Dam Good Decisions on Desalination and Tallowa - 8 February 2006

The Greens have welcomed the double announcement that the Government will shelve plans for Sydney’s desalination plant, and that it will not raise the walls of Tallowa Dam.

“I would like to congratulate the Government for listening to the public demands against the desalination plant - for listening to common sense. The public have shown that they are willing to play their part in ensuring Sydney has a sustainable supply of water by significantly reducing household water use. There is now a greater opportunity for cooperation between the community and the NSW Government,” Mr Cohen said.

However, Mr Cohen remained wary of mass water extraction from underground aquifers.

“Aquifers are a limited source of water, so this is not an ultimate solution to Sydney’s water supply. There could be unknown impacts on surrounding ecosystems as a result of groundwater extraction on this scale.

“I hope this is the first step towards abandoning the desalination plans permanently. If the government continues to work productively with the community to find sustainable water solutions then dam levels should never reach the 30 per cent level. The desalination plans will be relegated to history.

“Sydney does not have a shortage of water. Our annual rainfall is greater than that of London. We just need to stop so much of that water going to waste. This can be done with permanent low level water restrictions, demand management, stormwater harvesting and recycling. The government finally seems to be getting the message that a combination of these strategies can secure a sustainable supply of water for Sydney,” Mr Cohen said.

“Today’s announcement by the Premier not to raise the Tallowa dam walls is a great win for the environment. This also points towards the opportunity for shared management of water resources between the government and the community.

“The government’s commitment to manage an existing resource is a significant win for the community and the tourist industry on the South Coast as well as a huge plus for the environment. This decision will prevent the inundation of significant areas of bushland.

“I am confident that in the future the Iemma Government will be applauded for a wise conservation decision on this matter.” Mr Cohen said.