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Explore: Water management is critical for Australia in the future. The SMA-Eden3. New concepts for de-salination and management of water supply. Cooling concepts and the potential of ‘Bradfield’.
Infrastructure and Water Projects
Priority Number One goes to securing Australia’s Water Future and Security for the Future. A lot of countries have committed water management though water supply is a major factor in how Australia can progress in the future. Rain, and evaporation, and even weather function can go “hand-in-hand”, though many are happy to consider water as a function of God or “Huey”! It was so dry in Australia in late 2019 that basic weather function ceased. There was hardly enough water for evaporation to continue. The future for Australia is complex without enough water.
"And so ensuring there is enough water and to treat Australia as our very own “native garden” is a concept that does hold some merit."
The Bradfield Scheme is not “Complete Pie in the Sky”!! Anybody who has a simple Science background can understand it. Though, where and how to develop the concept and implement it on a practical level requires a significant mapping and engineering.
Water will be No.1 issue for Australia now and in the future. It is the most significant resource Australia has. As no matter what the rest of the world will do in the space of climate change and the environment, water is one of the pillars to secure our future in this country. To ignore management of water or to be lax on the monitoring of water sales when we allow groundwater emergency allocations to be sold off is a significant issue. We all have to draw the line somewhere and also in the concept of fracking, is for me, a line that I will never “let slip to the keeper!” I’d certainly like to see the management of water and it’s monitoring a federal jurisdiction and the sole responsibility of the Commonwealth.
Ensuring it is well managed now and forever is critical. Environmental science is a science like any other and is not just about being a “greenie”. It is the earth, the water and the air and the space that we have to protect in Australia to ensure that we have a certain and confident future. Out of everything water grows, and we will need it more so than ever in a warming climate.
Moving into the future, environment approvals on major projects of all types can be managed by the Commonwealth. It is only rational that the Commonwealth is the final decision maker within that space. It may be rational for the States to encourage growth and to plan projects but bring them to the Commonwealth for assessment and approval. The roles within the relationship between the States and the Commonwealth need to be more-or-less reversed, in that, the States can advise and suggest projects and the Commonwealth is the final decision maker. It is more rational that the Commonwealth funds the States to catalogue its flora, fauna, and native species and provide recommendations to the Commonwealth in a “tiered-down” approach. It is rational for the Commonwealth to be the final decision-maker and be held fully responsible for major infrastructure delivery. I believe this to be so, even if it takes a Referendum to make it happen.
On a separate tab, you have the ‘Dominium Directum’. Its purpose is to update the Constitution of Australia to reflect the sacred and essential value inherent in the land and water and air of Australia. Inherent in this amendment is the essential tenet of ‘Sacrae Terrae and Sacrae Fonte and Sacro Aere’ in that from this time forth that the earth and inherent environment and land of Australia and the rivers and the oceans and air of the continent of Australia are considered sacred to all its citizens. An amendment such as this will swing the balance to the Commonwealth to become the primary and final decision maker – the final “port-of-call”, if you will, of all-important national infrastructure and environmental decisions. This can be managed in conjunction with an independent advisory panel to ensure the benefit is for all citizens.
Projects above a certain size can be drafted by the States and forwarded to the Commonwealth. Legislation could be developed for the Commonwealth to allow the States to make decisions on projects less than say $250Million as long as the proper environment elements have been signed off. The Commonwealth will still provide the final approval for the environment decisions. The role of the States will be to catalogue and report into the Commonwealth and the Commonwealth can be held responsible for all final decisions related to the Environment. This will require a re-structure on how the Environment is managed on a day-to-day level. The Commonwealth department of the environment will need the funding and the legislative “teeth” and motivation to monitor through the States. This has the real potential to integrate environmental policy, I believe, right across Australia.
A complete funding of the environment and the potential of programs can secure our future and build on the great quality we already have. And what is important is to realise Australia is actually separate from the world…In space and some time! Issues and policies that exist in other countries are separate and distinct from the management and issues related to the environment in Australia.
To make Australia more secure for the future we need to be smart on how we manage water. Without draining the “billabong” we need to ask ourselves how we can do more and preserve it and share it better to keep Australia moving ahead!
It is intrinsic to the future security of Australia that we manage water so that we can achieve “better flow” and reap the harvest for our future! Water itself as a concept is not complex! Bringing it to the right places is a concept where we ourselves may have to embrace the God of Engineering to make it happen! It will take the commitment from all Australians, and the Commonwealth and the States to ensure water is managed efficiently and sustainably. Water is a very precious commodity in this country and needs to be managed for the benefit of all Australians.
Concepts that can bring more water and secure the land are rational and can make the future more sustainable and by “tweaking” natural processes can provide more water security. This may be as simple as loading and building on a program like the ‘Mulloon’ natural sequence farming and pumping water through it in co-operation with farmers to make “green”modelling for more “drawdown”.
Some processes and some advanced concepts that are thought to be too complex are theoretically possible if there is the motivation. Cooling a locale using water is not hard. And even developing the concept of ice in micro-climates may be possible. And thus, creating micro-climates across areas and regions is theoretically possible… though logistically it will take “super-computer” calculations and a revolution in thinking to make advanced concepts possible.
Terraforming new “green” zones and using weather function and technology to build “micro-climates” is feasibly possible. Concentrating on higher altitudes and bringing condensation down through drawdown and creating cooling zones and setting up water ponds in higher altitudes creates pockets of hydrating zones which can expand in the surrounding “micro-environment”. A formula to “water “some bush areas is not impossible. Targeting the best areas in relation to micro-climate and latitude and altitude is likely the key and has the most potential. Projects like this have potential though need to be mapped to the region.
The Goulburn area is an interesting area to consider in regards to fog, condensation and tree planting. Building ponds at higher altitudes to build more areas of general moisture and water can only bring more water to a location which lends itself to create new green areas. To do this on mountain ridgelines it only takes three components- Good Soil, water, and sunshine!
“Green” is a synthesis of sugar production and development based on nutrients in the soil and sunshine. Water is still primary as a major stimulant of growth along with soil quality. If in some countries there is naturally occurring ‘Lake Snow’ then artificial icing over small areas may be feasible. In selected areas and mapped to latitude and altitude this may be possible by using the right technology. The idea of “cooling” zones may have practical aspects and cost benefits to farmers also. These are concepts that can be mapped and explored by previous weather and topography and by the use of computer simulation and modelling.
Some aspects of environment and water management are grounded in simplicity. Watering a lawn in the afternoon sun will hold more water in the ground overnight than watering a crop first thing in the morning. Even “watering” the grass on sub-zero nights creates micro-zones of cold areas. It will also create more dew on the ground.
I have developed a concept that could be the next level of the Snowy Mountains Scheme… ’Snowy 3’…SMA- BM3. This can fund the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area and the Shoalhaven and can also generate extra “back-up” power to facilitate some our further power needs as well as supplying more water to eastern Australia.
SMA-EDEN3 is a water and power plan rolled into one. After the extended drought I have designed this project to “counter” the impact of climate change on our water security and is a project that may even be a rational concept for the future. ‘Eden3’ is a major infrastructure plan that includes a large-scale de-salination plant near Eden on the south coast of New South Wales. Water will be pumped up by tunnel under Brown Mountain up towards Cooma. A large-scale pipe or a small storage dam is built at the upper reaches at the top of the Murrumbidgee River to pump water into the river. A secondary tunnel will feed water to Lake Eucumbene for the Snowy Mountains Scheme. The volumes need to be substantial as to also feed Lake Burrinjuck for storage and then this can further feed the Murrumbidgee for irrigation. Of course, the Murrumbidgee also flows to the Murray.
A Secondary Piping system will stretch across from Yass and use Lake George as storage and filling, and to then pump water across near Bungendore and onto the Shoalhaven river near Braidwood. This will provide continuous water to the Braidwood area and also fill the Shoalhaven if necessary.
A “circuit” system of water commencing with the Eden3 De-Salination Plant on the coast is likely to be a worthwhile investment to safeguard water security in the south-east corner of NSW. It holds substantial purpose and value to feed Burrinjuck Dam and there may be power generation opportunities near Brown Mountain to also add a Hydro component. It feeds the MIA (Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area) and can supply the Eden-Monaro area including Braidwood and the Shoalhaven. The Shoalhaven River catchment also supplies about 1/3 of water supplies to Sydney. After the drought in early 2020, the Burrinjuck Dam was as low as 31% capacity. (After rain-29-8-2020 is at 82% capacity). This scheme may be a serious investment and can create a complete water flow and circuit in south-eastern Australia, and, I believe, can provide some water security for the future.
Image: Innovation Patent
Water has been mentioned in the Commonwealth’s ‘Technology Investment Roadmap’ in 2020 as part of critical infrastructure to further develop hydrogen production in Australia. Desalination has been advised as a path forward. A water plan that serves us for the future is essential.
Image: Australia - New South Wales - South Coast
Image: Shoalhaven Catchment
If there is another ‘Bradfield’ concept worth exploring, in the short term, which also creates infrastructure, a concept utilising some of the infrastructure near the Gold Coast may be useful. To run a pipeline from the Hinze Dam (Qld) to the Headwaters of the Barwon River. (about 200Kms) may be feasible. A pipeline could be built running through to Stanthorpe or the Severn River/Sundown National Park Region or a suitable tributary. This pipeline could run from the Tugun De-salination plant to carry waters into the Barwon and boost the Murray-Darling Basin. The pipeline already runs to Hinze Dam from Tugun and a further major pipeline could be built to “top-up” the Barwon at the upper catchment. This is a concept not fully explored, though if irrigators need their fill, and we are still expecting more “bad” years and there are further shortages and we are relying on groundwater, it may be a possibility. Further research and concept development would be required to explore this option.