Features
Desal wrong given Coast's rainfall
Bill Hoffman 10th February 2010
THE State Government’s push for a desalination plant for the Sunshine Coast has been described as being at odds with the region’s 1400mm of rain a year.
In its formal response to the government, the Sunshine Coast Council says the future water strategy for South-East Queensland should not be decided until the number of people it will need to support is determined.
The council wants further consideration of the strategy delayed until after Premier Anna Bligh’s growth summit to in Brisbane on March 30-31.
It has questioned the Queensland Water Commission’s population growth projections, saying those to 2021 are 6% higher than previously stated, and those to 2051 are 8% higher.
The submission is a further toughening of council’s response to a raft of State Government planning documents, all of which put the region’s population at around 500,000 within the next 20 years.
In the past fortnight, councillors and Mayor Bob Abbot have reassured peak community groups they will hold the line on planning being done on the basis of sustainability rather than population targets.
Council’s water strategy submission has rejected desalination as a suitable long-term solution and considers one sited to the north-west of the Sunshine Coast Airport as counter to its long-term interests.
It criticised the strategy’s failure to adequately factor uncertainty about future energy and carbon offset costs.
The submission described as “somewhat incongruous” the option of servicing future growth with desalination in a region that enjoys 1400mm of rain a year.
And it questioned whether the desalination option has simply been a knee-jerk reaction to the rejection of the Traveston Crossing Dam.
The submission argued a Marcoola desalination plant would force the redrawing – at an environmental, economic and social cost – of council’s airport master plan which was approved by the government in 2007.
Council has also expressed concern at potential environmental impacts, including from the brine discharge to sea, north of Old Woman Island, and from the pipeline that will pass through national parks and conservation reserves.
Read more about the proposed desalination plant in the news.
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Recent comments on this article
HOORAY! The Sunshine Coast has a multitude of cheaper and more sustainable water solutions.
Most of the strategies available to us on the Sunshine Coast will EVEN address key climate change issues (AND NOT ADD TO THEM).
Given all the current indications such strategies in the future WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING from Emission Trading Schemes and Carbon TAXES.... DUH!
Could we be so lucky? (Or smart – C’mon Bob!) We can set the Sunshine Coast up to get future funding to fix our water woes by DOING THE RIGHT THING?
OR DO WE PAY EMISSION TAXES FOR EVER TO RUN AN ENERGY HUNGARY DESAL PLANT WE DO NOT NEED..
The hidden truths are the Massive costs to run and maintain Desalination plants and the overall Environmental vandalism they represent.
Especially at a time when Electricity prices are rapidly rising and emissions from extra electricity will be massive and taxable.
It’s ironic that humans mess up nature in the first place and then go trying to fix the problem with a solution that will make the original problem worse.
Given the money and time (that would have gone into a desal plant PLUS future Emission Tax rebates/funding) The Sunshine coast could lead the world in showcasing a successful Local Water Cycle Regeneration Program. It may become a big export business for us which could be duplicated world wide further funding our own program.
The Sunshine Coast region is perfect for this, it just takes some long term planning and effective use of a few billion dollars over 50 years (read desalination plant money)
This could be done by clever planning and by using"INTELLIGENT" water management strategies, land use strategies and most importantly, re greening denuded landscapes, forests, greenbelts, and farmland.
This would gradually increase local rainfall and slow down the rate that excess runoff and floodwaters run out to sea through our carefully designed homes, businesses, gardens, waterways and farms in such a way that will also replenish the regional water tables as well.
There is plenty of such expertise in Australia but so far no council or Government bodies are looking to the future to instigate such a (Now) vitally important plan for our future.
The Sunshine Coast could be importing the money from Carbon Taxes Imposed on those areas which choose to use inefficient means of sustaining their populations.
We are on the verge of a very important choice right now.
DONT ENSLAVE OUR CHILDREN TO AN UNSUSTAINABLE AND EXPENSIVE FUTURE.
Lets also remember its places like Saudi Arabia that need Desalination Plants.
The Sunshine Coast does not.
Firstly, the desal plant is for the SEQ water grid, not for local consumption. Secondly, where are all those newly born environmental activists that shut down the Mary River dam? Desal is far worse for the environment, if only for the electricity it consumes. The only activity I have seen is few petitions lying around the Loaded Lizard at Mudjimba. All I have heard is the usual babbling rubbish from the usual suspects.
The Mayor could confidently reassure community groups that planning will be done "on the basis of sustainability rather than population targets" because the SEQ Regional Plan contains a similar commitment to sustainability but no population targets, just estimates.
Underneath the "population target" rhetoric is a legitimate community group campaign to reduce the Coast's quota of the new dwellings deemed to be required in SEQ because of estimated population growth.