No More Dams?

Smurf1976 said:

If you're going to use heavily contaminated storm water to produce drinking quality water then why not just use sea water instead?

Storm water contains everything from illegally dumped chemicals, sewage, cigarette butts, soil, oil, petrol and so on.

In terms of safety etc, let's just say it's safe to swim in the ocean (salt water) but there's a good reason why councils errect signs telling you to keep well away from storm water outfalls as the water isn't safe for human contact without extensive treatment.

Why not just use salt water instead of trying to clean up storm water?

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Thanks for the reminder of how filthy, careless and irresponsible people are! This being the case it would not be a good idea. Another problem without a solution.

Smurf, would the storm water be too contaminated to be used with minimal processing for e.g. separate system for garden watering, house/car washing, filling pools etc?

I suppose the expense of setting up a whole separate system to households would be unrealistically high.

Do you have any idea of the comparative costs of recycled water versus desalinated?

Wysiwyg said:

Thanks for the reminder of how filthy, careless and irresponsible people are! This being the case it would not be a good idea. Another problem without a solution.

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Exactly. I'm surprised that you even commented on my ridiculous send-up of such an impractical suggestion.

Calliope said:

Exactly. I'm surprised that you even commented on my ridiculous send-up of such an impractical suggestion.

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Really, it's not that rediculous.

If the storm water runoff and all its contaminates go straight into the rivers or ocean, some of it invariably evaporates into the atmosphere and falls in rain in the dam catchments later anyway. Some finds it's way into the food chain via fish and other marine products that we eat.

Re costs, desalination is generally more expensive than recycling for the simple reason that you have to remove pretty much the same contaminates in varying degrees, plus salt.

Most of us have heard about the acid rain deforestation problems in Europe.

The bigger issue should consider the benifits of recycling 'urban' runoff to minimise polution problems as opposed to just relocating or dispursing it.