Gas drilling and fracking

Amidst the gas drilling frenzy across Australia and the limp coverage of it by our media I’ve found this recent blog by one of my favourite energy writers, James Kunstler, and some of it is here: “• The fracking fluid is a secret proprietary cocktail formula amounting to 5 percent of the liquid injected into the earth. It’s composed of: sand; a jelling agent to suspend the sand because water is not “thick” enough; biocides to kill bacteria that... Read More

When your pump runs dry

No, this is not a song. But it can help to sing when your pump runs dry; who knows, it may bring peace to your otherwise un-abluted flesh and grumpy heart, and distract you from the debris of a shower that won’t work in the morning. Pumps are pretty simple creatures but can put a Buddhist monk back years on the path to simplicity and inner peace. For now, let’s list how to fix one type of pump, the self-priming pump: - to prime the pump’s belly undo the largish... Read More

Stormwater control on billion dollar project

Billion dollar stormwater control Walking back down Broadway today I checked the stormwater pond on the north western corner of the billion dollar Frasers’ Broadway project.  The photo shows world best practice stormwater control which is directing muddy water off site to Blackwattle Bay.  A pit in the centre of the muddy pond has some fabric pinned into the mud by four star pickets and the water in the pond fills and enters through the fabric to the stormwater pipes... Read More

Brown muddy stormwater in Broadway

Brown mud in grate from Fraser's building site, Broadway On Saturday, yesterday, I took a photo of brown muddy water in the stormwater grate on the southern side of Broadway at the intersection with Abercrombie.  The pollution was from the rain last week. Now the stormwater from the Fraser’s site has been piped underground along the footpath to discharge into the grate below ground we will no longer see this pollution when it happens.  From here the stormwater runs... Read More

All drains lead to Chippendale

Another day another drain, more digging, more diesel and petrol and silt and dust into the air and the drains and Sydney Harbour. ‘What is it now?”, you ask? The circular through my door today, announces “Night works in Abercrombie Street from Irving to Broadway”. For the next six months + – yes, ’ 6 – 7’ – the diggers, trucks, sludge, shouts, groans and tra la la-ing will happen seven night a week there.  It’s about 100 metres of Abercrombie that’s... Read More