North -> South Water Pipeline

[yetsla]

Watching all of the floods up in South East Queensland, and recently being to the NT, it struck me what a wet country we live in.

For 6 months of the year the top of Australia is covered in water than all runs out to the ocean.

It would be a massive and costly project and I have no idea the logistical possibility of it, but has the idea of a pipeline from the North of the country down to our water storage areas?

Would be great to see the billions of dollars spent employing people and achieving something on a similar scale to the Snowy Mountain scheme that would also set up the next 100 years of water for the South East of the country.

Thoughts?

[Papa G]

Has been bandied about many times but no-one has ever done anything about it. Seems like an absolute no brainer to me, but again no-one seems to have the political will to do it. For God sakes, they got a pipeline from Perth to Kalgoolie in the 19th century but for some reason they can't do this? I defies logic.

[HigginsHawk]

The late Richard Pratt presented a solid proposal a few years ago, fully costed etc. I'm pretty sure he proposed that it be a joint state/fed/private deal. Interestingly he proposed that alot of the private money could come from superfunds investing into infrastructure, not much unlike what Wayne Swan was suggesting.

Qld would spread down into Eastern Qld/Sth NT and Northern SA. Northern NSW would head down to Syd/ACT/Western NSW and the Murray.

Not sure how Vic fitted in, probably a similar pipeline to the gas situation with Tas. If you could harness the West coast of Tas as well Qld's excess we could become the worlds foodbowl.

[MAG87]

In WA a few years back it was an election issue where Barnett at the time suggested a canal from the Kimberley to Perth. Dont remember the fallout but I think the proposal was more expensive than originally budgeted. A pipeline from the Ord to Perth has been on the table for years just no one has had the cajones to actually build it. The potential benefits out of it are substantial especially areas surrounding the pipeline which are arid.

[FrankGrimes]

Originally Posted by yetsla

Watching all of the floods up in South East Queensland, and recently being to the NT, it struck me what a wet country we live in.

For 6 months of the year the top of Australia is covered in water than all runs out to the ocean.

It would be a massive and costly project and I have no idea the logistical possibility of it, but has the idea of a pipeline from the North of the country down to our water storage areas?

Would be great to see the billions of dollars spent employing people and achieving something on a similar scale to the Snowy Mountain scheme that would also set up the next 100 years of water for the South East of the country.

Thoughts?

you cant do it cause NT is actually higher then vic... water needs gravity to flow and the cost and the size of the pumps would be massive...

[likka]

Originally Posted by HigginsHawk

The late Richard Pratt presented a solid proposal a few years ago, fully costed etc. I'm pretty sure he proposed that it be a joint state/fed/private deal. Interestingly he proposed that alot of the private money could come from superfunds investing into infrastructure, not much unlike what Wayne Swan was suggesting.

Pratt was willing to donation about $100m to conduct a feasibility study, and to scope and cost the project, but there was a proviso that any project that went ahead would use special Visy plastic pipes.

Seemed very generous at a glance, but he was "donating" money in order to make a shit load of money.

Libya implemented a similar water pipeline many years ago, at a cost of over $US25 billion. Our pipeline(s) would need to be longer and capable of moving much more water, so doubt very much it will happen any time soon. Water recycling and desalination plants will be built long before massive water pipeline infrastructure.

[Cletus Delroy]

Who cares if the late Richard Pratt's intentions in regards to pipelines weren't exactly alturistic, surely a pipeline from the wet north to the parched south would be better in the long run than what the Brumby Government is doing with it's North/South Pipeline, which is little more than robbing Peter to Pay Paul so Paul can flush all that water down his toilet !.

[Herne Hill Hammer]

They should grid the whole country.

Stuff the cost. How much is it costing us year after year with droughts?

Building something for all generations to come. What a fantastic legacy for a PM with some vision to be remembered for and what a fantastic investment for the country.

Who has the balls to get it done?

[GPW1]

Originally Posted by Herne Hill Hammer

Who has the balls to get it done?

no one, thats the problem.

[THRILLHO]

Stuff a north/south pipeline. On Catalyst about three weeks ago, they had a report on recycled water. The plant in Queensland is ready to go, able to pump 100 million litres of recycled water a day into rivers and water catchments, but public opinion hasnt allowed for it to go ahead.

If we could get 100 million litres a day into the Murray, there would be no drought.

[Herne Hill Hammer]

Originally Posted by THRILLHO

Stuff a north/south pipeline. On Catalyst about three weeks ago, they had a report on recycled water. The plant in Queensland is ready to go, able to pump 100 million litres of recycled water a day into rivers and water catchments, but public opinion hasnt allowed for it to go ahead.

If we could get 100 million litres a day into the Murray, there would be no drought.

Totally agree with you, the use of recycled water should be forced on us. They had a vote in Toowoomba a few years ago while they were on stage 6 water restrictions and it still got knocked back. Guess at the time they'd have rather been drinking dust.
Sorry for singling them out but it's the only place off the top of my head that I can remember having a vote on it.
People get spooked by the panic merchants. Millions of other people around the world are proof enough to me that it doesn't kill you.

[Skeeta Olly]

We (Australia) are a Federation of states. None of the states want to give up their own water.

We have enough water, but it's all in one spot. Pipeline from north to south would help eliminate the drought from NSW to Vic. A water Gird over Aus would cost epic amounts of money, but imagine bringing water to the middle of Australia and the long term economic benefits.

Unfortunately it probably wont happen until it's too late.

[Herne Hill Hammer]

Originally Posted by Skeeta Olly

We (Australia) are a Federation of states. None of the states want to give up their own water.

We have enough water, but it's all in one spot. Pipeline from north to south would help eliminate the drought from NSW to Vic. A water Gird over Aus would cost epic amounts of money, but imagine bringing water to the middle of Australia and the long term economic benefits.

Unfortunately it probably wont happen until it's too late.

It would be, but can the country as a whole really afford not to do it?

It's getting later all the time, who cares if it takes decades to fully complete, just get it done.