Christmas Bells

Christmas Bells
Christmas Bells - Blandfordia nobilis

Thursday, August 02, 2012

Modern alchemy - turning sewerage into gold.

Some little time ago I warned that the Daleks had arrived in Robertson. I identified the nest of Dalek Eggs in my Blog.

As the people of Robertson have, collectively, failed to protect themselves against this Alien Invasion, they ought not be surprised that today, the Dalek Eggs had started to hatch, and some have now left their nest. They are starting to invade the village of Robertson.

This Dalek has invaded my friend George's yard.
And another in a neighbour's property.
And another.

The rear side of this Dalek.
Incidentally, I am reliably informed that these Daleks are not exactly anthropivorous - they will not eat you. These Daleks are coprophytic - meaning they live on "dung or fecal material".
However, their Masters (the Wingecarribee Shire Council) are dependent for their existence, upon Rate Revenue, and they see these Daleks as integral to the future collection of Water and Sewerage Rates from you, the good people of Robertson.

As Napoleon Bonaparte said: “When a government is dependent upon bankers for money, they (the bankers) and not the leaders of the government control the situation, since the hand that gives is above the hand that takes. Money has no motherland; financiers are without patriotism and without decency; their sole object is gain.”

So, in a very direct sense, these Daleks are agents for collecting revenue from you - turning your sewage into gold - the modern form of Alchemy.

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Post Script:
An explanation is warranted.
These tanks will be the individual collection tanks and pumping systems for the Robertson Sewerage Scheme.
A massively over-engineered system (or "over-engineered in order to cope with bad planning decisions in the first step"), complete with a centralised treatment plant located on top of a hill above the Village.
Yes we will be "pushing shit up hill".
 
Isn't there an aphorism about that?
Enough said.

Further note: I am "reliably informed" that the engineer in charge of designing and building the Robertson Sewerage Scheme is shortly to leave the employment of the Wingecarribee Shire. 

If that report is true, my only comment is that if Council had listened to the voices of the local residents, rather than people with an ideological fixation about sewerage disposal, in the first place, the stupid decisions which were made at the very outset could have been overturned, and all this potentially flawed system with these "satellite pumps" and the Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) on top of a hill could have been avoided. And Council could have dispensed with the services of the particular engineer some 10 years ago, and we could have got a simple gravity feed system.
 
After all, we were assured that the Robertson Sewerage Scheme would be a State of the Art, environmentally sensitive system, using natural reed bed filtration, etc. Sounded wonderful.

We have ended up with a totally artificial treatment plant on a concrete slab, inside a steel shed, on top of a hill. Noise and smell will be ongoing issues to be dealt with.

And this system requires regular pump-outs, to allow solid material to be removed. The access road to the STP is narrow and steep and then it requires a re-build of the bridge over Caalang*** Creek (on Caalong*** Street), before such heavy vehicles can safely leave the village.
(*** Yes the creek and the street are spelled differently).

Not only does this system require a holding tank at the bottom end of the village, with a pump to force the untreated sewage up hill, through narrow pipes, under great pressure. 

It also requires a creek crossing, which is the greatest weak point in the system's design, for any spill will take untreated sewage straight into the local drinking water supply, 2 Km downstream, in Wingecarribee Reservoir.

The location of the STP on top of the hill then requires a further creek crossing (yet another weak point in the design) for the treated effluent to be pumped down the hill, across the creek, about 8 Km of pipes to get the effluent to a point below the Wingecarribee Dam, where the effluent can be "safely disposed of".

5 comments:

Flabmeister said...

Was the engineer involved in the design of the Land Rover Discovery? From my experience yesterday the spare wheel and jack non-systems of that vehicle seem to incorporate much of the non-thought involved in your crap system (sic).

Perhaps it will please him that the citizens of Robertson will think of him each time they recover from a good curry?

Martin

Denis Wilson said...

I doubt my man was involved with the Land Rover Discovery.
It does at least fit down the road for which it was made.
But I do hope he is a backyard mechanic who likes to play with British vehicles.
A garage with 4 Land Rovers in it would be a fitting way for him to spend his retirement.
Cheers
Denis

Flabmeister said...

Denis

That is a wonderful curse to lay upon someone. Has the Robbo Show Society given any thought to running a community competition for the best decorated Dalek? I am thinking of the ways people are painting the traffic light control boxes around Canberra (which will be the subject of a blogpost as soon as I can get around to taking some photos)!

Martin

Denis Wilson said...

Hi Martin
At present they are still inside their "egg shells" (obviously revealing their Reptilian origins - sift shells).
So, not has been decorated as far as I know.
Nor are there any "spares" around, either. But it is a brilliant suggestion.
I am familiar with the public art which the Canberra authorities (ACTEW or similar) encouraged, as serious artworks tend to not then be "graffitied over", whereas blanks spaces become a magnet for spray can art and "tags".
Must be an urban thing, by the way.
Robbo has practically no "tagging".
Cheers
Denis

Denis Wilson said...

Silly me.
I meant to write: "still inside their "egg shells" (obviously revealing their Reptilian origins - soft shells)"
Denis