Premier Beattie - not government policy to send recycled water into dams ...

Confusion reigns in the Beattie Government.

Excerpt from the Australian:

3 June 2006

Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg said southeast Queensland residents could be drinking recycled sewage water in two years under a secret state government plan.

He said the Beattie Government planned to use a proposed western corridor pipeline for recycled water to pump treated effluent into the Somerset and Wivenhoe dams.

But Peter Beattie said it was not government policy to send recycled water into dams.

The Premier said the Government and local councils believed the western corridor recycled water scheme could initially supply the Swanbank and Tarong Power stations, and could later be used for industry and agriculture.

But in a joint statement, Mr Beattie and Water Minister Henry Palaszczuk did not rule out the possibility of using recycled water in dams.

"Any council plan to put water into dams will need to be (put) first to the community as part of a full and transparent debate," Mr Palaszczuk said.

Source - Australian - Hose ban means buckets or cans.

Also see - Beattie disowns plans to pump sewage water into Wivenhoe.


So it's not State government policy to send recycled water in the dams. At least not yet.

Clearly that's the mistake those opposing Mayor Thorley's floundering recycled sewage project have been making - the State government cannot think that Cooby Dam is a dam!

It is interesting to actually hear Minister Palaszczuk actually talk about recycling. Even in Parliament, he is very reluctant to be drawn into any discussion on the topic.

Also interesting is Minister Palaszczuk's desire for a "full and transparent debate" - something sadly lacking in Toowoomba's case.

Now that the secret Beattie sewage plan is out of the bag, Toowoomba residents will soon find themselves brothers in arms with their Brisbane counterparts ...