There never was a rain shortage to justify seawater desalination for Perth’s water supply
December 4th, 2007 by Warwick HughesClick for 3 page illustrated word doc report Yes that is a 32 year average of nearly a metre of rain per year.
There has developed in Australia since 2002 muddled thinking at a policy level aided and abetted by a Green media confounding rain and water issues with “Greenhouse climate change” that prevents proper analysis of rainfall and water supply issues.
Click for many other articles re Perth, Western Australia water supply and Govt distortions and propaganda about rainfall issues.
Posted in IPCC, Water | 8 Comments »
December 4th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
This mass delusion about climate, of which Perth catchment rainfall is just one example, is really the most bizarre phenomena of my lifetime.
December 8th, 2007 at 2:00 am
Test
December 17th, 2007 at 11:31 pm
I posted about a month back (can’t find the thread) that available water in Perth dams was about 60% up from last year. Since then the increase has steadily grown due to unusual summer rains. It is now about 70%, with more rain forecast.
If 2008 is like 2007, the state government and the Water Corporation’s desalination plants are going to look pretty silly.
December 18th, 2007 at 10:46 am
But what’s with the Australian drought? My uncle living in New Brunswick, Melbourne just wrote me that he doesn’t plant anything in his garden as there’s ban on watering (only 1-2x weekly) and farmers are suffering.
May 14th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Did you see this article about the Kwinana desalination plant shutdown due to low oxygen levels in the sea.
May 14th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Thanks Uri, the effect of the hypersaline discharge (being heavy) settling to some extent in the depths of Cockburn Sound was postulated as a risk by many oponents of the project, particularly in calm seasons when wave and current action on the Sound would be reduced leading to more stagnant bottom conditions. This notion was backed up by UWA experts, will be interesting to see if they say anything. The Govt commissioned modelling studies showing no problem. Personally and from years of tracking their propaganda I would not believe anything the Govt/WaterCorp says without checking it out. I find it v interesting that windrun figures have indicated fairly breezy times for April and May at Garden and Rottnest Islands. You have to scroll well down for the wind data and you change months at the page top.
No extended calms which might cause the Sound to stagnate. Fascinating to watch this one, see what the Govt does about being caught in their own guidelines.
December 31st, 2012 at 12:45 pm
[...] Perth dam catchments rainfall still normal, Govt building $Billion seawater desalination plant #2 There never was a rain shortage to justify seawater desalination for Perth’s water supply Share this:ShareDiggEmailRedditPrintStumbleUponTwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like [...]
May 8th, 2013 at 7:48 pm
The fact that we have 1/10th the amount of inflow from previous similar rainfall years (catchment areas) is obvious when you look at the historical data.. this can only be the level of forrestry in the catchment areas. The pre 1975 inflows must have had a lower level of vegetation than we have now.
I am not saying we rip it all out.. but surely we need to be clearing more of the catchment areas on a regular basis.