Question: "Does storm water have an economic value?"
     


Mike Young: "The economic side of which, which actually
     fascinates me, is that people in the past thought the storm water
     wasn't a useful resource. And suddenly people are finding that it
     has actually value and they're starting to hold it and claim it
     as theirs. With tradeable water taken into the equation and with
     high water prices ariving, people are starting to argue over
     who actually owns the storm water and that is a fascinating
     debate. You can imagine the local council saying: 'it's ours' and
     the sewerage treatment authority saying: 'no, it's ours'. There's
     a lot of detail been actually sorted out in law as well as in the
     environmental management bill. A fascinating area.
     


And that was Mike Young from CSIRO Land and Water. For more
     information on that story call the CSIRO on 1300 363 400.