Cr Regina Albion

The Water Futures - Toowoomba project can ensure the prosperity of our magnificent city and supply us with a sustainable supply of clean, safe water.

So, on July 29 I will be voting “yes” to this project because I feel passionately about our residents having access to sufficient fresh, pure water to sustain our thriving city. The fact is we can no longer afford to use our water only once. Recycling our water is the safest, cleanest way of meeting our water needs and it is also our most viable and conscionable response. Not only will it supply the community with the highest standard of drinking water, it will provide enough water to nourish our gardens and continue the tradition upon which Toowoomba was built – the Carnival of Flowers.

Recycling water is a way of cleaning and renewing water that might otherwise be lost to us. Water Futures - Toowoomba proposes to treat our waste water to six-star standard (the highest possible water quality rating). It will undergo extensive purifi cation including ultrafi ltration, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet disinfection and advanced oxidation. This water will be mixed with Cooby Dam water and then further treated at our existing Mt Kynoch Water Treatment Plant before entering the city’s water supply. This multi-barrier system is capable of reducing contaminants to such a low level that risk becomes negligible. There is no way this water will be released to the public until it is tested as absolutely safe.

As Toowoomba’s population and economy continue to flourish, demand for this fi nite resource also grows. The Water Futures project, which includes our current water conservation measures, provides a pro-active tool to the community for meeting our future water needs.

Without water I believe there is no life – not for us, not for our gardens. Our city deserves to live. Vote YES!

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I was born in Adelaide, and spent my first thirty years drinking water from the River Murray, the repository of treated effl uent from dozen of towns upstream. I have no concerns about drinking the water that will be delivered by our Water Futures Project because our water will be treated to a far higher standard than elsewhere in Australia.

I have looked at the research and I thoroughly trust the science, which is the foundation of our Water Futures Toowoomba project. I am also satisfi ed there is not an economically viable or practical alternative to recycling.

This recycling project is an opportunity for Toowoomba to have a safe, secure and sustainable water supply, which in turn will underpin our economic future. Like all mothers, I not only want to be there as my children grow, but I want to enjoy their company as adults, to be part of their families. We have the education facilities in Toowoomba but must secure water resources to service the industries which will provide work for our children. Water Futures Toowoomba will ensure strong economic and employment growth into the future.

As Chair of Development in Toowoomba I have watched with interest the number of development applications lodged since the Water Futures announcement last July. To see such substantial projects as the four-stage light and general industrial redevelopment of the 7SD site, the $50 million purchase (and proposed additional $50 million redevelopment) of the Wilsonton Shopping Centre by the Multiplex Group and the strong sales of the new Trilogy high-rise apartment in the CBD demonstrates that business is not discouraged by recycling. These projects are a huge vote of confi dence in our forward thinking and confi rm my view that Water Futures Toowoomba will build upon our city’s growing reputation as a place for investment and innovation.

Our recycling project is not new science; it is just new to Toowoomba. Do not close your mind to new ideas. Seek information, be proactive when it comes to fact-fi nding and, like me, you will become an advocate for Water Futures Toowoomba, a project which is economically sound, environmentally friendly and most of all, safe.

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Cr Sue Englart

My decision to vote yes to Water Futures Toowoomba is based on fact.

Over the past 18 months, I have researched these facts and spoken extensively to reputable and respected scientists, medical practitioners, engineers, environmentalists and microbiologists. All have provided incontrovertible evidence that water recycled to six-star quality is safe to drink.

I have been given NO evidence to the contrary.

Water Futures Toowoomba is the best environmental solution to our water crisis. It will have a beneficial effect on the ecosystem of the Murray-Darling basin, removing many thousands of tonnes of salt currently discharged into the river system.

Water Futures Toowoomba will provide a water supply equivalent to that of the yearly safe yield of Cressbrook Dam, our biggest water supply, without the disruption to lives and the environmental destruction caused by the building of another dam.

Water needs to be affordable – for households, for business and industry. Water Futures Toowoomba, which has been promised Federal and State funding, will ensure water is available and affordable for all.

I am voting yes to Water Futures Toowoomba because it is safe.

I am voting yes because it is sustainable.

I am voting yes because it is affordable.

I am voting yes because Water Futures Toowoomba is our future.It’s as simple as that!

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Cr Joe Ramia

Greater Toowoomba region is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. Unfortunately, we are also facing a major water shortage crisis. We need to source alternative water provisions to ensure this region continues to grow and develop for the future.

I believe there is an answer. Water Futures Toowoomba is a ground-breaking strategy which more than adequately addresses this region’s water needs. It’s focus on recycling is sustainable, economically feasible and most important, safe.

Using recycled water makes good environmental and economic sense. Water Futures Toowoomba promises to deliver sustainable water well into our future without harmful side effects for the environment or to the community’s purse. Besides ensuring that today’s water supply is clean and safe, recycled water will also assure future generations a plentiful supply of safe drinking water.

This vote is about securing a new water source and ensuring that supply can keep up future demand. Other water options simply do not stack up. Most of the dams in South East Queensland are at about the 30% mark, with not enough water to meet their own needs. Building new dams is not the solution to our problem because it has to rain, and that is not happening. As a nation we need to use water more than once for this region to grow and prosper. There is no debate over the technology of purifying water. The multi-barrier process is the safest method of purifying water for human consumption and has a proven track record in many parts of the world. Toowoomba will be no exception. If we didn’t believe in the advancement of science and technology, we would still be using horses and buggies as a mode of travel.

I am asking the community to vote yes – not for today’s water needs, but for our future.

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Cr Michelle Schneider

When it comes to the Water Futures project, I'm not sitting on the fence.  I am passionate and proud proponent of the Water Futures "yes" campaign.  I'm saying "yes" to recycled water, "yes" to a safe and sustainable future, "yes" to the only viable option available to the community.

Our community desperately needs water.  The planned recycling program will produce water that is as safe as our current drinking water.  If I thought even a single drop was risky, I would be opposed.  I have lived in Toowoomba for 40 years.  My family have lived here for seven generations.  Why would I put my children's health at risk, the community's health at risk?  I want my children to have a future in Toowoomba.  This is a safe, reliable, sustainable solution to Toowoomba's water crisis.

I acknowledge, however, that recycling water is only part of the solution.  It is especially important to continue being water wise in our individual households.

This community has been incredible when it comes to conserving water.  Continuing to do simple things around the home really helps to conserve this precious resource.  Council is committed to providing safe, high quality recycled water and together with the community's conservation practices we are all working towards a common goal.

Opponent's claims regarding the health implications of water recycling is just scaremongering.  Wherever recycled water is used, strict Health Department guidelines for water quality and management must be met.  It is highly treated recycled water that has been strongly endorsed as a safe source of water. 

I am appalled by the conspiracy theories, the political agendas and the misinformation surrounding the issue.  The issue is water, and our lack of it.  Are the people who are against Water Futures able to give the community a viable option?

When it comes time to vote in the poll for the Water Futures project, I urge the community to make their vote based on information.  Ask for a water information session, trust the science, read the brochures and call a Councillor and ask questions.  Make an informed choice on July 29.  Sitting on the fence will only get you splinters.

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Cr Di Thorley

Today you will vote on our City’s future. A future that depends on a safe and reliable water supply.

Water Futures is the only option that will provide a reliable supply at an affordable price. The other suggested options have been fully and independently researched and found not viable. Recycled water is absolutely safe. If I thought a single drop was unsafe, I would not endorse the project.

For the future of our city and our children, join me in voting “yes”.

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