Download `Snippetts Plus` January 2010 49.22. 26th Special congratulations

‘Snippetts Plus’
January 2010
49.22.
26th
Special congratulations
Maurice Wilhelm a long time member of the Murray Darling Association & Life Member, our own Region 6 Chairman was
today (Australia Day) recognised for his dedication being awarded an Order of Australia Medal.
Congratulations Maurice.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100121154921.htm
Managing Pacific Northwest Dams for a Changing Climate
Civil engineers at the University of Washington and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Seattle office have taken a first look
at how dams in the Columbia River basin, the nation's largest hydropower system, could be managed for a different climate.
They developed a new technique to determine when to empty reservoirs in the winter for flood control and when to refill
them in the spring to provide storage for the coming year. Computer simulations showed that switching to the new
management system under a warmer future climate would lessen summer losses in hydropower due to climate change by
about a quarter.
It would also bolster flows for fish by filling reservoirs more reliably. At the same time the approach reduced the risk of
flooding. The findings are published in the Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management. "There are anticipated
dramatic changes in the snowpack which ultimately will affect when the water comes into the Columbia's reservoirs," said
co-author Alan Hamlet, a UW research assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering who works in the UW's
Climate Impacts Group. "We were trying to develop new tools and procedures for changing flood control operating rules in
response to these changes in hydrology, and to test how well they work in practice."
"Changes in flood control operations constitute only one climate-change adaptation strategy," Hamlet added, "but our study
shows that incorporating climate change in flood management plans can improve the performance of existing water systems
in future climates." Predicted hydrologic changes for the Pacific Northwest, and other mountain regions, include less
springtime snowpack, earlier snow melt, earlier peaks in river flow and lower summer flows. Water managers currently use a
system based on historical stream-flow records to gauge when to open and close the floodgates as part of a legally binding
system that seeks to balance hydropower generation, flood risks, irrigation and other needs between regions.
The authors created a computer program that uses long-term forecasts rather than historical records to recalculate when to
begin filling and emptying the major storage reservoirs in the Columbia River basin in a warmer climate. They compared
historical conditions with a scenario where temperatures are 2 degrees Celsius higher on average than today, a change
expected in the Pacific Northwest by the second half of this century. The simulations suggested water managers could
successfully deal with warmer conditions by refilling the system's reservoirs as much as one month earlier in the spring.
"For some locations, due to the reduced snowpack and spring peak flow we don't need to worry as much about the floods
during the springtime," said lead author Se-Yeun Lee, who did the work for her doctorate at the UW and is now a UW
postdoctoral researcher.
"With reduced flood risk we can release less water and refill earlier. As a result we can supply more hydropower in summer
and more storage for other needs like fish flows." The project aims to help regional water managers develop methods to deal
with changes in the hydrological cycle. "In talking to water resource managers, they often feel stymied because currently
there are no established analytical procedures that can be used to rebalance their system for a different climate," Hamlet said.
"They see the problem, but the tools to deal with the problem are not in place." It likely will be years before these
management practices are formally changed, the authors said, but this study is a first step in that direction.
"We need to develop the tools to be able to handle a changing climate now, so we're not rushing when it becomes a problem,"
said co-author Stephen Burges, a UW professor of civil and environmental engineering. Carolyn Fitzgerald, a UW graduate
who is now at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Seattle, also is a co-author. Research funding was provided by the UW
Climate Impacts Group.
A bit of mirth
http://sj.farmonline.com.au/news/nationalrural/agribusiness-and-general/general/kekovich-names-and-shames-perpetrators-ofunaustralianism/1731895.aspx?src=enews
Kekovich names and shames perpetrators of un-Australianism
Sam Kekovich has touched down in Australia following his inaugural mission as the country's first Lambassador, and has
marked his return by naming and shaming people he says are guilty of "un-Australianism". Having taken his proposal for
International Australia Day to the United Nations and Donald Trump in New York, reviewed Curtis Stone’s G’day USA
menu in LA and encouraged the entire world to become more like Australia, Sam is back in town for his highly anticipated
local rant. In an attempt to remind fellow Australians to throw a lamb chop on the barbie and celebrate International Australia
Day on January 26, Sam has named and shamed those guilty of gross acts of local unAustralianism over the last year:
"My fellow Australians, as Lambassador of our great nation, I’ve been urging the rest of the world to follow our example and
eat lamb on International Australia Day," Kekovich said.
"But that doesn’t mean us Aussies should rest on our laurels.
"UnAustralian behaviour was still a very real problem in Australia over the last year."
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As examples he cited the following:
• "Vegemite, a national icon, was smeared with the name iSnack2.0. iSack would have been more appropriate – the whole
marketing department, for starters. (Or maybe iRack, for a bit more of a lamb flavour.)
• "What about shock jock Kyle Sandilands? If he put a lamb cutlet in his mouth now and then, instead of his foot, he might
not have been punted so often.
• "Speaking of the Punter, what was Ricky Ponting doing popping Swisse vitamin pills during the Ashes, instead of a few
nutritious, juicy Aussie lamb chops? He was doing ads for them as well. No wonder the Poms got the better of us.
• "And while I’m on the Poms, what about Prince William coming over for a visit, but not hanging around for Australia Day?
Thank goodness he attended a lamb barbie while he was here, or he shouldn’t have bothered coming at all."
Kekovich says "unAustralianism remains a threat to our way of life".
"Which is why on International Australia Day, every Aussie needs to join the rest of the planet, in throwing lots of nice juicy
lamb chops on the barbie," he said.
http://sj.farmonline.com.au/news/nationalrural/agribusiness-and-general/political/storm-brews-over-glacierblunder/1732856.aspx?src=enews
Storm brews over glacier blunder
A mistake about the timing of melting glaciers has snowballed into an unprecedented assault on the credibility of climate
science, after revelations that an author of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's report knew that
one passage was wrong but included it anyway. Pressure is now mounting on the head of the IPCC, Rajendra Pachauri, with
further elements of the IPCC's report being brought into question and the separate announcement of a government inquiry
into climate data in Britain. As well as the glacier mistake, the IPCC said at the weekend that it would re-examine a passage
about the relationship between climate change and extreme weather events such as hurricanes in its 2007 report.
Scientists who uncovered the error about the timing of melting glaciers in the Himalayas told the Herald that the conclusions
of the report are right, and that fixing such errors are a routine part of the scientific process. An Australian lead author of the
report, Professor Andy Pitman, also said the mistake did not affect the veracity of the UN body's conclusions. He said that
scientists were being subjected to ''an orchestrated campaign that's exactly the same as that was used by the smoking lobby to
try and discredit science''. The author of the offending passage in the IPCC's working group report, Dr Murari Lal, has
conceded that the claim that Himalayan glaciers could melt by 2035 is not supported by peer-reviewed science, but said he
included it anyway.
''It related to several countries in this region and their water sources,'' he was quoted as saying in Britain's Daily Mail
newspaper. ''We thought that if we can highlight it, it will impact policymakers and politicians and encourage them to take
some concrete action. It had importance for the region, so we thought we should put it in.'' Dr Lal's passage ignored the
IPCC's guidelines on using peer-reviewed science as a basis for its assertions, and the UN body conceded last week that it
should have been edited out of its working group report. However, the inaccurate passage was not included in the ''summary
for policymakers'' section of the report which forms the basis of government responses to climate change.
As the Herald revealed on Saturday, the flaw was highlighted during the review process in August 2006 and had been shown
to be wrong several times before and since the report's publication. One of the expert reviewers who picked up the error, Dr
Hayley Fowler of Newcastle University in Britain, said her own research had suggested the claim was wrong. Dr Fowler, a
hydro climatologist, pointed out that while winters in the western Himalayas were warmer, summers had been cooler in
recent years, meaning that some glaciers in the west have been growing, not receding like others around the world.
Dr Fowler said the scale of the task of putting the report together meant that no one editor could be an expert on every aspect
of each chapter. ''Given the size of literature that needs to be read to put the IPCC report together though, I am sure that
occasional errors may occur,'' she told the Herald. ''The good thing is that it has been spotted and will now be put right. It
does not mean that all the other conclusions of the IPCC report are wrong.'' A British parliamentary committee will examine
the theft of data and emails from the University of East Anglia last year and examine the implications for scientific research.
Professor Pitman joined other scientists from within and outside the IPCC to say that the errors in the 2007 report should be
seen in context.
''There are 1600 pages in the working group reports and after two years there are two paragraphs which have been found to
have errors in them. By any standard these are remarkably accurate documents, but I don't believe anyone ever said they were
perfect. The point of research is that we pick up errors like this.''
http://sj.farmonline.com.au/news/nationalrural/agribusiness-and-general/political/coalition-urges-action-onclimate/1733035.aspx?src=enews
Coalition urges action on climate
The Opposition is seeking to get on the front foot in the climate debate by offering bipartisan support for Australia and
Indonesia to host a meeting of the major economies. Spokesman Greg Hunt will say in a letter to Climate Change Minister
Penny Wong this week that Australia and Indonesia would represent a ''strong partnership'' between the developed and
developing world. The two countries could spark a new round of international talks, beginning with the core players and
working towards genuine binding reductions, the letter will say. The Coalition is also only days off releasing its climate
alternative, which eschews an emissions trading scheme.
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On another front, the Southern Cross Climate Coalition, which includes unions, conservationists, the welfare sector and the
Climate Institute, has written to the Prime Minister urging that Australia confirm in its submission to the Copenhagen Accord
its commitment to reducing emissions by 25 per cent by 2020 as part of an international effort. The Major Economies Forum
of 17 economies, launched by US President Barack Obama and building on an initiative of George Bush, met last year in
Italy. The aim was to add momentum to the Copenhagen conference, but it didn't have much impact. There has not been
another forum meeting scheduled.
Mr Hunt writes: ''In light of the failure of the Copenhagen talks and the UN climate process we offer bipartisan support for
Australia to jointly host a meeting of the Major Economies Forum with Indonesia. ''We believe that the most important step
forward now is for the United States and China along with countries such as Indonesia, Brazil, Russia and the European
Union to begin small group meetings aimed at ensuring there is a genuine path forward for significant emissions reductions
from the major countries.
''Australia and Indonesia would represent a strong partnership between the developed and developing world and therefore
could help drive forward a new round of international talks. ''We believe that it is fundamental that Australia seeks genuine
binding reductions from the key sources of global emissions growth - China, India and Indonesia - in addition to developed
world commitments.'' The Opposition supported the Government's target range for Copenhagen of 5 per cent to 25 per cent,
depending on international efforts. Australia will submit its position on its targets by January 31.
The climate coalition says the current level of global ambition means that the conditions the Government set for Australia to
adopt a 15 per cent target are likely to be met, and that, while challenging, the conditions for the 25 per cent target could still
be met. In addition to the Australian submission, Mr Rudd should make a clear statement recognising the movement from
other countries, that the conditions for the 15 per cent target are likely to be met, and that Australia will be doing all it can to
get a stronger outcome, the climate coalition says.
http://theland.farmonline.com.au/news/state/agribusiness-and-general/general/snowy-in-dire-state-on-lifesupport/1732857.aspx?src=enews
Snowy in dire state on 'life support'
Water that the State Government plans to release from Lake Jindabyne dam into the Snowy River over the next three days
will do no more than supply ''life support'' to a river which is dying through neglect, a local watchdog body has claimed.
From today extra water - above the usual 100 megalitres a day - will be released from the dam to ''minimise the likelihood of
poor water quality in pools in the Snowy River below the dam,'' the NSW Office of Water said. The release will peak at 870
megalitres tomorrow and dwindle to 80 megalitres on Wednesday, but the vice chairman of the Snowy River Alliance,
Louise Crisp, said this would not enough to restore the series of deep pools in the 24-kilometre stretch from Jindabyne to
Dalgety.
''This will have short-term benefit,'' she said. ''It would require greater flows over a period of time to have any real benefit.
The Snowy Scientific Committee said it would need at least a week during hot spells in summer.'' Very few fish can now live
in the pools because water near the surface has become too hot, and the cold water beneath is deprived of oxygen, she said. It
was one symptom of ecological distress, among many, to be found along the Snowy. The scientific committee had described
the state of the river as dire, she said.
The State Government, she said, had signed ''a death warrant for the Snowy'' by deciding that for years to come the river
should get about 4 per cent of the original flows it enjoyed before 1967, the year almost every drop of its headwaters was
captured in Jindabyne dam and diverted west. ''It's had its headwaters swiped and that hasn't been remedied despite
mountains of legislation,'' she said. ''It's in a critical state because it has had flows of less than 5 per cent for more than 40
years below Jindabyne.''
Her group is calling for an independent audit to assess the lack of progress in providing flows to the river. The State
Government had signed a deed with the federal and Victorian governments in 2002 that set a target of 15 per cent of the
natural flow to be released into the river by June 2009, Ms Crisp said. Instead, just 4 per cent was released last year. This
meant the state was not on track to meet subsequent undertakings, including a target of 21 per cent by June 2012, and 28 per
cent after that, she said.
The deed was designed to restore the Snowy over 10 years, but the increased flows to save the river were targets rather than
mandatory minimum requirements, she said. NSW government agencies had used the drought as an excuse not to fulfil their
obligations. A spokeswoman for the NSW Water Minister, Phil Costa, said the short-term release was on the scientific
committee's advice and, despite the worst drought on record, 212 gigalitres had been sent down the Snowy.
AWA – Water Sector News
1. A report into the expected impacts on Tasmania's water availability in the future has found that climate change could
reduce both rainfall and runoff in the state by 2030. The CSIRO Tasmania Sustainable Yields report looks at the impacts of
climate variability and expected climate change, catchment development and changing groundwater extraction on the
availability and the use of water resources in Tasmania.
Media Release – Senator the Hon Penny Wong – Minister for Climate Change and Water
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON TASMANIA’S WATER AVAILABILITY
Climate change is expected to reduce both rainfall and runoff in Tasmania by 2030, a report into Tasmania’s future water
availability has today found.
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The CSIRO Tasmania Sustainable Yields report - a snapshot of the expected impacts on Tasmania’s water availability into
the future – was released today in Hobart by the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong. The 18month project, undertaken in partnership with the Tasmanian Government, looked at the impacts of climate variability and
expected climate change, catchment development and changing groundwater extraction on the availability and use of water
resources in Tasmania.
Surface water and groundwater across almost 50,000 sq km of northern, eastern and central Tasmanian – approximately 72
per cent of Tasmania – was considered for the report. The report found:
The recent climate (1997-2007) had been significantly drier than the historical climate.
By 2030, the projected impact of climate change on rainfall will be a 3 per cent reduction under a median future climate
(ranging from an increase of 1 to a decrease of 7 per cent under wet and dry extremes).
The reduction in rainfall is projected to lead to a 5 per cent reduction in runoff under a median climate (ranging from an
increase of 1 to a decrease of 10 per cent under wet and dry extremes).
Of 150 key ecological sites identified in this project, 71 are potentially impacted by changes in the flow regime due to the
recent climate and its significant drought conditions.
Senator Wong said the findings of the report were critical to the development of water management initiatives for Tasmania.
“The Australian Government is working with all states and territories to prepare for the impacts of climate change, including
reduced water availability,” Senator Wong said.
“We know from the Bureau of Meteorology’s 2009 Annual Climate Statement that 2009 was the second hottest year in
Australia on record and finished off the hottest decade in Australian history.
“The project findings will provide critical information needed to underpin statutory water management planning in Tasmania
and to assist in developing sustainable irrigation proposals.’’
The report is one in a series of sustainable yields projects commissioned by the Australian Government, following on from
the Murray-Darling Basin Sustainable Yields project. The Australian Government provided $4.2 million under its Water for
the Future plan for the project. .
Regional briefings on the report will be held in Hobart (Jan 20), Burnie (Jan 21) and Launceston (Jan 22). The full report is
available at: www.csiro.au/partnerships/TasSY.html
2. The NSW government has agreed to send at least 148ml of floodwater downstream to help revive the lower lakes at the
mouth of the Murray River in SA. The extra flows would prevent further environmental damage to the Lower Lakes and
delay the need for a weir at Pomanda Island.
3. Following well-publicised epidemics of Dengue Fever affecting far North Queensland, the NT Department of Health and
Families (DHF) has reassured the public that there is no risk of dengue being acquired in the NT. Transmission of the dengue
virus from mosquitoes to humans has not occurred in the NT since the late 1950s. The Department attributes this to its
meticulous surveillance and mosquito controls.
http://www.health.nt.gov.au/Agency/News_Archive/NT_still_a_Dengue_Free_Zone/indexdl_2280.aspx
With well-publicised epidemics of dengue fever currently affecting far North Queensland, the NT Department of Health and
Families (DHF) has reassured the public that there is no risk of dengue being acquired in the NT. "Transmission of the
dengue virus from mosquitoes to humans has not occurred in the NT since the late 1950s," explained DHF Acting Chief
Health Officer Dr Steven Skov. "This is largely due to meticulous surveillance and mosquito control programs being run by
the Entomology Unit in the Department".
The dengue mosquito, Aedes aegypti, which is responsible for the Queensland outbreak, disappeared from the NT in the late
1950s and any subsequent incursions have been eradicated. DHF's Entomology Unit has in place several surveillance systems
to detect the mosquito should it return. Mosquito trapping is conducted weekly for the purpose of species identification.
In addition, egg detection traps, which reveal receptacle-breeding mosquitoes (that include the dengue mosquito) are checked
every fortnight in major centres and port areas. Regular water- filled container surveys are also carried out in at-risk towns
each year to ensure these towns are free of the dengue mosquito.
There have been two recent occasions when the dengue mosquito was detected in the NT - on Groote Eylandt in 2006 and in
Tennant Creek in 2004. "In both cases the mosquito was eradicated thanks to the extra hard work by the Entomology Unit,"
Dr Skov added. "The only way dengue could be re-established in the NT is under very specific circumstances. There are two
main vectors of dengue fever: the dengue mosquito and the Asian Tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus). "Although neither
exists in the Territory, both are potential threats as they could be introduced from either Queensland or from overseas. In
Australia the dengue mosquito is confined to Queensland (see map attached). The Asian tiger mosquito is currently restricted
to certain Torres Strait islands, but there is an imminent risk of it spreading to the mainland."
"In order for the virus to be transmitted in the NT, we would firstly have to see one of these mosquito species become
established here. Then a person who already has the dengue virus in their system would have to be in the Territory and get
bitten by that species of mosquito. That mosquito would have to survive for the 8-12 days it takes for the virus to replicate in
its system. Only then could the virus be transmitted to another human." The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service
(AQIS) also has surveillance programs which regularly detect these mosquitoes in water-holding containers on foreign
vessels. The Service's vigilance is crucial in keeping the NT dengue-free. The public can also help maintain the NT denguefree by eliminating all water-holding receptacles that would enable dengue mosquitoes to gain a foothold.
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Dr Skov emphasised that the Territory does have the mosquito vectors of other diseases, such as Ross River virus disease and
Murray Valley encephalitis. "There's no doubt that covering up against mosquitoes is still important. Territorians should take
precautions against mosquito bites by using insect repellant containing 20% DEET or Picaridin; wearing protective clothing;
and avoiding areas near coastal swamps and mangrove areas - especially around dusk," Dr Skov said.
4. The Environmental Protection Authority in Western Australia has released advice and recommendations to the Minister for
Environment on the proposal to expand the Port of Albany. The proposal involves dredging in Princess Royal Harbour and
King George Sound for a shipping channel, berth pocket and turning basin. The agency has recommended stringent
monitoring of the seawater during and after dredging.
http://www.epa.wa.gov.au/article.asp?ID=3104&area=News&CID=18&Category=Media+Statements
EPA Report 1346 - Albany Port Expansion
The Environmental Protection Authority has released advice and recommendations to the Minister for Environment on the
proposal to expand the Port of Albany by the Albany Port Authority. The proposal involves dredging in Princess Royal
Harbour and King George Sound for a shipping channel, berth pocket and turning basin. Dredged material would be used to
reclaim land to construct an additional berth adjacent to the port, with excess dredge material placed in deep water within
King George Sound. Up to 12 million cubic metres of material would be dredged over a seabed area of approximately 247
hectares.
EPA Chairman Paul Vogel said that the EPA considers that the dredging and disposal would need to be comprehensively
monitored and proactively managed to ensure that the Albany Port Authority’s predicted impacts are not exceeded and that
the ecological values of Princess Royal Harbour, King George Sound and Oyster Harbour are not compromised. ‘A number
of submissions expressed a view that the APA should have selected the outer disposal site as part of the proposal to minimise
environmental impacts on King George Sound.
‘However, APA has undertaken the necessary investigations for the EPA to conclude that the proposed inner spoil ground is
likely to be stable and not cause sedimentation of marine communities in King George Sound. ‘As the dumping of material
offshore requires a sea dumping permit under the Commonwealth Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Act 1981,
conditions will be imposed by the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts to require the APA to survey the
pre and post-dumping bathymetry of the disposal ground to verify the stability of the disposal ground.
‘The proposal will result in turbid plumes in a large portion of King George Sound and small portions of Princess Royal
Harbour and Oyster Harbour during the duration of the dredging campaign. ‘Recreational activities in King George Sound
such as swimming, diving and whale watching are likely to be affected by the plumes to varying degrees depending on the
timing and location of the dredge, and the prevailing wind and current conditions.
‘The EPA has recommended a condition to prevent dredging of the shipping channel in King George Sound during summer
to minimise impacts on sea grass communities. ‘This condition would also serve to minimise impacts on recreational
activities in the Sound by avoiding dredging of the channel when it is expected that the recreational usage of King George
Sound and Princess Royal Harbour will be at its highest. ‘For the commercial pilchard fishery, APA has committed to work
with the Department of Fisheries and fishing industry representatives to monitor the impacts of the proposal and there are still
opportunities to identify further measures to reduce impacts during the peak fishing season.
‘Also, a Community Stakeholder Reference Group should be established by the APA. Membership of the group should
comprise representatives from commercial dive operators, mussel farm operators, commercial fisheries, the City of Albany
and the Department of Water. ‘This group will need to be established prior to the commencement of dredging and be
regularly convened during the dredging program with issues to be considered to include the ways in which the dredge
schedule, timing and management can be planned to avoid or minimise impacts to the recreational users of King George
Sound, dive sites, aquaculture operations and the pilchard fishery’s peak season.
‘Mercury has been identified in sediments along a portion of the proposed shipping channel and there is a risk it may be bioavailable during dredging. ‘To reduce this risk, the APA has committed to selectively dredge this portion of the channel
without overflow and to place the material in the centre of the offshore spoil ground for burial. ‘However, there is still a small
risk that sediments containing mercury will enter the marine environment during dredging. ‘A key issue is the proximity of
the dredging to the mussel farms in the vicinity of Mistaken Island and the potential for mercury in sediments to enter the
food chain.
‘The EPA has recommended conditions which require the APA to monitor water and sediment quality during and after the
dredging program to ensure levels do not exceed concentrations that pose a risk to ecosystem integrity or human health.
‘It is also recommended that monitoring of mussels occur during the dredging program to ensure that seafood is fit for human
consumption at key sites such as the mussel farms in the vicinity of Mistaken Island. ‘The APA has developed a draft
Dredging and Land Reclamation Management Plan to manage the impacts of the proposal during dredging.
‘This Plan will say how APA will achieve the requirements set out in the recommended conditions and, most importantly,
what management responses would be undertaken before detrimental impacts occur. ‘The plan will require further
consultation with the Departments of Water, Health, Fisheries, and Environment and Conservation and will need to be
finalised prior to the commencement of dredging and be made publically available, as will all results of monitoring. ‘It is
unlikely that the EPA’s objectives would be compromised provided there is satisfactory implementation by the proponent of
the recommended conditions.'
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EPA Report 1346 is available at www.epa.wa.gov.au. There is a two week public appeal period on the report closing COB
1st February, 2009.
5. Testing at Sydney's state-of-the-art wind powered desalination plant is reaching final stages as the network is being
prepared to take desalinated drinking water. The plant will provide up to 15 per cent of Sydney's water supply as part of the
Sydney Metropolitan Water Plan to secure Sydney's ongoing water supply into the future alongside key initiatives such as
water recycling and water efficiency.
MEDIA RELEASE - Phil Costa - Minister for Water - Minister for Correctional Services
FINAL TESTING BEGINS AT SYDNEY’S DESALINATION PLANT
Final testing will begin at Sydney’s state of the art wind powered Desalination Plant today as part of the NSW Government’s
Sydney’s Metropolitan Water Plan. Once operational, the plant will supply up to 250 million litres daily to Sydney
households – up to15 per cent of Sydney’s water supply. Minister for Water, Phil Costa, said the water supplied by the
Desalination Plant will secure Sydney’s ongoing water supply into the future – alongside key initiatives such as water
recycling and water efficiency.
“The NSW Government is taking a comprehensive approach to securing the long-term water needs of Sydneysiders. We need
to continue to be vigilant with water wastage and ensure we continue to use global best practices to secure our precious water
supplies. “The new plant – 100 per cent powered by wind – will supply up to 1.5 million people across Sydney with part or
all of their water needs. “Water from the desalination plant will be the same quality as water from Sydney’s storage dams
- meeting the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
“Engineers at Sydney Water’s System Operations Centre are currently making adjustments to the water network to receive
water from the new 18-kilometre pipeline from Kurnell to Erskineville. Extensive testing needs to take place at the Plant
before water is supplied into the drinking water network. Once testing is complete, the plant will start supplying drinking
water into the system within weeks. “Sydney’s Desalination Plant will be fully offset by renewable energy produced at
Infigen Energy’s Capital Wind Farm at Bungendore.
“The Desalination Plant is a key part of Sydney’s Metropolitan Water Plan as it’s not dependent on rainfall. “By 2015 we
will be recycling up to 12 per cent of Sydney’s water needs. Water efficient devices such as taps, showerheads and washing
machines, and our water-wise rules will save up to 24 per cent.” The desalination plant has been built by the Blue Water Joint
Venture, comprising John Holland and Veolia Water Australia. The desalination pipeline has been built by the Water
Delivery Alliance, comprising Bovis Lend Lease, McConnell Dowell, Worley Parsons, Kellogg Brown and Root,
Environmental Resources Management and Sydney Water.
6. A moratorium on dealing with new licence applications to take surface and groundwater in the wet tropics region of north
Queensland will help protect river ecosystems that are the jewel of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, according to
Department of Environment and Resource Management Deputy Director-General Debbie Best.
http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/media-room/2010/01/mon-water-moratorium.html
Wet Tropics water moratorium
A moratorium on dealing with new licence applications to take surface and groundwater in the Wet Tropics region of north
Queensland will help protect river ecosystems that are the jewel of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, Department of
Environment and Resource Management Deputy Director-General Debbie Best said today. Ms Best said the Wet Tropics is
home to Australia’s richest terrestrial biodiversity. “Visitors spend $2 billion dollars annually to see plants and animals found
nowhere else in the world.
Ms Best said groundwater extraction threatened the wetlands that were nursery grounds for fish and other marine life making
its home on the Great Barrier Reef. “These wetlands hold some of the last remaining habitat for the endangered Southern
Cassowary, Mahogany Glider, and the Apollo Jewel Butterfly,” she said. “This moratorium will not only ensure the
protection of this habitat, it will also help provide long-term water security for Queensland’s banana, sugar cane, and tropical
fruit production and drinking water for Cairns City, Ingham, and many other regional towns,” she said.
Outside south-east Queensland, Cairns, Port Douglas and the southern Tablelands represented one of the fastest growing
areas in Australia, with population increasing at 3.9 per cent in 2008. “Water use parallels this development, increasing from
three to 10 fold in the last 30 years. “Surface and groundwater development is now just as intensive as in other parts of
Queensland and a strategic approach is needed to share this water equitably,” Ms Best said. She said the moratorium took
effect from 18 January 2010 and allowed the State Government to undertake a review of water resource management options
in the area.
“This moratorium precedes the formal announcement of a water resource plan for the Wet Tropics area. “It applies to licence
applications to take groundwater as well as water in watercourses, lakes and springs in the Wet Tropics area,” Ms Best said.
Ms Best said the moratorium also covered construction of new water bores and surface water works, as well as existing and
future applications for licences to take surface water and underground water. Existing licence holders can continue to access
water available under their entitlement, and will be able to construct any new works required to take water under an existing
water licence.
People can continue to access water for town water supplies, indigenous communities, fire fighting, home use, watering
stock, and road building. “The moratorium will remain in place until a water resource plan has been prepared for the Wet
Tropics area,’’ she said.
7
7. Parts of Melbourne's water supply system have received an upgrade ahead of the Sugarloaf pipeline starting to flow in
February. The treatment plant attached to Sugarloaf Reservoir in the Yarra Ranges and pumps at a major water distribution
hub in Preston would receive a substantial boost to capacity as Melbourne's dams have just come through their worst decade
on record.
8. The Subiaco Redevelopment Authority has been granted approval to redevelop former industrial land into a showcase for
best practice in sustainable land development. The Australian Fine China project is required to meet 56 different
sustainability targets that include integrated urban water management systems, recycling of building waste, use of photovoltaics and very high targets for water and energy reduction.
9. Water resource management in the Burnett Basin will be reviewed this year with an opportunity for the community to help
shape the next water plan for the region. The existing plan provides for the sustainable allocation and management of water
resources in all watercourses, lakes and springs in the Burnett Basin, as well as groundwater in the Coastal Burnett
Groundwater Management Area.
http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/media-room/2010/01/mon-burnett-water-resource-paln-review.html
Review of Burnett Basin Water Resource Plan commences
Water resource management in the Burnett Basin will be reviewed this year with an opportunity for the community to help
shape the next water plan for the region. Department of Environment and Resource Management Deputy Director-General
Debbie Best said the Burnett Basin Water Resource Plan (WRP) was approaching its expiry date and a replacement plan
must be prepared. “The existing plan was initially released in December 2000. Like all WRPs, it was for a 10-year period so
a full review is necessary,” Ms Best said.
The existing plan provides for the sustainable allocation and management of water resources in all watercourses, lakes and
springs in the Burnett Basin, as well as groundwater in the Coastal Burnett Groundwater Management Area. As part of the
review a moratorium on groundwater and overland flow in certain areas of the Burnett Basin will apply. The moratorium will
maintain existing levels of development until the replacement plan is finalised. Ms Best said the moratorium would provide a
stable base to develop the replacement plan while allowing continued use of existing works.
“The department is seeking nominations for a community reference panel which will advise on management options and any
community concerns relating to the replacement plan,” Ms Best said. “I encourage water users, community representatives
and catchment groups to make their views heard on the management of water resources in the Burnett,” she said. Details
relating to the WRP and moratorium are available on the department website www.derm.qld.gov.au/wrp/burnett. These
include a Notice of Intent to prepare a WRP; a Moratorium Notice which includes a description of the moratorium areas;
details of how to nominate for the Community Reference Panel; an information report and contact details to make a
submission about the WRP review or moratorium.
11. The Lachlan river is finally flowing again to the relief of thousands of western NSW residents facing a summer with
rationed water being trucked to their properties. Flows from Wyangala Dam, near Cowra, were restricted in October when
levels dipped below the critical minimum of 5 per cent, in effect cutting towns west of Lake Cargelligo off from the river.
http://www.water.nsw.gov.au/Water-management/Water-availability/Critical-water-planning/community-feedback-lachlan-rivercritical-water-planning/default.aspx
Community feedback - Lachlan River critical water planning
Six community information sessions were held at Cowra, Forbes, Condobolin, Lake Cargelligo, Hillston and Booligal on 23
and 24 November 2009, coordinated by the NSW Office of Water, State Water and Lachlan Valley Water. The purpose of the
sessions was to provide Lachlan Valley communities with information about the current water shortage and measures taken
to secure water for critical human needs this summer and autumn. The sessions also gave Lachlan Valley residents the
opportunity to ask questions and give feedback to the NSW Government agencies responsible for managing the region’s
water supplies.
A range of issues was raised by the respective communities at the information sessions. NSW Office of Water staff provided
this feedback to the NSW Water Minister and the NSW Water Commissioner.
The following is a summary of issues raised by the hundreds of local residents who attended the information sessions:
 The decision to cease flows downstream of Lake Cargelligo has divided the Lachlan Valley community and created
two classes of people – those with water and those without.
 The water in Wyangala Dam should be released under normal operating arrangements so that all Lachlan Valley
communities run out of water at the same time.
 The water allocation of 10 per cent (2,600 ML) provided to high security licence holders would have been better used
providing water for Lachlan towns and rural landholders to meet basic household needs.
 More detailed information on the management of the Lachlan River to do with daily flow releases and extraction is
required.
 More detailed information and explanation of the new restrictions on surface water extraction is required, along with
advice on the need for further restrictions.
 Fixed water charges should be waived for all water licences, including high security, general security and stock and
domestic entitlements, downstream of Lake Cargelligo, as lower Lachlan water users will soon have no access to any
water from the Lachlan River.
8
Fixed water charges for Lachlan Valley general security licence holders should be waived, not just deferred for six
months.
 All water users should have been brought into the discussion regarding the management of Lachlan water supplies to
meet critical human needs earlier.
 Water carting is a short-term solution and this money would be better spent on assisting landholders with the
installation of bores.
 Landholders need NSW Government funding to sink bores to provide water for their basic household needs.
 The NSW Government is not giving the same financial assistance to Lachlan Valley communities as it has provided
to other NSW communities affected by natural disasters e.g. recent flooding on the NSW north coast.
 Groundwater should be pumped into the Lachlan River to augment surface water flows and provide water to lower
Lachlan communities.
 Lake Cargelligo needs to be included in the existing water sharing plan for the Lachlan to ensure there is a provision
to provide adequate flows into the Lake.
 Lachlan councils should implement consistent town water supply restrictions to ensure equity between local
government areas and less confusion.
 Lachlan councils should be allowed to trade their water allocations with each other.
 Blue-green algal blooms could jeopardise what little water is currently available for critical human needs.
 The recent water compliance operation undertaken in the Lachlan Valley was ill timed and poorly implemented.
 Action must be taken to ensure that the Lachlan Valley is never faced with such a severe water shortage again e.g.
current dams should be enlarged and more dams built to capture and store more water to prevent future water
shortages.
11. Aid agencies and major nations are racing to get crucial water supplies, food and medicine to Port-au-Prince, the capital
of HAITI. Thirst and lack of sanitation have emerged as major additional threats to the population following two earthquakes
and multiple aftershocks over the last two weeks. Even before the earthquake, few Haitians had access to a domestic water
supply, none of Haiti's cities had a wastewater system and most obtained water from public wells or delivered by tankers.
News Clippings
1. The cost of building and operating desalination plants will be reflected in increased water prices across Australia. The
Australian examines the impact of desalination plants. Previous article
2. The head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the UN's top body on climate change, says the panel will
investigate claims its doomsday prediction for the disappearance of Himalayan glaciers might be mistaken. Previous article
3. The Electoral Commissioner has dismissed a complaint over a South Australian Government water advertisement. Family
First MP Robert Brokenshire said the television advert was misleading because it wrongly claimed Adelaide's desalination
plant would be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy.
4. An extra two years' grace for South Australia's ailing Lower Lakes and Coorong may have been secured by the crucial
release of 148ML of floodwaters by NSW and thus relieving immediate pressure for major engineering works. Crap!
5. A referendum for a Federal takeover of the Murray-Darling Basin river system, as proposed by Federal Opposition leader
Tony Abbott, would likely to be rejected by the Australian people, according to federalism experts. Previous article.
6. The Coorong District Council says pumping water out of Lake Alexandrina has offered a chance to get rid of a lot of
CARP around the Narrung Narrows.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/21/2797786.htm
Water pumping allows carp removal
The Coorong District Council says pumping water out of Lake Alexandrina has offered a chance to get rid of a lot of carp
around the Narrung Narrows. The council has met the Premier's drought adviser, Dean Brown, to discuss ways to reduce the
likelihood of fish kill in Lake Albert because of deteriorating water quality. Mayor Roger Strother says the council needs the
support of the South Australian Government to prevent a large fish kill in the region. "All the carp are moving up to the fresh
water or the fresher water and they are massing in large numbers, so the governments are recognising that there is a good
opportunity to harvest those while they are in a rather small area," he said.
http://www.vff.org.au/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=833&Itemid=1
VFF supports cooperative approach on Murray Darling Basin
The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has responded to the Federal Coalition’s plan to refer all states’ powers to manage
the Murray Darling Basin to the Commonwealth, with the alternative being a referendum put to the Australian people in
2013. VFF Water Council Chairman Richard Anderson said that Victorian farmers supported a cooperative approach within
the Basin. “While we agree with the view of Opposition Leader Tony Abbott that too much money has been spent by the
Commonwealth through their water buyback program, and more needs to be spent to upgrade and improve the efficiency of
irrigation infrastructure, Victorian irrigators have never supported a full referral of power, on this issue, to the Federal
Government,” Mr Anderson said. “The VFF has always reinforced the need for a collaborative, efficient and comprehensive
water management approach to the Murray Darling Basin. The priority of all who live within and use the resources of the
Basin must be to secure its social, environmental and economic value into the future.”
9
“Significant work has already been completed to provide the legal, institutional and financial mechanisms to solve many of
the problems within the Basin.” “The VFF believes the Memorandum of Understanding (March 2008); the Intergovernmental
Agreement on Murray-Darling Basin Reform (July 2008), the Amendments to the Commonwealth Water Act 2008 and the
Water for the Future plan have provided a sensible framework to achieve the best outcomes for irrigators and the
environment.”
“Through these mechanisms the Commonwealth has already taken overall control of the planning and management of the
Basin’s water and natural resources which will mean a new Basin plan with enforced lower limits on water diversions,” Mr
Anderson concluded.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/25/2800992.htm
Scientists 'losing climate fight'
A leading Australian climate change scientist says experts are losing the fight against skeptics, who are distorting the science
of global warming. His comments come as a prominent British climate change skeptic tours the country. Lord Christopher
Monckton has arrived in Australia for a series of lectures and is calling for a royal commission into the science around global
warming. The former journalist and political adviser to Margaret Thatcher says the production of carbon dioxide is not a
major problem.
He has attacked the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) after it revised a key finding in its
2007 report which wrongly claimed the Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035. But one of the lead authors of the report,
Australian Professor Andy Pitman, has defended the overall conclusions of the report. Professor Pitman was a lead author on
the IPCC's 2001 and 2007 reports. He is also the co-director of the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of New
South Wales.
Professor Pitman says skeptics have used the IPCC's error to skew the climate change debate. "Climate scientists are losing
the fight with the skeptics," he said. "The skeptics are so well funded, so well organised.”They have nothing else to do. They
don't have day jobs so they can put all their efforts into misinforming and miscommunicating climate science to the general
public, whereas the climate scientists have day jobs and [managing publicity] actually isn't one of them.
"All of the efforts you do in an IPCC report is done out of hours, voluntarily, for no funding and no pay, whereas the skeptics
are being funded to put out full-scale misinformation campaigns and are doing a damn good job, I think. "They are doing a
superb job at misinforming and miscommunicating the general public, state and federal governments." And he says if
scientists lose the climate change debate, it would be "potentially catastrophic". "If this was academic debate over some
trivial issue [it wouldn't matter]," he said.
"But this isn't. This is absolutely a fundamental problem for the Earth that we desperately needed full-scale international
action on a decade ago. "We are now 10 years too late to stop some of the major impacts that we will see and have seen as a
consequence of global warming. It is not a future problem, it is a problem here today, around us." Professor Pitman has
accused skeptics of failing to base their arguments on the facts. "Most of the climate skeptics, particularly those that are
wandering around publicly at the moment, don't base their arguments on science," he said.
"They have probably never read the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report; they aren't writing papers in peerreviewed literature. "They don't update their arguments when their arguments are shown to be false, so they'll have no
problem at all using this ammunition inappropriately and out of context to further their aims in exactly the same way as
people did when they were trying to disprove the relationship between smoking and human health."
Defending the IPCC
Professor Pitman has also played down the significance of the error in the IPCC's report. "There are two paragraphs that have
been questioned in a 1600-page document," he said. "After two years, people have been going over that report with
considerable care and have found a couple of errors of fact in a 1600-page document. "I mean, we ought to be talking about
the other 1599 pages that no one has found any problems with." Professor Pitman says he has no concerns about the IPCC's
reviewing process.
"We should be very clear on what the IPCC does. It writes a report that is fully open to external review. [Anybody] can each
read over individual sections of the report and send in credible comments," he said. "So each government tries to pore over
each of the statements to find fault with them and at the end of that process, future drafts are produced, again with
opportunities for external examination and feedback. "And you end up with a final report, which in this case some people
have found one or two errors with after two years. "I reckon that is a standard that most organisations would absolutely
celebrate."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/25/2800576.htm
Sceptic opens fire on climate change
One of Britain's most prominent climate change skeptics says Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's plan to introduce an emissions
trading scheme will have no effect on the climate. Lord Christopher Monckton is in Australia on a week-long speaking tour.
The controversial former journalist and political advisor to Margaret Thatcher disputes the UN Climate Panel's findings that
the planet is warming. He believes the world is cooling, and the Copenhagen Accord to cut global emissions is nonsense.
"It will destroy the economy of Australia and it will do it without the slightest immeasurable [sic] difference on the climate,"
he said. "This is a policy as near to total lunacy as I have ever seen." Lord Monckton's stance has been questioned by climate
change scientist and economist Dr Ben McNeil, from the University of New South Wales.
10
"Behind me there's virtually every CSIRO climate scientist, the Bureau of Meteorology, the chief scientist, the National
Academy of Australia, and every body of science around the world on the ledger that there's no change in the fundamental
science on climate change," he said. The UN's intergovernmental panel on climate change has recently revised a paper
published in 2007 because a projection that the Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035 was wrong. The UN has
acknowledged the grim prediction on the fate of Himalayan glaciers was "poorly substantiated" and was a lapse in standards.
But Lord Monckton says it is not the only mistake.
"The peer reviewers ... spotted this at the time before the report was published but it's not a peer review process - the author
said, we want to say that," he said. The United Nations says all its publications are peer-reviewed, and the error was not
central to the overall findings of the 2007 report. Today Opposition Senate leader Nick Minchin left the door open for a
possible meeting with Lord Monckton. A spokesman for Senator Minchin said nothing had been arranged but he would be
happy to have a meeting.
Senator Minchin has previously voiced doubts about the science of climate change and played a major role in installing Tony
Abbott as Liberal leader after a revolt against former leader Malcolm Turnbull's climate change policy. However, Liberal MP
Kevin Andrews, who has also identified himself as a climate skeptic, has no appointments scheduled with Lord Monckton
Liberal backbencher Dennis Jensen has already met with Lord Monckton when he turned up at a meeting which Dr Jensen
was attending.
Diving into water privatisation is a suicidal leap
Dr Ian Douglas, national co-ordinator of Fair Water Use (Australia), writes:
DESALINATION PLANT, MURRAY DARLING BASIN, WATER CATCHMENT
In discussing the endemic mismanagement of the Murray-Darling river system, a recent editorial in Australia’s national
daily concluded: "The only way to ensure water can be quarantined to keep rivers alive, while making the best use of
whatever is left, is to leave it to the market." This glib assertion must not pass unchallenged, as it appears to be a continuation
of the well-orchestrated campaign promoting the privatisation-by-stealth of Australia’s water. It is also at odds with the
reality that the private entities, now manically investing in the nation’s water resources, view the responsible management of
water as secondary to their prime aims: unfettered infrastructure development and consumption-based profiteering.
Membership of their cartel is gained either by entering into murky public-private partnerships (PPPs) with state governments,
integrally linked to the construction of desalination plants, pipelines, dams and water-bottling factories, promoted as hightech "solutions to the water crisis" or by investing in water entitlements worth many millions of dollars and then luring
desperate water users into lease-back arrangements, with little or no consideration of the use to which the water will be put.
Parties to the PPP arrangements are less keen to admit that these measures are untenably expensive, inefficient,
environmentally damaging and, most importantly, unnecessary.
Communities on all continents bear deep scars as a result of the crusades of water privateers: a litany of corruption, including
payment of bribes to government officials, litigation, social irresponsibility, environmental degradation -- and soaring water
prices. There is no reason to believe that Australia is immune to such diseases: at least one of these seriously tainted
multinationals, Veolia, is now a major player in Australia’s water industry. The upshot of these highly-questionable PPPs is
that billions of dollars are being extracted from the public purse to conjure up relatively small amounts of "additional" water;
monies debited to our account, despite the fact that, in most instances, these projects, destined to swallow our tax-dollars for
years to come, were actively criticised in the electoral manifestos of the very administrations now responsible for their
construction and promotion.
Governments also summarily dismissed the findings of the many independent reports that oppose these massive
infrastructure developments; in some instances, reports that they themselves commissioned before the signing of contracts.
Now the same administrations, fighting for a semblance of credibility in the face of growing well-informed criticism, have
circled the party wagons and resorted to the philosophy, "if you say something long enough and loud enough and often
enough, the people will believe it". As part of this mantra, water ministers incessantly declare that desalination plants provide
vital insurance against water restrictions: statements justifiably condemned by proponents of responsible water use.
Moreover, cursory investigation reveals their true insurance value as diaphanous at best.
Water to be delivered by Australia’s multibillion dollar desalination plants comes at a price: up to five times that of
conventional supplies -- and at significant cost to the environment. It will also constitute a tiny fraction of that provided from
existing sources. It will, however, result in considerable profit for those involved in the construction and ongoing operation of
the required infrastructure. The combined annual output of the plants in NSW, Victoria and South Australia is projected to
total a mere 340 billion litres; less than 3% of the total water consumed by these states in 2004-2005 (12,280 billion litres);
and less than 75% of the volume (more than 460 billion litres) that erstwhile cotton plantation, Cubbie Station, was permitted
to extract annually from the Murray-Darling river system to cultivate its water-intensive crop in semi-arid country -- an
entitlement more or less donated to Cubbie by the Queensland government (It scarcely comes as a surprise that the chairman
of Cubbie Group is a previous Treasurer of the Sunshine State). The total price of the three water factories currently stands at
about $7.8 billion, ignoring annual operational charges totalling many millions of dollars -- which will also be borne by
consumers. Water speculation is already the cause of frenetic activity in the private sector, with billions of litres of water
entitlements being scooped up by groups set to derive significant returns from water trading.
11
With ever-increasing frequency, agribusinesses are coming to the understanding that there may well more profit to be made
from buying and selling water than from concentrating on their previous agrarian pursuits. The most recent evidence of this
trend is the purchase of more than 3 billion litres of "high-reliability" Murray water by Tandou Ltd, for the princely sum of
$5.6 million; the company envisages increased involvement in the investment in and lease-back of water from the MurrayDarling river system.
In a privatised setting, secure water supplies are only guaranteed to those able to foot the bill, with the public and the
environment historically bearing the brunt of any shortfall. Independent water experts now largely agree that, in the drier
future predicted for Australia, our water security can be readily assured without ceding control of supplies to the private
sector. There are also persistent and increasingly loud calls for water to be protected as a public "good" rather than treated as
a marketable commodity.
Australia’s national water plan should be founded on this "water-commons" principle and an understanding of the fact that
that globally only 10% of water used is required to be of potable quality. The massive wastage of high-quality water provided
to industry and domestic bathrooms and laundries, which will only increase in a privatised, consumption-driven water future,
should be an anathema to us all. The once "alternative" approach to water management, accentuating storm-water
sequestration, recycling and installation of rainwater tanks, in combination with the formation of a truly independent and
appropriately empowered national body to manage our surface and groundwater resources, is now accepted by many as the
most assured, cost-effective and transparent means of water management.
There is not a shred of doubt that, as part of the "demand and supply" philosophy of the privatised alternative, Australians
will be constantly reminded of the need to respond to threats to our water security in the months and years to come.
Governments and their PPP partners are already keen to denigrate any lack of community support for their "visionary"
initiatives as being downright un-Australian: as exemplified by the increasing tendency for administrations to classify legal
protests as criminal gatherings. Government departments and their multinational partners now store images and files detailing
those members of the community who, dismayed by the constant reneging on pre-election commitments and the lack of
meaningful public consultation on matters of vital public interest, participate in legitimate protest.
Thankfully, electorates are rapidly becoming water wise and those who aspire to elected office ignore this fact at their peril.
In the current climate, environmental and electoral, whichever parliamentary candidates most clearly reflect the aspirations of
21st century Australians with respect to the protection and careful management of their water resources, being termed the
"new oil" in the corridors of predatory investment companies, will derive tangible benefits at the ballot box. The time is right
to show the privateers the door -- together with the governments that share their lucrative water beds.
http://www.inverelltimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/14-million-for-murraydarling/1734113.aspx
$14 million for Murray-Darling
Local governments across the Murray-Darling Basin will share funding of more than $14 million under the planning
component of the Strengthening Basin Communities program. Inverell Shire Council will share almost $580,000 with
Goondiwindi, Gwydir and Tenterfield councils. Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong, announced
the 37 successful applicants for round one of the program. “In this era of extended drought and the emergence of climate
change, we face a monumental challenge in the Murray-Darling Basin,” Senator Wong said. “Over the last three years, the
average amount of water flowing into the River Murray was just one-fifth of the long-term annual average.
“The Rudd Government is committed to supporting Basin communities as they deal with these current challenges and as
they prepare for a future with less water.” Senator Wong said the $200 million Strengthening Basin Communities program
was designed to help Basin communities plan and implement water saving measures. The $14 million of grants in the first
stage of the program will help identify threats and opportunities associated with reduced water availability, and to undertake
community-wide planning for the future. “Successful applicants are looking at alternative water supplies, water conservation
and water asset management, along with community resilience, and strategic opportunities for regional development,”
Senator Wong said.