The topic of Australia’s use of drinking water to flush loos came up in another forum. Apparently we are rather unique in this practice…

Ahhhh! Salt water in loos: It’s done all around the world nearly everywhere that’s anywhere near the sea.
In Hong Kong it is highly illegal to connect a loo up to the fresh water reticulation system. It must be connected to the flushing (salt) water reticulation system instead.
When Australia’s drought was discussed in HK, the locals couldn’t believe that the governments all over Australia would permit dunnies to be flushed with drinking water.
In China, even many inland cities pump salt water in pipelines up from the sea for flushing water. It would be unthinkable to connect toilets to drinking water supplies.
How it works is that pumping stations near the sea pump water up into special reservoirs separate from the drinking water reservoirs and from these it is reticulated to every building. All those tall buildings each have two tanks on top: one for the flushing (salt) water supply, and one for the fresh water supply. There are two separated reticulation systems all over the territory. Sea water is even pumped all the way to Tai Mo Shan (the highest mountain – miles inland) to flush the toilets up in the National Park.
The toilet sewerage system and the grey water waste system are also usually separate. The salty toilet sewerage is treated in treatment plants. The grey water is treated in separate plants providing water for gardening, keeping dust down during construction work, etc.
It is all very logical, when you stop to think about it.

Countless people who have been expatriates overseas have raised this matter with their local councils upon returning to Oz, but the councils just turn a deaf ear to it and put everyone on water restrictions instead.
Since more than 95% of Australia’s population live within 50 miles of the sea, I think it is an appalling waste that drinking water is used to flush toilets here.

Now I’d better get off my soapbox . . .

yep…don’t allow us to grow food by irrigating but, let’s flush pee and turds with drinking water.
that’s why i refuse to obey the current water restrictions.
furthermore:
- during the burnley tunnel collapse…1 million liters of drinking water was used per day to prop it up and stop it collapsing completely
- drinking water is used rinse bleached pulp for the all important white paper
- drinking water is used to cool our coal power station
- everyone is free to use and waste as much water as they want inside the house
therefore the government is not about being serious about the matter (by offering decent rebates for water tanks etc.) and instead they just want to be seen to be doing something…..and we’ll end up with more expensive water thanks to the desalination project.
(political) power -> greed -> more power -> more greed.

morning BG
currently there are underground pressurised mains water pipes that supply all our premises. to supply salt water to all toilets, a completely separate underground pressurised pipe system would have to be installed throughout all cities and towns. the waste salt water would have to be treated separately and new sewerage treatment for salt water would be needed.
its a good idea but governments can’t even renovate our existing mains service pipes and burst water mains waste gigalitres every year.

morning aquarium
i’m dissatisfied with the new water regs. obviously there is massive water use by industry and this has not been hit while the home gardener is severely limited.
storage of winter rain in aquafers is a proven possibility. instead we are spending billions on the liquid energy of a desalination plant. governments are suckered into grandstanding on big projects.

pepe said:

morning BG
currently there are underground pressurised mains water pipes that supply all our premises. to supply salt water to all toilets, a completely separate underground pressurised pipe system would have to be installed throughout all cities and towns. the waste salt water would have to be treated separately and new sewerage treatment for salt water would be needed.
its a good idea but governments can’t even renovate our existing mains service pipes and burst water mains waste gigalitres every year.

I made a similar comment in the other forum, that the cost of retrofitting such a system would be huge. But still the money currently being spent on alternate bandaid systems with limited returns may yet prove to be money thrown down the drain, so to speak.

So what about new developments. Could such a system be implemented from the ground up? Whole new suburbs spring up on Melbourne’s fringes overnight, so it seems. Could such a system be included in the planning of these suburbs.

bluegreen said:

pepe said:

morning BG
currently there are underground pressurised mains water pipes that supply all our premises. to supply salt water to all toilets, a completely separate underground pressurised pipe system would have to be installed throughout all cities and towns. the waste salt water would have to be treated separately and new sewerage treatment for salt water would be needed.
its a good idea but governments can’t even renovate our existing mains service pipes and burst water mains waste gigalitres every year.

I made a similar comment in the other forum, that the cost of retrofitting such a system would be huge. But still the money currently being spent on alternate bandaid systems with limited returns may yet prove to be money thrown down the drain, so to speak.

So what about new developments. Could such a system be implemented from the ground up? Whole new suburbs spring up on Melbourne’s fringes overnight, so it seems. Could such a system be included in the planning of these suburbs.

If whole new suburbs can spring up overnight, then yes.. and if those band aid solutions like solar power can cost many thousands and never recoup their inital cost , but of course nessesary because it helps the environment , then yes again.
We get what we pay for , so we have to demand it thats what.

Who would I vote for ?

So what about new developments. Could such a system be implemented from the ground up? Whole new suburbs spring up on Melbourne’s fringes overnight, so it seems. Could such a system be included in the planning of these suburbs.
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i read a report last week that stated only 2-3% of building stock is new build.
so, if a politician would inaugurate a 50 -100 year plan, we would solve the problem. slow building, like slow food, does have advantages. all the underground services (in every city in the world) need upgrading anyhow.

pepe said:

So what about new developments. Could such a system be implemented from the ground up? Whole new suburbs spring up on Melbourne’s fringes overnight, so it seems. Could such a system be included in the planning of these suburbs.
—————-
i read a report last week that stated only 2-3% of building stock is new build.
so, if a politician would inaugurate a 50 -100 year plan, we would solve the problem. slow building, like slow food, does have advantages. all the underground services (in every city in the world) need upgrading anyhow.

it would not be a “quick fix” like some of the other things they are suggesting, but it would be a long term savings. Unfortunately for a politician to start something that he can’t finish within his term, then he is being very brave indeed! but then my sister has only just had the sewerage connected to her house instead of the pump out tank they have been using up to now, and no one has said that a sewerage system is too expensive or too long term to do. It is just considered one of those things that will happen as a matter of course. If the same attitude is used in a project like this, then it will take a while but it will happen. And think of all the jobs generated and the boost to the economy as a result!

you don’t need water to flush toilets…there’s waterless toilets. what we lack is political will.

…but wouldn’t all that salt water where it’s not meant to be, affect our rivers and soil and such???

Go the drop toilets!!!

Dinetta said:

…but wouldn’t all that salt water where it’s not meant to be, affect our rivers and soil and such???

Go the drop toilets!!!

you would need a proper treatment station, same as the rest of the grey water.

but dry toilets would be even better :)

you would need a proper treatment station, same as the rest of the grey water.
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Well, yes…if they can sort out all the caustic and other cleaners (bleach?) that others pour down the sewerage system, plus shampoo conditioner toothpaste laundry detergent…I guess getting rid of salt would not be a problem…

As some of you know, we have rain water for drinking and untreated dam water (from Lake Maraboon) for the rest of our stuff (showers, toilet, washing up, laundry and garden)…all our whites are brown ATM as the dam settles from the January floods but the water is soft…only need half the detergent…the toilet bowl is muddy too, down near the S-bend, but this doesn’t bother me…why use salt water, when untreated freshwater will do the trick?

Well, yes…if they can sort out all the caustic and other cleaners (bleach?) that others pour down the sewerage system, plus shampoo conditioner toothpaste laundry detergent…I guess getting rid of salt would not be a problem…
———————-
interesting – because the human waste cannot be recycled with the salt in it – and sewerage sludge is a good fertiliser – already in use.
so maybe you’re right dinetta – stormwater (unfiltered) might be better than sea water.

Hey everyone

Rook said:

Hey everyone

sorry, wrong thread