Unpopular View #3 Part 2 - The Magic Solution

[GoCo77]

Queensland was sold a desal plant by the global corporates as a "solution" to the drought. They quoted it first at about $400m. It ended costing $2.1bil. Then the climate changed back to a wet period. SE Queensland flooded as we all know and the dams have lots of water. The $2.1bil desal plant is now sitting idle, because the horrible water it produces is not required. The only good thing is that it's not burning up massive amounts of coal-fired electricity as it was intended to do!

[cluckmar2]

i can get this vid to ted baillieu he is my best friends uncle!!!

[englishhelp2009]

why why why WHY...?? A monument to Brumby's manhood..

LOOK HOW BIG MY PROJECT IS!! (and oh gosh look how much finance it cost us).

[maramuzza]

One thing in regards to pumping. You need to realise that the infrastructure we currently have requires a huge amount of pumping to supply Melbourne/Victoria with a constant supply of water. Any system used to provide us with water will require pumping of some sorts and as such energy. What he is saying is that this system will require a lot less pumping, or a lot less energy usage overall in comparison to the desalination plant and possibly many other methods of obtaining water.

[Sklitscher]

It's part of the design by the globalists to bankrupt the middle class.

[SugaHack]

So I don't get it. If it is as simple as you say then why haven't the Victoria Government done someth... Oh... Now I get it... It's a case of, You scratch my back & I'll scratch yours and the Vic Gov have done a deal with someone which led to the Desal plant. Did I get it?

[maramuzza]

@SugaHack. the only time the Australian government does anything is when they get a direct profit from it. They are a business not a government. From smoking to speeding, alcohol, greenhouse gasses, water and our roads. everything they do is done in a way to generate profits!

[englishhelp2009]

mmmmm..so you are saying we are really under control of a corporation??? :)

[Getrealevents]

Topher, we have the ability to create water ourselves without having to go to all that trouble. It is called etheric weather engineering. Check out the guys at the Panacea organisation based in Brisbane. We can produce rain ANYWHERE we please. All we have to do is support these people.

[Getrealevents]

Topher, we have the ability to create water ourselves without having to go to all that trouble. It is called etheric weather engineering. Check out the guys at the Panacea organisation based in Brisbane. We can produce rain ANYWHERE we please. All we have to do is support these people.

[ronnie4447]

Your argument is compelling - what is not clear is what happens to the water once it arrives in Melbourne. I presume you are arguing that this would be feed to our feeder reservoirs, such as Silvan, Maroondah for holding prior to injection into the reticulation system. The engineering cost for this activity, nor the power consumed should not be insurmountable. Your comments please.

[TophersUnpopularView]

Thanks for the comment Ronnie! I don't cover that issue mostly because there are options and that is something that the engineers will have to have a (very boring) argument about. If this pipe were build soon enough I'd be inclined to plug it directly into the Desalination Plants inlet pipe (which happens to be the right diameter) and bring the water in along the route set aside for the desal plant. Otherwise it will have to be shandied into reserviors for purifying before use.

[Albatross1963]

it all sounds good except the part about getting water to our river systems. This WOULD require pumps to get the water hundreds of meters UP the mountainside ( water flows down hill). To get water into our reservoir system would take power. The gravity fed system would only get it to low lying coastal areas.

This would require massive amounts of engineering to get pipes (and water)BACK to the reservoirs, as currently our pipes only flow from them..

[TophersUnpopularView]

Good observation Albatross1963. Allow me to fill in a few of the details for you.

The Tassie pipe would be used to supply water to Melbourne and other low lying coastal areas. The water being returned to our rivers does not need to be pumped there because it is simply the rain water which ALREADY supplies these rivers but USED to be diverted for use as town water. With the Tassie pipe we could let more of it flow and keep the rivers healthier.

Cheers!

[34ramjet]

@Albatross1963"um" let me think it could be called the north/south pipe line, o wait that only pumps one way doesnt it, maybe we build one beside it which pumps the other way.

[PSILIAMMO]

Congratulations for visually presenting the bleeding obvious and good luck convincing the ALP sheep who believe in democracy and who cannot see the hidden agendas of this government and their mates in big business. Holding our minister for water was signing off on the contracts for desal before the tender was finalized.....PPP's and secrecy laws = government corruption

[LukeandDaisy]

This is unbranded advertising for Victoria's One Nation party

[TophersUnpopularView]

@LukeandDaisy, Hmm, you said the same thing on Part 1 of this video, so I'm going to give the same reply...

Can you explain the link between what I'm advocating and the One Nation party? Do we even have One Nation in Victoria?

[imjohntins]

@LukeandDaisy You're unbranded advertising for Victoria's idiot Party.

[cleveland393]

Well said !

[R3L0ADonYou]

What the hell? i actually said to my dad that we should put a pipe between melbourne and tasmania... like 2 years ago...

[TheFrazzledazzle1]

no you didn't

[R3L0ADonYou]

@TheFrazzledazzle1 well.. i did..

[juanos74]

But it's too simple for fuckwit pollies.............FUCK there is so much water goin to the ocean but I can't use my sprinkler.........aarrrggggggh­hhhhhhhhhh

[Watchthis7777777]

@juanos74 Wow, what eloquence juanos74. Got the message though.

Maybe Topher could drop me a line.

[millgc]

Is it not against the Australian Constitution to not ask the people through a referendum before constructing major public works such as desalt plant? The government should be held accountable!! We all need to stand up for our rights as a group and tell them how to work for us, not for them selves and their pockets! After all, it is our money Ralff.

[philbyandjo]

I want to help you get this video seen by more people. I happen to be the executive producer of the Chris Smith Afternoon Show (2GB in Sydney and MTR1377 in Melbourne). Chris would like to interview you and get this idea out there asap. Call me on (02) 8570 0344. Phil Sylvester.

If anyone has Topher's number, pls call me.

[ArmenFirman]

What effect would stopping all of the water from flowing out to see in Tassie have on the currents and microsystems in the Pacific and Indian oceans?

[TophersUnpopularView]

That's an important question Armen, and the answer has to be that we don't know for sure, but nor do we know for sure what impact ANYTHING we do will have. We simply have to take the information we have and make the best decision.

The 350GL that I talk about taking from the Forth and Pieman rivers is a fraction of a percent of the total annual runoff from Tassie. In other words, natural rainfall variability, a bushfire (causing less runoff as the effected area re-grows) or any one of a...

[TophersUnpopularView]

... dozen other NATURAL events will have a greater impact on the runoff into these currents than this pipe will.

The effect will too small to measure, given the natural forces at work.

Also consider that if we do NOT build the pipe, then we will have to get our water from elsewhere... over stressing our already-dammed rivers and building destructive desal plants seems to be this governments best plan at the moment. Is that worse than this pipe? I think so. By far!

Thanks for the question!

[cluckmar2]

what are g litres equal to

[TophersUnpopularView]

Thanks for the question cluckmar!

A GL is one billion litres, or about 400 olympic swimming pools. Melbourne uses about 1.1 GL (440ish olympic swimming pools) every day.

[suspensiondude]

All i will say is,'bring on the election' ! vote this stupid Government out of office,and if we're lucky whoever wins will take up this great plan....as he says,'it's a win win'!

I will be MORE than happy to pass on this video to all my friends.

[lonskii]

great VDO. I will pass it on to my FB.

btw, how you said why are they buildling the desalination project... May be they want to give jobs/money to the local in philips island?

I know 1 guy who work in the desalination project. He is getting $75/hr, working approx 12hrs/ day 6 days per week for 2yrs.

hmm !! about $560000 in 2 yrs per person !! .. how many works are qualified to that project? 500? 1000 ?? it would cost more than building the pipe from tassy.

[dickiesoz]

great presentation happy to forward link to others if you can tell me how to do that minus the porn links????

[TophersUnpopularView]

Mate, I totally understand. I have complained to YouTube that my 'related videos' have nothing to do with my content. All they say is its based on the 'title, tags and descriptions' and there's nothing they can do to change it. I've changed my tags and my 'related videos' haven't changed. Not happy.

Anyway, you can go to 'Tophers Unpopular View's Channel', select #3 Part 1 while looking at my channel and send that link on. All it will have is my stuff, nothing else.

Cheers,

'Topher.

[Morgan12195]

Remember you are talking about Australian Government. They always go with the most expensive, inefficient and useless way possible. BTW, great vid. Topher for PM

[mrhyphen]

What a great idea, I have posted this on FB, I think everyone should see this, Im from Tasmania and i think it is a great idea, I have always said that there is plenty of water in Tassie, and it is clean, unlike some rivers i could mention in AU. Good job Tophers....

[joeles69]

thats an excelent idea...

[ElderPurch]

I don't think we need to reduce our water restrictions, although that is a selling point to a lot of people. We shouldn't waste such a wonderful resource on grass and washing our cars, it should be - as you said - used to replenish the Murray and other river systems that we have ran dry and destroyed over the past few decades.

Well produced, good job overall. You should become a politician, I'd like to see someone didn't just say what people want to hear. You'd get my vote, seriously.

[lvtalbot]

tis a shame i'm in WA buddy! we're still fucked for water over here, any ideas?

[MultiOverit]

Actually the Helicopter ringer came up with the idea about 30 years ago for building the Ord river pipeline across the state and got laughed out of school. funny though that mining companies that are pulling billions out of the state were subsidised by our WA Gov for building a gas pipeline across the state that benefited them.

[MultiOverit]

C Y OÇonnor built the pipeline from Perth to Kalgoorlie 600klms over 100 years ago and was basically driven to his death because of it. We havn't come far it 100 years have we? As for the Minig companies or Government giving something back to the people of WA? Hardy ha ha. All those royalties are obviously going to a Desal plant when the obvious solution expressed here for Vic will be ignored. Probly a mate of a mate somewhere stands to make a lot of money on the Desal plant huh?

[MultiOverit]

Oh the helicopter Ringer was Ernie Bridge if you want to check it out.

[MultiOverit]

Good work Topher, ur a legend.

[DeadcatKaye]

This IS the solution and I'll be passing this onto every single person I know.

Good on ya for taking the time to create these video's!

[SpartanA2129]

You method and message is certainly getting through. I received an email link to part one of this message and have since passed it on to everyone I know who it effects and as such they have forwarded it on via their facebook pages etc. Good work mate!! It's about time WE kept the bastards honest because they can't seem to do it for themselves?!

[Chachi2dot0]

If only you could address the jobs created by the desal plant MP's might listen.

[TophersUnpopularView]

Ahh yes, "But we created jobs!!!" seems to be the final cry of any politician who has finally recognized that their reckless spending has no other merit than that it employed people for a little while.

Once MP's start using this line you know you have them on the ropes.

The simple fact is that building ANYTHING will create jobs. A dam, a pipeline from Tassie, a desal plant, a giant statue of John Brumby... all of these will create jobs, but not all of them are a good use of our money..

:oD

[jwsymons1]

Some friends of mine have been contacting MPs about this and a couple replied with the following info:

They said Melb Water did a study which said it would cost $10billion to build pipes from Tassie and take 6 years to build.

Obviously this contradicts your info, so where did you get your figures from and who's right?

[TophersUnpopularView]

Thanks for the question jwsymons.

Can these MP's name that study? I suspect not. No formal study has been done to my knowledge or to the knowledge of my (many) contacts inside Melbourne Water.

My information comes from an engineer who has spent the last 30 years designing / building and commissioning pipelines for mines. He has real-world experience on the subject.

[jwsymons1]

Curiously no, they cannot name the study. Now there's a surprise! I presume the engineer you quote hasn't done a formal study but is relying upon his experience and estimates. Fair enough. However, being the lazy so and so I am I don't suppose you already have documented costs of laying underwater pipes from other parts of the world?

Cheers

John

[TophersUnpopularView]

Unfortunately my engineering source has not done a formal study. Such study's cost upwards of $10million for a thorough geographical survey, quantity surveyor, environmental impact survey etc. That's small money from our governments point of view but out of reach for the likes of you and me.

I have returned most of my source data, but I will try and get my hands on it and post a typical sea-bed pipe cost in the not-too-distant future.

[jwsymons1]

I have just found reference to a study by Hunter Water Australia 2003 Financial Appraisal of Water Options, that says to construct the pipe would cost $7.5billion (2003 dollars). Seems excessive to me, and they also suggest pumping it uphill to the Thomson Reservoir and also assumes the water would be taken only after it has passed through the hydro power station.

[TophersUnpopularView]

Good work, its nice to see someone really looking into it!

The Hunter design (as you point out) is an entirely different animal. It involves a great deal of pumping, a different route and in the end is simply a different project altogether, and one which doesn't add up to me either.

15 years ago a water rankine and hill looked at taking water from the great lake and taking it to the Thomson, at great expense. Remember that often these 'reports' are commission more to make something ELSE...

[TophersUnpopularView]

... look good, not because they are actually wanting to know the truth about whatever they are looking into! These are the reports that allow ignorant MP's to throw around figures like $10bill.

Check out the Ormen Lange pipe. 1,200km, spanning the North Sea at depths of more than 800m, going from Norway to Britain... cost? 1.7 Billion pounds.

$10billion for a water pipe 360km long and 75 meters deep with no pumping stations? I don't think so.

[jwsymons1]

Indeed, never commission a study unless you know exactly what it's going to say (quick nod to Sir Humphrey Appleby). I couldn't find any Melb Water document but as you said, you have contacts there and they know of no such document. I suspect the figure has just been made up and repeated so many times that it has become the "truth". I will try to pin the MP down. I will also try to come up with some international numbers and if I find them I'll let you know (if you're interested).

John

[TophersUnpopularView]

Sounds good. Thanks again for your support!

:o)

[jwsymons1]

I haven't found much about water pipes but there is ample information on the Langeled Gas pipeline in the north sea. This pipeline is about 1200km long, 1metre in diameter, can withstand pressures of 3600 psi, all at an average average depth of 90m. We're talking serious heavy duty engineering!!! This pipe cost the equivalent of A$2.8 billion to build and took 3 years to construct.

$10billion for a water pipe half the length and 10 years to construct. Don't make me laugh

[TophersUnpopularView]

$10Bill for such a short pipe would make it the most expensive per km water pipe ever built, and given that the construction environment is (relatively) simple, there is no reason for me to believe that 'estimate'. I think someone has made the $10b figure up. If they can produce an ACTUAL report then I will take it into consideration. Until then I stand by everything I have said to date.

Thanks for watching!!!

[BaberJacks]

it is because4 the government want us to be dependent on them and they want to bill us even more to get us broke and dependent on them. and they want to tax us even more.

good vid and i agree. and they should also stop adding sodium fluoride to the water supply.

[57chev100bills]

isnt it funny how us common people in life know so much more than those idiots in government we choose to run our lives and our country. Stand up Australia before its too late.

[WatermoonDesign]

As I said before this is a great video and a great idea to minimise the impacts of a hotter drier climate in thei area of Australia and others. But as I can't post a link to another YouTube video but I would love to know what your response is to the water issues in the video "Home" please have a look and respond. Thanks

[WatermoonDesign]

Great video and really well presented and yes I think this is a good idea but washing cars and playing undersprinklers may not be the best use of this water.

[EVLWNS]

Praise be to this idea. I like it.

[wardog1967]

Has anyone ever considered that Brumby was never actually ELECTED? He stepped in, when Bracks retired. He'll get his come November. Trouble is, Ted Bailleu isn't much chop either!

[TophersUnpopularView]

Check out my Unpopular View #2, about the North - South pipeline. I mention the 'unelected' issue a fair bit in there... I suspect you'd like it.  :o)

[wardog1967]

@TophersUnpopularView - I'll do just that...thank you. Keep posting, love your work.

[blownflatheaddeuce]

Fuck Govts....Esp OURS. Nothing but big business pandering assholes who love fleecing the public and then leaving office only to be replaced by more of the same. No different with the TAC,speed cams,hospitals,Myki,hoon laws and all the rest of the STUPID over regulation we are subjected to. Our country has been fucked over and sold out by politically correct assholes who only give a shit about themsleves and their corporate mates worldwide.Open your eyes people, believe NOTHING from Spring St.

[dideyedoit2]

DidEyeDoit ? Solutions ¿™

[designerdirector]

finally some sanity!! I am going to pass your videos on to everyone I know! THANKS for your great work.

[gerard4811]

I LOVE YOU TOPHER

[Jimrose74]

This is excellent and I absolutely concur. This government should get the sack over Myki alone but the desal plant is financial and environmnental lunacy.

Topher is quite clever in saying one major party or the other may be forced to support it - but why not vote Green and establish a credible voice for what people want?

[rsole3]

Inept Governments won't want this, they love desalination plants which supply about 5% of water needs at a high price. They pump this into our existing water reservoirs and charge us the desalination price for Gods given water. A similar concept to the Emissions Trading Scheme (read tax) which is also about revenue not environment or needs.

[stucko1]

fill up lake ayre by gravity too and change the climate forever

[clarthepio]

Sounds like a great idea!! However I dont believe that having a surplus of water, gives us the right to go crazy and be reckless with our water. There should always be water restrictions to a certain degree. Water is not to be wasted!! Good video's chief!!!

[lisacostanzo]

this is awesome! ive watched the 4 videos. the whole pipeline thing is a particularly sore spot for us, as the government initiated "compusory acquisition" to run the pipe through our farm property, effectively halving the value of our land.

[rhart49]

I am from the Sunshine Coast in QLD and we've had the whole Darling Downs dam issue so I totally agree with everything you say. Hopefully you can have an impact with these videos.

[66blinks]

so whats the A2 class loco at Edwards park got to do with it , maybe some water for the boiler lol

[scapillius]

Mate i'm from Sydney and I live in London so my personal experience of the Vic water restrictions are minimal - but by the sounds of it HIS HAS TO HAPPEN!! Keep up the good work and im putting both links on FB

[TophersUnpopularView]

Thanks for the support scapillius!

[ba1428]

Lauren Benoit's Sexy Bikini's! Woo Hoo!

Glad I checked in!!

[TophersUnpopularView]

And yes, 'Duh' it's gov and big business, but just because such ineptitude is 'normal' is no reason to accept it. It BECAME normal because we did nothing and now we EXPECT our politicians to be dodgy.

It's time to say 'enough!' I'm starting with gov because they are the ones using OUR money, they're supposed to represent OUR interests, not their own.

The other areas you mention are important, but they will have to wait... unless you want to tackle them?

Thanks for the thoughts!

[TophersUnpopularView]

G'day Colin, thanks for the thoughts.

Can you define 'waste' for me?

To me it seems a 'waste' to have fresh water that COULD be used to support fresh-water-dependant life (plants, animals, humans) being expelled and mixed with sea water (which we have no shortage of).

The floating pipe issue is not a problem thanks to the weight of the pipe material itself, either steel or poly (which would then be weighed down with concrete collars, as is standard practice with such pipes).

[sandygdance]

So where can I see the report by the *Engineer*?

[TophersUnpopularView]

Wrong question Sandy. The real questions is 'Why has the Brumby Government NOT commissioned their OWN report on the project? Even if only to prove that it WONT work?

The Engineer I mention has not published a report. He has collected data and used his expertise as a pipe hydrologist to develop the proposal which was submitted to the Inquiry mentioned in the vid.

So, are you going to write to Brumby and ask where HIS engineers report is? Didn't think so. Why do you trust him, and not me?

[sandygdance]

Hey, I think this is a great idea, also one that Kenneth Davidson has been advocating for some time. But I do want to see the engineers report, for instance, the relationship of pipe diameter to delivery rate to Cardinia Ck, etc.

As for "floating pipe", the buoyancy will be about 100gm/meter of (2m diam) pipe, not a problem.

[ba1428]

12000 views for part one.

7625 views for part two.

Hmmm..

[ba1428]

@ba1428

Guess Topher really is unpopular

[TophersUnpopularView]

Lol!

Oh dear, only 8,000 Victorians have watched this video all the way through, passed it on to their friends and families and been empowered to do something about it.

What a disaster. *sarcasm*

The word is getting out. Some people chose not to watch all the way through, but most of those extra views are from people who watch all the way through and then come BACK to the first one to get the URL to send it on.

More and more people are watching this every day, thanks to them.

[ba1428]

@TophersUnpopularView

Simmer down Toopher,it was an observation. How do you know that the 8000 Vics that have watched it #1 agree.And #2 have passed it on?

And...I still havent given my position on it.

[TophersUnpopularView]

Sorry ba1428, perhaps my sarcasm didn't translate well. I wasn't having a go, merely pointing out a different way to view the same data.

Last week I was getting 500ish views/day (for all my vids) now I'm closer to 2,000/day. Thats why I believe people are passing it on.

You are right that people have watched part 1 and not bothered to continue. Thats fine by me. My point is that there are thousands of people who have watched it all the way through, and passed it on.

All the best.

[ba1428]

@TophersUnpopularView

I wasn't having a go either,I was just having a play on words with your name being unpopular as I felt people were either too lazy to continue,or just don't want to hear bad new( or maybe it was taking away time spent on Lady GaGa videos).I was hoping the comment would let people ask themselves why it happened.

I'm sure you're busy,thanks for taking the time.

I'll keep an eye on the #s

Good luck.Bob

[TophersUnpopularView]

'Or maybe it was taking away time spent on Lady GaGa videos...' Lol, touche!

[conradleviston]

@ColinRedify Thanks. I'll follow that up.

[conradleviston]

@ColinRedify I'm a big fan of water tanks, but they aren't cost effective. They're like solar panels, you put them in in spite of what your accountant tells you.

[promoscape]

Brilliant.. well done. I have been thinking this for years myself but never did anything about it like you have.

[bjbates]

Fantastic presentation !! Will you please take over from "Useless Ted " and give us a chance of getting this happening !

[ThisUniqueUsername]

Seems we elect politicians who best represent the population - stupid, lazy and corruptible. Neither major party has it right but Bracks and Brumbys mismanagement is matched only by the Cains and Kirners attempts to ruin Victoria hmmm, I think I see the pattern .

This cynical use of the situation to get re-elected shows exactly how low Brumby is. It wouldnt be so bad except that hes backing all the BAD ideas, not the good ones.

So much for Bob Hawkes clever country.

[gigerchild]

Makes the desal plant look like a waste. The flow in the pipe could be restricted, so the water is not wasted

[TophersUnpopularView]

'Makes the desal plant look like a waste'...

Yes. Yes it does.

For technical reasons which I didn't go into in the video, the flow can be adjusted anywhere from 170GL per year up to (believe it or not!) 450GL per year, river health allowing.

Makes the desal plant look REAL silly.

[pete1951c1951]

As well as getting more water we should make it better to save water financially. My last water bill was $157.70 but only $57.31 was for actual water use. The rest was fixed charges. Even if I didn't use any water I would still be charged $100.19 every quarter. Where's the incentive to save water or get a rainwater tank?

[ShmeareD]

This info has stunned me with its simplicity.

Another thing it has 5883 views and 31 ratings, see what i mean about lazy bloody Australians!

If you watch it, and agree with it, RATE IT!

Then pass it on to everyone you know.

Peter Garret should stick to epileptic dance fits and leave the environmental decisions up to people who have a brain!

[ShmeareD]

I'm stunned at the greed and stupidity of the morons that run our country.

Why does this always happen to us in Australia?

I got the answer, we are a lazy bunch of whinging sooks, that wouldn't know what the meaning of sticking together is about.

We scream about the things that bother us and then a day of two later the A,D,D kicks in and we go off and find some other thing to sook about.

I for one will be forwarding this on to as many people as i can.

Top job, well done!

[Senninha1960]

Top idea BUT - the government would never do this as they want us to be tight with water so that they can justify raising the price we pay for it.

South East Gippsland floods nearly every year but putting a catchment there would also solve the problem but then again... there goes their opportunity to rob us of our hard earned yet again.

[TophersUnpopularView]

Hi Senninha,

Check out the 'Unpopular View #1' for details on what could be done in Gippsland. And yes, there seems to be a strange lack of political will when it comes to cose-effective solutions to provide us with water...

Make of that what you will.

[lyrinx89]

Yes a full environmental Survey would be done to "get information", but remember the environmental review for the Pulp Mill in Tasmania, and you have made some big statements without backing them up. Keep lobbying though, you've got better ideas than the thick headed corporate slaves that apparently got elected to screw up this state.

[lyrinx89]

Why build a pipeline to tasmania when you can just change the water restrictions to stage 1, near and around Eildon Resovoir (because apparently North Eastern Victoria has plenty of water. Then they can build a pipeline there. (This project has almost finished.-Eildon Pipeline)

Also, good idea, but your intentions are far from good. You would rather use most of the water on peoples lawns and give the remainder to farmers. Just shows that to Melbournians, Victoria ends at the Tram tracks.

[TophersUnpopularView]

G'day lyrinx89.

The water from the Tassie pipe cannot get to farms due to infrastructure limitations, hence why I say we should use it on lawns, gardens, industry etc.  Otherwise it will flow out to sea...

However, if Melbourne gets it's water from Tassie, then the thomson and upper yarra reserviors can be diverted to Eildon, helping our farmers.

I don't know who told you N.E. VIC has lots of water, but watch my 'unpopular view #2' for full details on why the Eildon pipe is a bad idea.

[djk31396]

Mate, congratulations - outstanding work. I just hope they don't "disappear" you to Siberia in the months leading up to the election.

[VerticalXX]

One more question: How much of this is on a green screen?

[TophersUnpopularView]

Haha, believe it or not, none! Sometimes it looks that way because I find vantage points that allow me to look downwards into the background, and that can create a stark contrast between me and the back, looking like a green screen, but I promise you, every single shot I was on location. :o)

[VerticalXX]

Does a gravity fed system work when the highpoint is only a few hundred meters above sea level and WAY over the horizon? I don't know. We're not talking starting in the Himalayas or anything. Doesn't the curvature of the Earth come into play a bit here?

[TophersUnpopularView]

Great question VerticalXX.

To our eye, over the horizon means 'down', but as far as gravity is concerned, 'down' simply means 'closer to the centre of the earth'. Gravity will try and pull the water closer to the centre of the earth, even if it has to traverse hundreds of kilometers on the way.

So the short answer is, no, the curve of the earth has no effect, and yes the water really will flow from Tassie to VIC without pumping!

Cheers.

[Noweenah]

Good job mate right behind yeah

[BigClompers]

They say it's going to be a dry winter so let's hope for some falls in November. *does Michael Moore impression*

[3aw77]

State Governments don't work together never have never will ,

Topher this is one of the best for 2010

[Theblackcocky]

Topher, youve lost the plot. There is no such thing as magic - or fairies. Extracting water from a water-rich environment is no solution for a water stressed one: look at California. Tassie does not have excess water as far as its ecology is concerned. It has evolved in response to it. The solution is to realise that only 10% of water that humans use must be of potable quality. More than enough water to provide the 90% flows into the sea from Melbourne's city-scape. Think smart not magic.

[TophersUnpopularView]

Thanks for the feedback Blackcocky. I disagree with your premise "Tassie does not have excess water as far as its ecology is concerned." When you can stand at the mouth of a river and watch thousands of billions of litres of fresh water running into the ocean, clearly that water is not being 'used' by the local ecology. The river system is already regulated. A 7% drop in flow will have minimal impact. Compare that impact to the impact of the desal plant and you might see my point.

[Theblackcocky]

Topher, as far as ecosystems are concerned, "used" does not equate to "used up": that is a sad human trait. Your comments are reminiscent of the Qld Govt, which stated last year that floodwater which flowed into wetlands in the Murray-Darling Basin, and was therefore not used for agriculture, was wasted. I totally agree that desal plants are also engineering non-"solutions". Their construction and operational costs, inefficiency and environmental impacts should be an anathema to us all.

[orangetubgame]

Yep, I can only agree with Theblackcocky until I know what the impact of losing that fresh water into the ocean ecosystem is. There could be a whole array of things/organisms etc that rely on that amount of water being flushed down the river. Hmm...

[TophersUnpopularView]

A 7% fluctuation is well within the realms of natural variability. ie, an organisms which depend on the outfall are quite capable of dealing with a drop of 7%, because it happens naturally all the time. Regulating the river with dams (3 of them in fact) DOES have an impact on the ecology, but that impact has already happened. A full Environmental Impact Survey would have to be done before the pipe is built to ensure that there are not fresh-water dependant organisms of value put at risk.

[baulch1985]

prettty goood. mm you making any progress with the government...anyone listening?

[timilievski]

hey chris its Tim but not tim giving yoo directions in the video but tim from work everyone has to see your videos mate i couldnt agree with you more our gouvermant sucks!!

[whitpete1]

So simple  brilliant piece if work send it to Brumby

[sneakybender82]

Nice work mate

[Antim0rbit]

This idea is sound and should go ahead ( I suggest simple flyers in all the coffee shops or a stunt to make the front page) but it needn't provide the *major* water source- only to supplement it. Water still needs to be valued as the ultimate power that it is- to keep us alive- not our cars clean An understanding of its overall effect is absolutely critical to a *real* environmental solution, and long term human solution.

[Antim0rbit]

I only have one concern, that the fresh water normally entering the ocean from Tasmania is (or was before the dam) part of some natural ecological system.... well I am no expert but when any such natural systems are changed so suddenly- having been stopped or reduced, then its fairly obvious that *something* is effected. Natural systems tend to have their reasons to be and do what they do. I understand that desalination effects the water flows of the ocean... Do you know anything about this?

[TophersUnpopularView]

Fear not Antim0rbit. Reducing the outflow of an already-regulated river system by just 7% is within the boundaries of natural variability, meaning that the ecological systems in play should not be greatly affected... If you consider the alternative (desal) which the Government is building right now, any environmental impact would be minimal in comparison.

[TophersUnpopularView]

When you then add the POSITIVE environmental impact of allowing the Thomson river to run more (refreshing the Gippsland Lakes area) AND increasing the water / habitat / garden areas of urbanised Melbourne then I think it makes sense. Thanks for the question!

[2dragonsvineyard461]

Mo other questions are what is the water quality like? what other extractions occur from these rivers? are they over allocated? Tassie currently planning to become the food bowl for mainland using this same water to develop irrigation schemes? engineering solutions don't work if and as the fundamental issues still remain. we must work and live within our environmental means

Two Dragons Finniss SA

[TophersUnpopularView]

Thanks again for your questions. Water quality? No issue. Melbs water already goes through a treatment process, and this water is no different. Tassie becoming the food bowl? Sadly no, for two reasons. 1. Lack of land area. The whole of tassie is just 1% of Australias land area. Their farm land is just a fraction of that amount, and 2. Tassie do not have the money for the infrastructure needed to pipe water to the farms which they DO have. (Ref. this video for more details) ...

[TophersUnpopularView]

... We must live within our means? I wholeheartedly agree. The Forth and Pieman rivers are readily available and must be considered to be part of our 'means' which we are currently letting go to waste. Using available fresh water is much MUCH better from every point of view than desalinating sea water. Oh, I missed the Extractions / Overallocation question. Some water is drawn out for town use and irrigation, but the vast VAST majority goes to sea. Hope that helps answer your questions!

[2dragonsvineyard461]

Topher you had me interested until you started to spend the water you 'saved' with the Tassie pipeline. Further allocation to agriculture and rivers are not needed if water use is efficient and extraction matches the capability of the catchment. Clearly the scheme is another engineering solution. It does offer a solution to the fundamental issues of over allocation of catchments. Get behind the new MDB Authority and do the whole interconnected job properly. Two Dragons Finniss SA

[TophersUnpopularView]

Thanks for your feedback. I will endevour to alay your concerns as best I can. Unfortunately even if every drop of water in Eildon was transported with 100% efficiency to our food-growers, they would still not be getting their full allocations which they are paying for. For more details on that issue specifically, watch my 'Unpopular View #2 - Brumby's North South Pipeline'. The 'Over allocation of catchments' is exactly what is addressed by this scheme. Spreading the load of our water...

[TophersUnpopularView]

... (see below) needs over a larger area means a lower impact on the environment. I will be keeping an eye on the MDB Auth. Whilst they may (or may not... time will tell) be effective in improving the situation for our irrigators, they will not be able to do anything for water consumers / industry in Melbourne. That is where this pipeline shines.

[JennyTallia]

Our Politicians dont seem to know how to fix our water ?

Our politicians dont know how to fix our Public Transport, but it didnt stop them giving us a Smart ticketing system called Myki for 1.3Billion Smuck Bucks.

[annuello]

Nice... Keep up the great work!