a plant, because the water crisis would pass.
Reader comments posted on the site have been widely varied between full support and strong opposition, most of those against citing the cost as the major reason for their stance.
Many suggest other schemes to ease the water crisis.
"Harvesting the stormwater seems a far better proposition," writes Tony of Manningham.
"A few lenghts of PVC pipe, some 90 degree elbows, and a dirty great big reservoir or into an aquifer somewhere," he writes.
Angie Kerrison, of Hillier, says that "we should have recycled water".
"Water is a precious commodity and should be saved," she says.
Ray Gunn of Adelaide wants to combine the desal plant with stormwater recovery.
"Why not create a system of stormwater capture and recycling first or in conjunction," he asks.
Ross of Brisbane wants to know "why didn't the government make the difficult decision of recycling the city's effluent water to drinking standards, just like Brisbane is doing".
Todd G of Adelaide says he is happy to pay for the desal plant "provided we are then allowed to use sprinklers and water when we want to again`.
And Derr of SA summed up the sentiment of many country readers' opposition to paying for the city plant in saying: "I hope that's only for Adelaide users, or are they gonna build a pipeline to the Riverland?"
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