Thursday, January 27, 2011

25-year water plan fails to make Sydney water smart --18 October 2004

A 25-year plan for Sydney’s water supplies released today has failed to take the hard decisions necessary to help the city become smarter in how it uses water, Greens MLC Ian Cohen said.
“The Premier’s announcement today is a lost opportunity. He has tried to relieve everyone’s concern over dwindling water supplies by spending big dollars on what are really just more efficient methods of plundering the resource we are running out of.
“But Sydney’s water future will not be saved simply by spending more money sinking new bores, deepwater pumping and building new pipes to the Shoalhaven River.
“Tens of millions of litres of stormwater and of wastewater in sewage are there to be harvested but it will continue to simply drain away because the Carr Government has not taken the hard decisions necessary.
“Sydney could have a sustainable water supply but that would require much greater effort to conserve and recycle water than this government has so far made.
“Permanent low-level water restrictions on outdoor water use, greater financial incentives for rainwater tanks and greywater and effluent recycling in homes are all vital if Sydney is to have a sustainable water supply in the future.”
Mr Cohen said the Premier has also tried to excuse Sydney Water from greater effort or accountability for its incredibly bad record on recycling water.
“Sydney Water failed to meet its demand management targets in 2000 and 2001 and it is on track to fail in 2004/2005. It discharges more than 450 gigalitres of wastewater as sewage effluent each year but has managed to recycle only 11 gigalitres.”
Mr Cohen called for an urgent restructure of bulk water pricing to remove the conflict of interest between selling water and conserving water that currently exists between Sydney Water and the Sydney Catchment Authority.

Further Information: Paul Sheridan, 0410 516 656

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