With $5,176 raised by the Mullumbimby Chamber of Commerce for the installation of a filtered water station in in the town, the chamber’s Jeannette Martin says there is just $824 to go to see the project realised.
‘If we get it by the end of this week we can have it installed by the Mullum Music Fest in November,’ she said.
‘We have had lots of verbal support too so now its time to turn that into action.
With some 33 per cent of plastic waste in the oceans composed of plastic drinking bottles, replacing them with freely available filtered water and refillable bottles is no trivial matter.
And if you donate a minimum of $30 you can pick up a free Mullum Cares Stainless steel water bottle valued at $16 courtesy of Mullum Chamber of Commerce.
‘Smaller donations will also help lots. Donations over $2 will get a tax-deductible receipt,’ Ms Martin said.
There will be a street stall today (August 31) in Mullumbimby people wishing to contribute can drop into Mullum Mac, Santos or Stewarts Menswear – or donate online viamullumbimby.org.au/water.
Why is their any need for a filtered water station? My father was responsible for bringing reticulated water to the Byron Shire from Rocky Creek Dam in the 40s and he checked the quality of it in the Bay daily (he was a chemist). If the Byron Shire Council believes tap water quality has declined so it is not suitable to drink then why do they not put “not for drinking” on every tap in the Shire? Plastic bottles of “filtered” water are an imitation of the practice of bottled water that grew up in Europe, particularly in France, which did not enjoy our near universal access to potable water. The Mullum Chamber of Commerce is sending a negative message about the quality of the Shire’s water. It should drop the idea and encourages its members to stop selling the plastic bottles of the stuff.
Thanks for your feedback Peter, and yes you are right – we have great quality water in Mullum. However, some people do prefer to drink filtered water with the additives including chlorine removed. The filter is optional in the Aquafil model we have chosen and the filter maintenance is just $198 pa which council has agreed to cover. There are two main purposes in this project – 1. to give people an option other than buying bottled water to drink thus reducing disposable plastic waste in our town and 2. to provide cool freshwater to drink for the public free of charge. This model of water station will do the job beautifully. Hope you enjoy it too.
Thanks for the response Jeannette. I guess I just don’t like anything that undermines the principle that tap should be drinkable and it is what we should be drinking. I think there needs to be a bit of education needed about tap water. I do commend you though for providing access to fresh water – I note that the water fountain that was in front of the railway station in the Bay seems to have disappeared. In my view it is the job of Council to provide them in all public places, and to make sure all private places frequented by the public – like shopping malls – are required to provide and maintain them too.
This is a great initiative to reduce plastic waste, and a lovely gesture to visitors and residents alike.
What impurities will the water filter remove from the tap water? What type of filter is it?
Charcoal carbon filters are effective at removing chlorine, sediment, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), taste and odor from water. They are also good at removing chlorine-resistant cysts, such as giardia and cryptosporidium, if these are present in our chlorinated water.
Or will it use a carbon filter as a pre-treatment device for a reverse osmosis system?
Are details available for the impurities found in our tap water, and which of these will be filtered out by the new filter?
It may be a good idea But I reckon you will just see people filling their plastic bottles from the fountain. Bet no-one has taken a baseline measurement of current plastic bottle use now so that the benefits be realistically measured.
On the reduction of disposable plastic waste. Wish something could be done to stop people buying takeaway coffee cups. It seems like a trend, to walk around sipping coffee. There is even one Mullum cafe that only serves in takeaway cups even if you order in!