Expensive water?

A cheeky post from Robert Merkies at Benambra questions the economics of Victorian Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu's proposal to construct a dam close to Melbourne on the Maribyrnong. Ignoring the environmental costs, which Robert mentions, the cost per delivered megalitre of water from this planned project seems to be about twice that from the proposed Perth desalination plant. If there are significant environmental costs, and these calculations are correct, the project looks a dud The project had previously been rejected as uneconomic by Melbourne Water.

This valuable post provides a reality check on the costs of this project. It is interesting that it occurs in the blogosphere. It is a punchier and more relevant commentary than that provided by the mainstream media.