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Making sense of water plansPlans to take water from irrigators to avoid implementing water recycling plans have been described as ‘bizarre’ by the Mayor of the rural Wellington Shire Council. By Wellington Shire Council - 14th November 2006 - Back to News "I think they got too much sun," said Cr Malcolm Hole.
"The idea makes no sense at all. It is bizarre."
The Mayor’s comments follow media reports that consultants had recommended that the state government buy water from irrigators rather than build a water recycling plant.
Cr Hole said irrigators put water to productive use and any suggestion that this use was somehow of low value was not backed by reality.
"Water is an essential input into the dairy industry, which is this state’s largest export industry," said Cr Hole.
"It also provides the fresh milk for our cereal and coffees.
"I cannot understand why anyone would suggest that we stop this productive use and cripple a major industry just to avoid implementing water recycling plans."
The concept of buying water from agricultural producers because it would ‘cost less’ than recycling water does not adequately take into account the cost of pipelines, pumping stations, other infrastructure and energy to get that water to urban consumers the Mayor said.
The annual maintenance costs would be an added burden.
"It also takes no account of the value of lost agricultural production and lost export revenue, nor the impact on rural communities," said Cr Hole.
"It’s a pity that the recommendations of many consultants seem to lack of broad understanding of both urban and regional impacts."
The Mayor said that recycling Melbourne water was essential if we were to stop the drain on our major water resources.
"There is a strong belief that better use of water in urban areas is a key to overall better water management.
"The recycling and reuse of Melbourne water makes a lot of sense," said Cr Hole.
While the recycling proposal to reuse Melbourne water in Gippsland at least shows some creative thinking, a forward plan to reuse Melbourne water in Melbourne would make even more sense.
"It would tackle a problem at source and would provide considerable savings by avoiding the environmental and financial costs of piping extra water across the state."
According to the Mayor, the movement of key resources around the state to support growth remote from those resources is unnecessary and puts a massive environmental and financial impost on Victorians. The real cost of this is now apparent in the desperate measures currently being suggested.
"It makes a lot more sense to encourage development near the resources," said Cr Hole.
"This applies to all resources. The difficulties and cost in piping water is a case in point, but the same applies to other industries.
"Electricity transmission losses in the power lines between Melbourne and where it is generated in Gippsland account for around 5% of the power produced. Transmission beyond Melbourne incurs even greater losses.
"We could reduce greenhouse emissions by a massive 5% just by putting development in Gippsland rather than Melbourne.
"That would save many millions of tonnes of CO2 without any change in behaviour or introducing new technologies," said Cr Hole.
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
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