Douglas residents enjoy what some say is the highest quality drinking water in Australia. The feature of molecular fine filtration of water, pioneered in Douglas, with its ability to free the water supply of all added chemicals, other than natural minerals. The new international studies about chlorine gas-out and its daily consumption is raising some unspoken alarm bells for overseas municipal and water health authorities, wondering about possible future claims as new findings get traction.

The amount of natural fluoride in the Douglas mountain water, when coupled to the huge personal use water consumption rates that outside-workers guzzle in summer, means any addition of fluoridation (gathered as byproducts Florida’s smoke scrubbers, or from Chinese fertilizer factories) is potentially able to build a toxic level of fluoride in consumers and the dental lobby pushing for fluoridation on State funded campaigns should maybe take a simple look in the modern fridge to ponder the effect of sugars on tooth decay, noting 8 out of the 10 most popular items taken through every shopping check out in Australia are sugar products. I had unanimous support amongst Douglas Councillors agreeing no chemicals whatsoever, should be added to Douglas’s water supply and I will be campaigning for the continued growth of the micro filtration systems for Cairns water supplies.

For those of us who drink Douglas’s beautiful water, we can smell the chlorine wafting off our hosts glasses whenever we are out of town, reminding us of the wisdom of our mothers, who years ago, told us not to drink the chlorinated swimming pool water.
If somehow this chlorine and fluoride free water could one day be introduced to residents of Clifton Beach and Palm Cove, they might get to see why Douglas resident are so happy, along with their health, in not being force fed chemicals. Sure, the water bottle industry suffers when what comes out of the tap is arguably cleaner than what is delivered, but hey, clean water, fresh clean food are major issues for many in the community, me included.
One of the big problems for water supply is occurring at Oak Beach, where aquifiers can’t cope and added holiday home rentals are making water supplies even thinner and tanker delivery expensive. At first pass, supplying Oak Beach with reticulated water supply is dreadfully expensive, it is however one of those issues that must one day be faced, as Oak Beach residents, who pay hefty rates, can’t go on with no town water forever and I will be pushing for ways to somehow get water to this community if elected onto the CRC. At the other end of the shire, at China camp, a very basic council water supply is also needed, when creeks run dry and what is left goes stagnant.
The majority of our water seemingly goes to irrigation and using “Perrier” grade water on the lawn has limited logic, so I have pushed for a purple pipe policy for returning treated sewer for gardens. I have also introduced a call for below ground water tanks in new commercial and commercial accom buildings, aimed primarily at promoting rain water back up for irrigation, being that the rain is not in short supply in Douglas. Douglas has no reservoirs other than overnight tank storage. I had urged the DSC to not refute new state laws requiring a small rainwater tank on all new dwellings. It was argued that Douglas will never be short of water and Rod, “don’t worry about it mate”. Should one October or November come our way when our springs and creeks let us down, Douglas would be in deep trouble if it had no storage either at the public storage end, or at the personal storage end, and I personally though it unwise for Douglas to be one of the few Councils in Queensland seeking exemption from the State’s call for some water storage at each home. I lost the vote 6 to 1. I wonder if our supply is bullet proof into eternity?
With water shortages seemingly linked to deteriorating climate change, the prolific and largely untapped crystal clear water of the Douglas Shire may well prove to be a contentious subject as no doubt, our water will be eyed of by many in the future.
The Douglas Shire’s recently resolved to spend $50K to call for the feasibility of selling its own Daintree branded, bottled drinking water. Whilst I support the idea in principle, I have grave doubts about the former DSC’s entrepreneurial skills and if the shire’s single monopoly business is any indication, in the form of the Daintree Ferry, I would doubt if Douglas could handle the business. Just because it costs you $3 for a bottled water drink across the counter, does not mean bottling, marketing and distributing water can be done better by Douglas Shire Council, than Amatil Coca Cola. This September, it almost seemed that the DSC was willing to jump in bed with a JV partner, whose only experience in bottled water was in drinking it . If this bottling idea is to proceed, it’s maybe best that it is first scrutinized by Cairns Water. I like the idea, but doubt the feasibility is understood.

On sewerage treatment, the Port Douglas tertiary grade system that feeds recycled water onto golf courses was, in its day, ahead of the pack. But the less easily funded, 100 pound gorilla of Douglas’ infrastructure projects, is just around the corner. The cost to upgrade the Mossman sewerage plant to tertiary grade and to sewer Newell, Cooya and Wonga is a $40 million issue, with insufficient potential income stream to make it easy on the pocket. Whether the State will subsidize this by 40% or maybe 60% is yet ahead. But the sheer size of the project probably comes at the right time, as Cairns faces it own $400 million problem in the same area. So as the basic engineering issues are scoped out now, it seems timely that Cairns merges with Douglas now, to look holistically at putting an end to filling the GBR basin with nutriments that spell weakness to a ecosystem already challenged by bigger climate change issues.
I have successfully urged Douglas to look at energy from waste options, one of which can apply to the extraction of methane from sewerage and having recently attended the nations leading conference on this same subject, we here in Australia are well behind overseas technology deployment in this area, but with looming carbon credits entering the cost equation, I for one am very keen on keeping an eye on all potential micro power possibilities and if elected to the CRC, I will actively support consideration and feasibility of future energy from waste options, (and any other source, as per my DSC energy independence by 2020 plan).
As the project manager for the sustainability and energy Trybrid Project, I can maybe bring some interesting views on energy to the CRC table.

CONTACT ROD DAVIS: vote@roddavis.org

MOBILE: 0418 235561 or HOME: 0740 994434

MAIL: PO BOX 714, Port Douglas, 4877.