Now is the time to get serious about water security and put in place infrastructure for water recycling in Sydney, said Greens MLC Ian Cohen today, noting that Sydney Water had admitted a desalination plant was now considered an emergency fall-back position.
“The Government has argued against recycling as a solution to Sydney’s water shortages on the basis that it would take 3 to 4 years to put in place. We have known about the potential for drought and water shortages for decades. It’s time for the Government to stop sitting on its hands. If we start putting water recycling facilities in place now, we won’t have to fall back on the last resort of desalination in the future” Mr Cohen said.
“Tens of millions of litres of stormwater and of wastewater in sewage are there to be harvested but it will continue to simply drain and pollute unless the Iemma Government makes the hard decisions that are necessary.
“A desalination plant producing 500 million litres of fresh water a day would create more than 1.25 million tonnes of greenhouse emissions each year. Unless the NSW Government can find clean, renewable energy to run such a plant, this would be the equivalent of putting 250,000 new cars on the road each year.”
Mr Cohen said step-pricing, minimum performance standards for water appliances and permanent low-level water restrictions would not only produce no greenhouse gases but would save more water than a desalination plant would create.
“It’s time for the Iemma Government to get smart on Sydney’s water future. Start laying the groundwork for water recycling and efficiency, and consign the desalination plant to the salty grave where it belongs” said Mr Cohen.
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