Australian Drought Stirs F1 Controversy
Australian meteorologists have called the prolonged drought affecting the country the worst in a century. Various governmental agencies have stepped in to provide assistance to farmers and corporate giants like Woolworths have donated money in an effort to offset the farmers loss after 5 years of parched farmland.
With the Australian Grand Prix a short two months away organizers of the event have also stepped forward with plans to mitigate the effects the F1 weekend may have on the water supply.
In the past, all water used during the Australian GP has been taken from local drinking supplies, but this year organizers plan to use retained storm water from Albert Park lake for trackside irrigation.
AGPC chief executive Tim Bamford has said utilizing Albert Park’s storm-water will greatly reduce the amount of drinking water needed to ready the circuit. The newspaper ‘Herald Sun’ said the organizers intend to use the lake water “to soften the racetrack edges” ahead of the AGP in March.
Plans are also online to install waterless urinals, drought-resistant plants and use less grass in landscaping.
All well and good, but where’s the controversy you ask?
By using the storm water from Lake Albert its level will decrease by about 1.5cm. (or .590 inches for the metrically challenged - like me) Local sailing groups that sail the soon to be “not so high seas” are raising a stink and claim lack of rain has already left Albert Park lake too empty.
Again you ask, “so where’s the controversy?”
Frankly I have no frickin’ idea, a 1/2 an inch hardly seems significant for any boat owner regardless the size of craft he pilots. If the lake is “too empty” now what will it be minus 1/2 an inch, Lake Gairdner?
Then there’s the “less important” factor, at least to them, of choosing to deplete the water table as in years past or use water from Lake Albert that is essentially run-off from what little rain that has fallen.
But what do they care right? They don’t need no stinkin’ drinking water they’re sipping overpriced “mineral water” while the rest of the citizens make do with government purified and supplied water from the water table. What’s left of it anyway.
Somebodies priorities are screwy.
Austalia, Australian Grand Prix, Sports, Melbourne, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle
Wankers!!! Where was the out cry over the summer at the MCG hosting the cricket tests & the one day matches against the Poms. How much water was required for that?? Although I dont know where the MCG gets it’s water.Hmmm
No this is just the F1 guys being very PR careful, the drought down here is very serious, with water restrictions common. Good thing the Aust open tennis, currently being played, is not on the grass at Kooyong any more. Regardless the F1 must go on & the amount of water used is a fraction of the day to day problems the drought has caused. ;-(
What no comment of my Lake Gairdner reference?
I thought it was rather cute, guess not. I tend to think these idiot boat owners are pretty damn selfish.
In essence what they are saying is to hell with the drought. To hell with any efforts on the part of AGP organizers to mitigate the water shortage crisis and still run a show that produces hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economy.
All because of a 1/2 inch loss of water level… water that isn’t used for anything but pretty photographs and their boats.
A pox on their house.
As usual, the story shouldn’t be about the F1 race and the drought, but about the drought and what the government is doing to alleviate the problem.
The typical, “we have a water shortage, let’s cancel life as we know it” approach never works. Why don’t they also ban the aerosol spritzer bottles that many race fans carry to cool down as well? That might save a gallon or two!
With such a lack of rain I suppose the Brolly Girls won’t be so “Brolly!”
A pox on their house? I can’t organise that, although when I’m down at Albert Park this year & take a walk by the pissy little lake/pond I will be certain to pass on your curse.