Unpopular View #2 - Brumbys Pipeline

Topher gives both barrels to John Brumby and Tim Holding's very CLEVER North - South pipeline.

"We have an un-elected premier building a pipeline we voted against which takes water from people who dont have any and pipes it to a city that has other ways of getting more water cheaper."

Keep an eye out for more installments of Topher's 'Unpopular View' in the coming months!

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Topher
• Unpopular
• View
• Melbourne
• Victoria
• Water
• Crisis
• Shortage
• John
• Brumby
• Tim
• Holding
• Reservior
• Lake
• Eildon
• North
• South
• Pipeline
• Irrigation
• Allocation
• Restriction
• Tank
• Shepparton
• Dam
• Mitchell
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• Aberfeldy
• Diverter
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• 'how
• to
• save
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• water
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• conservation

[conradleviston]

Dude, you totally missed the point on the water tanks. It doesn't take as long as you might think to empty a tank, so you have full tanks over winter, and empty ones over summer. I'm not saying water tanks are bad, it's just they don't work ideally which is the point Tim Holding was trying to make.

[TophersUnpopularView]

... so therefore the house would still need to be connected to mains water, because we regularly have dry spells much longer than 2.5 weeks.

But imagine if a significant percentage of Melbourne's houses (and industry for that matter) stopped using grid water for say, a total of 15 weeks during the year. (assuming a cumulative total of 6 tank-filling rains per year) the grid load of those houses would be reduced by more than 25%.

Household tanks work, but only as a supplimentary measure...TBC

[TophersUnpopularView]

... but isn't EVERYTHING we do to provide more water a supplimentary measure? New dams or Desal plants are not designed to render everything else obsolete, simply to provide more resources in ADDITION.

THIS is the point with water tanks, and THIS is why it is Tim Holding who missed the point with his comment.

That said, the $ per litre from household water tanks is high, and so I maintain that engineering solutions such as dams or the Trans Tasman Pipe (see Unpopular View #3) are better.

[conradleviston]

@TophersUnpopularView I agree with most of what you are saying here, but find it hard to reconcile with what you said in the video.

[TophersUnpopularView]

Great!

Lets go back to the video: I quote Tim Holding's comment that water tanks are of limited use because they tend to fill in winter when we don't need the water (paraphrased). My response? 'I thought that was the point' [of water tanks].

Water tanks do exactly the same thing as dams. They catch rain when it falls so its there for us to use rather than running out to sea. The end result is that every litre of water...TBC

[TophersUnpopularView]

...we use from a tank is a litre we DIDN'T use from a dam, meaning that our dams stay a little fuller for a little longer.

So the point of tanks is to do exactly what Tim Holding said was the problem with them. They catch water when it rains, so we can use it later.

I hope that reconciles my comments above with my argument in the video.

All the best!

[donttouchstevesbeer]

every victorian should watch this! good work

[haysie68]

Great Topher, not a greenie, but as long as my ass points to the ground. This Brumby government will never be re-elected.

[kadaitcha72]

@conradleviston well buy a bigger tank, what are you talking about??? Tim Holding is a complete clown .did you see how they went in the election?? Labor 8 years to DECIDE what to do about the water problem.

[misterforgetful1]

Of course the huge tanks that sit beside warehouses and retail outlets could be plumbed to the everyday water used in these centres, but unfortunately the water that collects on these massive expanses of roofing goes straight into the storm water system. Reason - the tanks are simply there to save these Co's from exhorbitant water rates because of the diameter of their sprinkler system pipes.

ie: unless there is a fire, there will never be a single drop of water used in these huge tanks

[TheStarSpark]

I must say, this was helpful. I've only recently turned 18, and acquired the right to vote. So I haven't really been paying attention to politics, because every time I did in the past it just made me pissed off because there was nothing i could do about that would make a difference.

Anyway, this has helped me a little bit on my decision on whom to vote for. Is there any other advice you can give me? Thanks.

[kcgan1959]

Water savings from modernising the irrigation system have to be verified. Melbourne will only get 1/3 of the verified savings despite paying 75% of the cost of the scheme either directly or through city taxpayers. Is that fair enough? Even if there are no savings the pipe can be filled if the Govt allows Melb to buy water on the market. It'll be a trickle of water compared to irrigation needs but a river of gold back to farmers? Stupid?

[atg3144]

G'day Topher - I've seen a few of yur videos - very impressive and well presented.

I have one issue with this one about the Pipeline. Water can be saved by better managing the flows in channels. The excess water sent to channels currently, ends up as ground water - raising the water table and in creasing salinity, not in the river where we'd like it to be. Reducing the water sent to channels for irrigation is a real saving. Otherwise this is good.

Regards

ATG3145

[BigTrevAus]

Well done Topher, I am a long time Labor voter and I live in Shepparton and I refuse to support this Government anymore because f this goddam stupid pipeline.

You should go on to mention of the miminal water that is really going dwon for enviromental flows.

[EndorphinsRUS]

Topher for Environment Minister!

[LRACguitarlab]

HEY TOPHER - TRY AND GET ON abc's q&a get this out there!

you can send video questions etc etc or go in person.

also send it to those horrible current affair shows etc etc...