Aquaducts - irrigating Australia
"Chookie" wrote in message news:ehrebeniuk-23D51A.16283707012008@news... Some twit in WA tried to get elected by telling everyone he'd dam the Fitroy and pipe the water to Perth. Problem is that unless the pipe runs downhill all the way (3700 km), you need to pump that water uphill -- and that's really, really energy-intensive. A litre of water, after all, weighs a kilo. To give you an idea, Warragamba Dam (Sydney's main dam) has an output of 2.6 million litres a day. My dam is 2.3 megalitres, maybe you mean gigalitres. Sometimes we forget how darn big Australia is. History also tells us that most of those giant engineering projects don't end well. True. In all the enthusiasm to make the desert bloom humans have produced quite a few disasters due to unintended consequences. David |
Aquaducts - irrigating Australia
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message ... "Blackadder XXIV" wrote in message Staring at a map of Australia, you can see that we've got a system of rivers- there should be someway we can tap into them - creating canals, reservoirs and aquaduct systems (underground) to pipe water from areas which flood to areas which are dry. What's the cost? One billion dollars? Ten billions dollars? Probably more. Will it be done in ten years time, twenty? forty years perhaps? I think its feasibily - anything is better than seeing parts of our nation flood, farming communities dry out, and just swatting the flies off our faces. If you are looking at a topographical map, you will notice that Australia is virtually flat and that means that most rivers are shallow and that the rivers that have water in quantity, have it for only a relatively short period of time and event hen it spreads out on the floodplain. Canals have worked over relatively short distances in other countries with a much higher population density but in our conditions they would suffer evaporation badly. Exactly Reservoirs work best where there are steep ravines through which a river passes and this has largely already been done where it can be. In order for pipelines to be effective you would need permanent access to large quantities of water to make building them effective and where woudl that be? Not to mention that every time you build a dam you cover many kilometres of land, often very productive land as it is in in river valleys. Dorathea Mackellar was right. "Droughts and flooding rains" That has always been our pattern and that is also why Aus has the topographical profile it does now. We live in a truly ancient continent and I strongly suspect that peak oil and the lack of progress on solar energy means we will not be faced with any solutions in the short term (by which I mean anything up to 50 years from now). A more realistic view. David |
Aquaducts - irrigating Australia
"Jonno" wrote in message ... Pete wrote: David Hare-Scott wrote: "Blackadder XXIV" wrote in message u... Has there been a serious study done to see the feasibility of channeling water from our far north to some of the drier parts of our continent? I'm thinking of a massive pipe and aquaduct system. Yes several over the last 150 years. The Dept of Water Resources I think they changed it after getting too much mail addressed Dept. of Watery Sauces. Pete How would you know, what are your sauces? BBQ and tomato |
Aquaducts - irrigating Australia
George W. Frost wrote:
"Jonno" wrote in message ... Pete wrote: David Hare-Scott wrote: "Blackadder XXIV" wrote in message u... Has there been a serious study done to see the feasibility of channeling water from our far north to some of the drier parts of our continent? I'm thinking of a massive pipe and aquaduct system. Yes several over the last 150 years. The Dept of Water Resources I think they changed it after getting too much mail addressed Dept. of Watery Sauces. Pete How would you know, what are your sauces? BBQ and tomato Ah yes, those sauces are tainted. They is polluted with american, jerrican and mexican (they cant, only think they can) ingredients. Oil, petrol and hot peppers, which doesnt do much for anything. It creates pushy oily pollies and unstable governments which are a pain in the rear. Sugggest oil pipelines, which can then be converted to water pipelines. Much smarter.(Dont tell the Queenslanders) |
Aquaducts - irrigating Australia
"George W. Frost" wrote in message ... Kwinana Desalination Plant, located just south of Perth, Western Australia, turns water from the Indian Ocean into nearly 40 million gallons of drinking water per day. The reverse-osmosis plant is the first of its kind in Australia and covers a few acres in an industrial park next to the ocean. The Emu Downs Wind Farm, with 48 wind turbines north of Perth, provides enough renewable energy to power the plant. Even the South Australians are thinking about it : The Point Paterson Desalination Plant is a planned municipal-scale solar-powered desalination plant with land-based brine disposal just outside Port Augusta, South Australia. The plant will integrate renewable energy and desalination technologies to create environmentally-friendly electricity and water. In particular, the project will significantly reduce the usual greenhouse impacts associated with grid electricity demand for desalination The Israel'is seem to have achieved it: http://www.businessweek.com/technolo...230_495029.htm http://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/... &TM=43851.36 Hmm... that's fantastic. Any links for that Kwinana Plant? This is the first time I heard about it. |
Aquaducts - irrigating Australia
"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message (snip) A more realistic view. David I don't know if you are old enough to remember the old 'Nation Review'. If you aren't old enough, it was a newspaper full of well written meaty articles but with a tendency to the leftist side of the political spectrum. I don't care about that: I just want information and thoughtful comments so I can make up my own mind. Given the dearth of decent commentary of any sort over the past decade or so, I have long wished for such a publication and I think I have finally found something very similar. I wrote my comment on water and topography yesterday and today picked up a publication that I've only read only once before but I'm going to do so regularly in future. The publication is called "Dissent" and it has some interesting articles on the environment (and one article on the escalation of debt in Aus with a very disturbing chart showing debt to GDP from 1880 to now - I haven't read it yet but am itching to do so). Anyway, I suspect you might have a simialr interest in some of the things I do so just want to mention it in case you are interested. Cost $7.70 - seems to be a quarterly. |
Aquaducts - irrigating Australia
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message ... "David Hare-Scott" wrote in message "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message (snip) A more realistic view. David I don't know if you are old enough to remember the old 'Nation Review'. I am. I do. I wrote my comment on water and topography yesterday and today picked up a publication that I've only read only once before but I'm going to do so regularly in future. The publication is called "Dissent" and it has some interesting articles on the environment (and one article on the escalation of debt in Aus with a very disturbing chart showing debt to GDP from 1880 to now - I haven't read it yet but am itching to do so). Anyway, I suspect you might have a simialr interest in some of the things I do so just want to mention it in case you are interested. Cost $7.70 - seems to be a quarterly. I will keep my eyes open thanks David |
Aquaducts - irrigating Australia
"Blackadder XXIV" wrote in message u... "George W. Frost" wrote in message ... Kwinana Desalination Plant, located just south of Perth, Western Australia, turns water from the Indian Ocean into nearly 40 million gallons of drinking water per day. The reverse-osmosis plant is the first of its kind in Australia and covers a few acres in an industrial park next to the ocean. The Emu Downs Wind Farm, with 48 wind turbines north of Perth, provides enough renewable energy to power the plant. Even the South Australians are thinking about it : The Point Paterson Desalination Plant is a planned municipal-scale solar-powered desalination plant with land-based brine disposal just outside Port Augusta, South Australia. The plant will integrate renewable energy and desalination technologies to create environmentally-friendly electricity and water. In particular, the project will significantly reduce the usual greenhouse impacts associated with grid electricity demand for desalination The Israel'is seem to have achieved it: http://www.businessweek.com/technolo...230_495029.htm http://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/... &TM=43851.36 Hmm... that's fantastic. Any links for that Kwinana Plant? This is the first time I heard about it. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...9/s1748557.htm http://www.sese.uwa.edu.au/__data/pa.../Seah_2005.pdf http://au.geocities.com/perth_water/july04.html http://www.water-technology.net/projects/perth/ |
Aquaducts - irrigating Australia
LindaB wrote:
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: "David Hare-Scott" wrote in message "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message (snip) David I don't know if you are old enough to remember the old 'Nation Review'. Lean, mean and nosy like a Ferret. Don't know it at all! Linda (not the one wantng to do the lawn, the one with the Zucchinis. Any ideas for Cherry Tomatoes???) Er grow them, give them enough water, dont plant them under trees where there is shade, and kids, and allow them to ripen. Then eat them? Sounds good to me!!!! |
Aquaducts - irrigating Australia
LindaB wrote:
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote: "David Hare-Scott" wrote in message "FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message (snip) David I don't know if you are old enough to remember the old 'Nation Review'. Lean, mean and nosy like a Ferret. Don't know it at all! Linda (not the one wantng to do the lawn, the one with the Zucchinis. Any ideas for Cherry Tomatoes???) Oh Chardonnay goes well with them, as does a salad, onions and good company! |
Aquaducts - irrigating Australia
Blackadder XXIV wrote:
Has there been a serious study done to see the feasibility of channeling water from our far north to some of the drier parts of our continent? I'm thinking of a massive pipe and aquaduct system. lol. 1. They all get as far as realizing that the great surplus of water up north is a myth. 2. It costs money to build and maintain the pipeline and to pump the water. Far more that it would cost for any other scheme. It does seem sad that some parts of our land suffer from too much water - Yep, the bits we irrigate. I'm not thinking that such a mammoth scheme could be achieved in 10 or even 100 years- but what's the alternative? Desalination plants don't seem to be that effective. replace porcelan thrones. |
Aquaducts - irrigating Australia
Blackadder XXIV wrote:
But this cycle of drought and flood will remain with us for generations - and our population size is growing too. Desalination plants aren't the answer. And I don't think water rationing will work either. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Staring at a map of Australia, you can see that we've got a system of rivers- there should be someway we can tap into them - creating canals, reservoirs and aquaduct systems (underground) to pipe water from areas which flood to areas which are dry. lol, are you looking at the same map that tourists look at? What's the cost? One billion dollars? Ten billions dollars? Probably closer to 100 trillion dollars. for what point? So idiots in cities can flush it all away. |
Aquaducts - irrigating Australia
FarmI wrote:
Canals have worked over relatively short distances in other countries with a much higher population density but in our conditions they would suffer evaporation badly. Which is the exact problem that all our current irrigation systems suffer. |
Aquaducts - irrigating Australia
David Hare-Scott wrote:
True. In all the enthusiasm to make the desert bloom humans have produced quite a few disasters due to unintended consequences. And the Ord River Irrigation Scheme is another one unfolding. |
Aquaducts - irrigating Australia
"Terryc" wrote in message ... David Hare-Scott wrote: True. In all the enthusiasm to make the desert bloom humans have produced quite a few disasters due to unintended consequences. And the Ord River Irrigation Scheme is another one unfolding. Terry The Ord has been recognised as a disaster for the last 20 years or so. Geese love rice and any other thing that grows & ya can't shoot the Bs. Leave the tropics alone and bomb a few cities, drastic but effective. |
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