WEBVTT - Wait, where does our tap water come from?

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<v Speaker 1>This podcast is brought to you by Sydney Water. Every

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<v Speaker 1>time you turn on the tap, flush the toilet, or

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<v Speaker 1>take a shower. Sydney Water is one of the suppliers

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<v Speaker 1>around the country, working behind the scenes to make it

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<v Speaker 1>happen safely, sustainably and at scale, from rainfall to other

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<v Speaker 1>sources like desalination.

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<v Speaker 2>They're planning for.

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<v Speaker 1>A future where clean water is always within reach. To

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<v Speaker 1>learn more about how it all works, head to Sydneywater

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<v Speaker 1>dot com dot au.

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<v Speaker 2>Already and this is the Daily This is the Daily OS.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh now it makes sense.

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning and welcome to the Daily OS. It's Sunday,

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<v Speaker 1>the third of August. I'm Billy fitz Simon's I'm.

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<v Speaker 3>Sam because Loski.

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<v Speaker 1>Happy Sunday, Happy Sunday. We are here to talk about water. Now.

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<v Speaker 2>Have you ever thought about where your water comes from?

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<v Speaker 1>Well, maybe you did when you were in your year

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<v Speaker 1>ten geography class.

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<v Speaker 2>But in case you were sick that day or you

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<v Speaker 2>need a refresh, get it.

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<v Speaker 1>We are here to have an in depth look at

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<v Speaker 1>the cycle of water and trust us, it's more interesting

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<v Speaker 1>than it sounds. We asked you what you wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>know about where your water comes from, and today we

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<v Speaker 1>are answering those questions. And just a quick note, as

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<v Speaker 1>you heard at the top of this episode is sponsored

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<v Speaker 1>by Sitneing Water, but they have had no influence over

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<v Speaker 1>the content of this episode.

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<v Speaker 2>Sam.

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<v Speaker 1>Before we get started, I actually want to start by

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<v Speaker 1>asking you a question, where do you think water comes from?

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<v Speaker 3>I have this idea in my head that the ocean

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<v Speaker 3>gives us water that's treated, comes out of the tap,

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<v Speaker 3>and we drink it. That's essentially my understanding of the

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<v Speaker 3>source of our water. I actually sometimes think that when

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<v Speaker 3>I'm in the ocean, I can't believe I'm going to

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<v Speaker 3>be drinking this.

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<v Speaker 2>You're just having a big old golf of seawater.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, yeah, I'm young.

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<v Speaker 2>Well you're pretty close. That is how it happens for

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<v Speaker 2>some of the water.

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<v Speaker 3>But then I think about rain. Yeah, get confused.

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<v Speaker 2>About rainew, I will explain it. It's going today.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, I think the first thing that we need to

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<v Speaker 3>establish really is whether there's enough order forever and if

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<v Speaker 3>water is a finite resource or if it's this constant

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<v Speaker 3>kind of topped up pile of pile of liquid.

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<v Speaker 1>So it's not the latter, it's a former. It is

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<v Speaker 1>a finite resource.

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<v Speaker 2>So all the water on Earth is all the water.

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<v Speaker 3>We have, all that rain.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a cycle, though, so I'm sure you know from

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<v Speaker 1>uten geography that water comes to the earth and then

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<v Speaker 1>it goes back up to the sky.

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<v Speaker 2>That's a very simple.

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<v Speaker 3>Wow, that's a bit of a that's a bit of

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<v Speaker 3>a mind blowing idea.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, so how much water we have today is the

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<v Speaker 1>same amount of water we had ten years ago or

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<v Speaker 1>one hundred years ago, or when the dinosaurs were on Earth.

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<v Speaker 1>It's all the same water.

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<v Speaker 3>I cannot get my head around that. So what about

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<v Speaker 3>droughts then, well, that's.

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<v Speaker 2>When there hasn't been enough rainfall. Let me explain a

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<v Speaker 2>bit more.

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<v Speaker 1>So. Obviously, the water moves around a lot, so it's

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<v Speaker 1>going through this continuous process of moving between the earth

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<v Speaker 1>and the atmosphere and then back again. And that's all

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<v Speaker 1>part of the natural water cycle. So you're thinking about

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<v Speaker 1>evaporation and precipitation, that whole process.

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<v Speaker 3>Okay, In terms of.

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<v Speaker 1>Drinking water though, which is what we're talking about today,

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<v Speaker 1>A fun fact is that only one percent of the

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<v Speaker 1>Earth's water is easily accessible to become drinking.

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<v Speaker 3>Water, right, And what's the other vast majority of it?

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<v Speaker 4>Then?

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<v Speaker 1>So ninety seven percent of our water is salt water,

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<v Speaker 1>and of the three percent that's left over two percent

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<v Speaker 1>is locked away in ice caps and glaciers.

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<v Speaker 3>And so the question then is you've got this one

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<v Speaker 3>percent of water that is water that we can actually

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<v Speaker 3>drink or that is accessible to be drunk. How does

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<v Speaker 3>that become drinking water?

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<v Speaker 1>So there's a few different ways. The main source of

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<v Speaker 1>water in Australia is from rain water, right, Okay, So

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<v Speaker 1>whenever I'm with you and it's rating, you always say

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<v Speaker 1>it's good for the farmers.

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<v Speaker 3>Great for the farmers.

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<v Speaker 2>Always say that.

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<v Speaker 3>And the first thing I thought of when you said

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<v Speaker 3>that sentence is the fact that you listen to rain

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<v Speaker 3>when you're working when you need it. When Billy needs

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<v Speaker 3>to lock in, she puts on the rain soundtrack.

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<v Speaker 2>I look it up on YouTube and I just listen to.

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<v Speaker 3>Rain all day. It's a very significant part of both

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<v Speaker 3>of our lives and the farmers.

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<v Speaker 1>And the farmers. But the next time it rains, you

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<v Speaker 1>can say, well, I look forward to drinking this sometime soon.

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<v Speaker 3>So explain to me that process of it falls from

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<v Speaker 3>the sky. How does it land up in a tap?

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<v Speaker 1>So obviously you need something to catch the rain water,

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<v Speaker 1>and so that's what dams and water catchments are. Now

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<v Speaker 1>this might seem like a silly or obvious question, but Sam,

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<v Speaker 1>do you know what a dam is.

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<v Speaker 3>I think about it as in the big bathtub of

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<v Speaker 3>wherever you are. It's the bit near the drain at

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<v Speaker 3>the bottom. What like, it's the bit at the bottom

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<v Speaker 3>that collects all the water that comes from all the

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<v Speaker 3>the bath Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>No, wait, you're really far off.

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<v Speaker 3>Like all the water runs down all the hills and

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<v Speaker 3>like through all the different channels and collects in a

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<v Speaker 3>certain point.

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<v Speaker 2>But it's not like in your house. No, that's what

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<v Speaker 2>I thought you were saying.

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<v Speaker 3>No, oh my gosh, No, I don't think a dam

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<v Speaker 3>is a bathtub.

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<v Speaker 1>You think it's like a big catchment in a reserve somewhere.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, in the great house that is Australia. Okay, Well,

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<v Speaker 3>the dam is in the bathtub of the country.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, you're more close than I initially thought you were.

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<v Speaker 1>But it's actually the physical wall like structure that holds

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<v Speaker 1>the water back once it's caught in that catchment, and

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<v Speaker 1>it keeps it in this protected space. I'm like above, yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>kind of like above, But my brain is too literal

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<v Speaker 1>for your metaphors today clearly.

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<v Speaker 3>And so then it collects in this bath slash dam,

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<v Speaker 3>and then the question becomes, I guess how much it

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<v Speaker 3>can collect? And that's where I guess rainfall becomes really important.

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<v Speaker 1>Right, Yes, so rainfall is very important for the dams. So,

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<v Speaker 1>like I said, the dams are specifically in place to

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<v Speaker 1>catch the rainfall and turn it in to safe, clean

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<v Speaker 1>drinking water. Now, once it's in the dam, it then

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<v Speaker 1>goes to water filtration plants, which is the process where

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<v Speaker 1>it becomes safe to drink. Now, what's interesting when I

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<v Speaker 1>was looking into all of this, I discovered that water

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<v Speaker 1>utilities all around the world are actually wanting water processes

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<v Speaker 1>that are less reliant on rainfall because of things like

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<v Speaker 1>climate change and also housing growth.

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<v Speaker 3>How does housing growth fit into.

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<v Speaker 1>That, Well, it means that because you have more people

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<v Speaker 1>into more tightly packed areas, there's even more water needing

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<v Speaker 1>to go to those places.

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<v Speaker 3>There's a greater stress on those really metropolitans supplies.

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<v Speaker 1>And this particularly comes complicated during droughts. So in Sydney,

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<v Speaker 1>for example, in the last drought, our water supply dropped

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<v Speaker 1>by fifty percent over two years. So that was from

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<v Speaker 1>mid twenty seventeen to feb twenty twenty, and as these

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<v Speaker 1>extreme weather events become more common, we can't rely on

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<v Speaker 1>rainfall alone to sustain a city like Sydney's water supply.

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<v Speaker 3>And that's I guess where we need to be bringing

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<v Speaker 3>in further processes that don't just rely on the rainfall

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<v Speaker 3>that's coming into the dam. Are there other sources that

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<v Speaker 3>we can get water from? Should there be another couple

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<v Speaker 3>of years of drought for example.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, the ocean, I know it well.

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<v Speaker 1>Yes, so seawater can be used, as you said at

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<v Speaker 1>the start, as a drinking water source, but it needs

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<v Speaker 1>to go through a different process to what it goes

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<v Speaker 1>through with dam.

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<v Speaker 2>So it needs to go through a specific process.

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<v Speaker 3>Do you know what it's called desalination? Desalination plants that

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<v Speaker 3>are always talked about in politics and in kind of

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<v Speaker 3>government decisions.

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<v Speaker 1>Yes, So desalination removes salt water and impurities from the

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<v Speaker 1>sea water to produce drinking water. Now, Sam, you said

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<v Speaker 1>at the start that this was the main way that

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<v Speaker 1>you thought we get drinking water, and it can be

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<v Speaker 1>so how dependent we are on the desalination process can

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<v Speaker 1>change depending on how other sources are going so for example,

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<v Speaker 1>if we're in a drought like I mentioned before, there

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<v Speaker 1>might be a greater reliance on the desalination process. It

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<v Speaker 1>is important to note that desalination is not only used

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<v Speaker 1>though in times of drought. So in Sydney their desalination

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<v Speaker 1>plant is currently operating and supplying water all year round.

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<v Speaker 3>And so I guess the point there is it's meant

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<v Speaker 3>to take a little bit of pressure off the dams

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<v Speaker 3>in terms of how important they are to the water

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<v Speaker 3>infrastructure exactly.

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<v Speaker 1>And again comes back to being less reliant on rainfall

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<v Speaker 1>and finding other sources to get safe drinking water.

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<v Speaker 3>And is that the case around the country.

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<v Speaker 2>So it varies state to state.

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<v Speaker 1>Somewhere like Perth, for example, thirty five percent of their

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<v Speaker 1>water comes from the desalination process. In Sydney it's up

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<v Speaker 1>to fifteen percent. Melbourne has actually just committed to restart

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<v Speaker 1>using desalination because dam levels are dropping.

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<v Speaker 4>Now.

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<v Speaker 1>Another rainfall independent resource is something called purified recycled water.

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<v Speaker 1>So that's when you turn waste water into drinking water

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<v Speaker 1>and it goes through a huge process to of course

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<v Speaker 1>make sure that it's absolutely safe to drink. Now that

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<v Speaker 1>is used around the world. So in Singapore, for example,

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<v Speaker 1>about forty percent of their water demand can be met

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<v Speaker 1>with recycled wastewater. Now it's not currently used in Sydney,

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<v Speaker 1>but in Perth it contributes up to five percent of

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<v Speaker 1>their drinking water.

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<v Speaker 3>Fascinating. And so water is going through these various processes,

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<v Speaker 3>whether from a dam or from the ocean or from

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<v Speaker 3>a recycled facility. It goes through a filtation process or

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<v Speaker 3>a desalination process, and then it comes through the taps, right.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, and so how does it get to the taps?

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<v Speaker 1>You turn it on, You turn it on, but before

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<v Speaker 1>you turn it on, it has to go through pipes. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>Now in Sydney there are twenty three thousand kilometers of

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<v Speaker 1>drinking water pipes and that's just drinking water pipes, so

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<v Speaker 1>there are also wastewater pipes. You combine drinking water pipes

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<v Speaker 1>and waste water pipes, which, to be clear, they don't

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<v Speaker 1>they're very separate. But if you did combine them, you

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<v Speaker 1>could wrap the earth one and a quarter times. That's

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<v Speaker 1>how long the pipes are in Sydney. And so that

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<v Speaker 1>gives you an idea of the scale of the water operations,

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<v Speaker 1>not just in Sydney, of course, but all over the country.

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<v Speaker 3>And are there ways that we know that nothing along

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<v Speaker 3>all of these steps and processes is actually going wrong.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, there are extensive processes throughout making sure that at

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<v Speaker 1>every stage there are tests happening to make sure that

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<v Speaker 1>it's clean and safe and everything's happening as it should.

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<v Speaker 3>The thing I really enjoy about these types of stories

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<v Speaker 3>is that it's almost a subconscious habit. We have to

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<v Speaker 3>turn on the tap and to get water, and we

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<v Speaker 3>know that that's not the case all over the world.

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<v Speaker 3>But also there's a responsibility that we have as tax

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<v Speaker 3>payers to understand even how all of these systems come

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<v Speaker 3>and work together. And when we put this out to

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<v Speaker 3>the audience, it was clear that people had this real

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<v Speaker 3>curiosity with this process. One of the questions that I

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<v Speaker 3>was particularly interested in was a question we got about

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<v Speaker 3>the relationship between how the water system would change should

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<v Speaker 3>the climate continue to change.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and so this goes back to what we were

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<v Speaker 1>saying before that there is this real need to move

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<v Speaker 1>away from rainfall dependent water resources. Again, that's because with

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<v Speaker 1>more severe droughts it will lead to lower down levels

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<v Speaker 1>and reduced availability of water. And so the way you

0:11:31.160 --> 0:11:36.080
<v Speaker 1>diversify is through options like desalination, or through options like

0:11:36.280 --> 0:11:39.720
<v Speaker 1>the purified recycled water option. If you look at Sydney Water,

0:11:39.880 --> 0:11:42.680
<v Speaker 1>for example, they actually have a goal for sixty five

0:11:42.760 --> 0:11:47.000
<v Speaker 1>percent of their drinking water supply to be rainfall independent

0:11:47.520 --> 0:11:48.440
<v Speaker 1>by twenty fifty.

0:11:48.679 --> 0:11:52.080
<v Speaker 3>Right, so there's the real sense of trying to preempt

0:11:52.160 --> 0:11:55.400
<v Speaker 3>this challenge should be a couple of decades in the future.

0:11:55.640 --> 0:11:58.360
<v Speaker 2>But it kind of already is happening now right as well.

0:11:58.559 --> 0:12:01.520
<v Speaker 3>There was another question that I think was one that

0:12:01.559 --> 0:12:05.600
<v Speaker 3>we've all thought of. Why does water taste different everywhere

0:12:05.600 --> 0:12:05.920
<v Speaker 3>you go?

0:12:06.200 --> 0:12:09.800
<v Speaker 1>Okay, this is my favorite question because I think about

0:12:09.840 --> 0:12:10.560
<v Speaker 1>this a lot.

0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:11.880
<v Speaker 2>There is one.

0:12:11.800 --> 0:12:16.840
<v Speaker 1>City in Australia where when I traveled there, I couldn't

0:12:16.880 --> 0:12:20.600
<v Speaker 1>believe how different the water tasted. And you will notice

0:12:20.640 --> 0:12:22.960
<v Speaker 1>when you move from state to state or city to city,

0:12:23.200 --> 0:12:27.760
<v Speaker 1>the water does taste different depending on your location. And

0:12:27.800 --> 0:12:31.240
<v Speaker 1>that's because of the different sources of where water can

0:12:31.280 --> 0:12:35.440
<v Speaker 1>come from, but also because of different treatment processes. Now,

0:12:35.440 --> 0:12:39.840
<v Speaker 1>there are Australian drinking water guidelines, but essentially how the

0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:44.200
<v Speaker 1>different systems meet those guidelines can differ, so there's not

0:12:44.240 --> 0:12:48.280
<v Speaker 1>only one way to achieve those safe standards, and something

0:12:48.400 --> 0:12:52.599
<v Speaker 1>like the presence of minerals can really impact how water.

0:12:52.640 --> 0:12:56.200
<v Speaker 3>Tastes, and chlorine would be one of the key ingredients

0:12:56.280 --> 0:12:57.640
<v Speaker 3>that a lot of places add to water.

0:12:57.760 --> 0:13:00.000
<v Speaker 1>Right, Yeah, chlorine is an interesting one. I don't think

0:13:00.000 --> 0:13:03.000
<v Speaker 1>I think I ever fully understood that chlorine is actually

0:13:03.080 --> 0:13:07.480
<v Speaker 1>added to drinking water at very small levels. I don't

0:13:07.520 --> 0:13:09.680
<v Speaker 1>know if you've ever been in a chlorinated pool and

0:13:09.800 --> 0:13:14.000
<v Speaker 1>accidentally had a mouthful of the pool water doesn't exactly

0:13:14.040 --> 0:13:14.600
<v Speaker 1>taste good.

0:13:14.800 --> 0:13:19.920
<v Speaker 3>No, the yearnine swimming carnival drinking experience is not one

0:13:19.960 --> 0:13:23.200
<v Speaker 3>to be chosen by voluntary choice.

0:13:23.280 --> 0:13:26.440
<v Speaker 1>But obviously the amount of chlorine in a pool in

0:13:26.480 --> 0:13:30.480
<v Speaker 1>your unine swimming carnival is very different to the amount

0:13:30.679 --> 0:13:34.199
<v Speaker 1>in drinking water. And there is a limit on how

0:13:34.280 --> 0:13:36.760
<v Speaker 1>much chlorine can be added to drinking water.

0:13:37.440 --> 0:13:41.320
<v Speaker 3>And why is chlorine specifically an important part of the mix.

0:13:41.520 --> 0:13:45.120
<v Speaker 1>So it's actually really important to be added to drinking

0:13:45.200 --> 0:13:50.160
<v Speaker 1>water to kill things like water borne disease causing microorganisms

0:13:50.320 --> 0:13:53.600
<v Speaker 1>like bacteria, So you can think of it like a protectant.

0:13:54.160 --> 0:13:57.440
<v Speaker 1>And chlorine has a really long history of safe use

0:13:57.520 --> 0:14:00.400
<v Speaker 1>in drinking water around the world and has helped to

0:14:00.480 --> 0:14:05.640
<v Speaker 1>virtually eliminate water borne diseases in developed nations like Australia.

0:14:05.679 --> 0:14:08.760
<v Speaker 3>It's always interesting reading about some of the projects around

0:14:08.800 --> 0:14:13.600
<v Speaker 3>the world to uplift water infrastructure. I know the Gates Foundation,

0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:17.800
<v Speaker 3>for example, is very very involved in providing clean water

0:14:17.920 --> 0:14:22.120
<v Speaker 3>to different parts of Sub Saharan Africa and them talking

0:14:22.160 --> 0:14:25.360
<v Speaker 3>through always how important it is to have various minerals

0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:29.120
<v Speaker 3>and chemicals that go through our water to really ensure

0:14:29.120 --> 0:14:32.440
<v Speaker 3>that some of those preventable diseases aren't there for everyone

0:14:32.440 --> 0:14:32.840
<v Speaker 3>to drink.

0:14:33.400 --> 0:14:35.880
<v Speaker 1>And that's when making sure that it's being tested at

0:14:35.880 --> 0:14:36.960
<v Speaker 1>every stage is also.

0:14:36.880 --> 0:14:40.160
<v Speaker 3>Important, exactly, and that's really interesting. It's always so amazing

0:14:40.200 --> 0:14:42.600
<v Speaker 3>to kind of peel back the cover of how our

0:14:42.640 --> 0:14:46.000
<v Speaker 3>society works. I definitely found that when exploring what happens

0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:48.560
<v Speaker 3>to our Pooh, this is now a really interesting lie

0:14:48.600 --> 0:14:49.080
<v Speaker 3>of what happened.

0:14:49.080 --> 0:14:51.600
<v Speaker 1>We got through the whole podcast without you mentioning that

0:14:52.000 --> 0:14:54.600
<v Speaker 1>it was valuable journalism, as is this.

0:14:54.600 --> 0:14:57.480
<v Speaker 3>This is so interesting to think about when you turn

0:14:57.520 --> 0:14:58.960
<v Speaker 3>on that tap and you get a bit of h

0:14:59.080 --> 0:15:01.560
<v Speaker 3>duo that comes through. Thank you for taking us through that,

0:15:01.720 --> 0:15:03.560
<v Speaker 3>thank you and thank you for joining us on the

0:15:03.600 --> 0:15:06.720
<v Speaker 3>daily os. This Sunday water water everywhere, but not a

0:15:06.760 --> 0:15:08.800
<v Speaker 3>drop to drink, but we do have another podcast to

0:15:08.840 --> 0:15:11.520
<v Speaker 3>listen to tomorrow morning. We'll be back in your ears then.

0:15:11.600 --> 0:15:13.720
<v Speaker 3>Until then, have a beautiful rest of your weekend.

0:15:13.840 --> 0:15:16.720
<v Speaker 1>I have no idea what you just said, but bye.

0:15:19.840 --> 0:15:22.160
<v Speaker 4>My name is Lily Maddon and I'm a proud Arunda

0:15:22.400 --> 0:15:27.200
<v Speaker 4>Bungelung Calcuttin woman from Gadigol Country. The Daily os acknowledges

0:15:27.280 --> 0:15:29.400
<v Speaker 4>that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the

0:15:29.480 --> 0:15:33.000
<v Speaker 4>Gadigol people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and Torres

0:15:33.040 --> 0:15:35.960
<v Speaker 4>Strait Island and nations. We pay our respects to the

0:15:35.960 --> 0:15:38.760
<v Speaker 4>first peoples of these countries, both past and present.

0:15:41.960 --> 0:15:44.040
<v Speaker 3>Now, if this episode got you thinking more about the

0:15:44.040 --> 0:15:46.880
<v Speaker 3>water that comes out of your tap, you aren't alone,

0:15:47.000 --> 0:15:49.680
<v Speaker 3>and Sydney Water is thinking about it too. As our

0:15:49.680 --> 0:15:53.040
<v Speaker 3>population grows and our climate changes, the way we manage,

0:15:53.160 --> 0:15:56.640
<v Speaker 3>protect and deliver water is becoming more important than ever.

0:15:57.000 --> 0:16:00.240
<v Speaker 3>That's why Sydney Water is investing in smarter, more zillliant

0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:03.680
<v Speaker 3>systems to make sure our drinking water is safe, sustainable

0:16:03.760 --> 0:16:07.120
<v Speaker 3>and future ready. Every drop has a story and it's

0:16:07.160 --> 0:16:10.280
<v Speaker 3>backed by thousands of kilometers of infrastructure, twenty four to

0:16:10.280 --> 0:16:13.440
<v Speaker 3>seven testing and long term planning, so whether it's a

0:16:13.480 --> 0:16:16.400
<v Speaker 3>hot shower, a cold drink, or water in your plants, no,

0:16:16.560 --> 0:16:19.480
<v Speaker 3>there's a whole system working quietly in the background to

0:16:19.560 --> 0:16:22.720
<v Speaker 3>keep it flowing. Learn more at sydneywater dot com dot

0:16:22.760 --> 0:16:23.080
<v Speaker 3>au