Mayor Thorley ensures 61.8% of voters still don't trust her ...

Excerpt from the Chronicle:

Water debate recycled, but it's back on agenda

14 February 2007

by Susan Searle

The bitter 6-3 division which stalked the recycled water debate last year returned to the Toowoomba City Council chamber last night amid allegations of inaction, mistrust, secrecy and attacks on staff.

No case supporters councillors Snow Manners, Keith Beer and Graham Barron renewed their opposition to the inclusion of recycled water in Toowoomba's water supply by anyone, including Premier Peter Beattie.

The trio was challenged to proffer solutions to the dwindling water supply.

Cr Manners quoted Mayor Dianne Thorley from a news report, where she assured the community it would not run out of water, citing underground supplies as the answer.

Amid a five-minute broadside of council, he suggested for "two or three million dollars" Wetalla water could be upgraded and be used to water street trees, the racecourse, public gardens and selected playing fields in order to preserve the drinking water.

"The idea of building a factory in Toowoomba to reclaim drinking water from the back end of Wetalla is dead and gone," Cr Manners said.

Sue Englart highlighted the comedy of events which had unfolded since dam levels were 32%, when the controversial Water Futures project was launched on June 30, 2005, to 16.9% yesterday.

"And still there is no water flowing into the dams," she said.

It was the undeniable fact which echoed around the room. Michele Alroe reminded the No case supporters that they had campaigned to have all the future water options put back on the table for an independent review – and last night they opposed that.

She also recalled their preferred solution was the Wivenhoe Dam pipeline, and now that it's a reality, albeit supplying recycled water, they wouldn't accept it either and were concerned about the costs.

Water portfolio chairman Joe Ramia said council, after a "shellacking" in the 62%-38% vote, got the message loud and clear and shelved its recycling plans.

He said it was Mr Beattie who changed the rules, not council. Council agreed to accept Toowoomba Water Supply Task Force's recommendation that a pipeline from Wivenhoe Dam be the long-term water source for the city.

And it was agreed to ask the task force to undertake a cost-benefit analysis on a stand-alone purified recycled water scheme in the city, thereby deferring the need for the pipeline until 2025-2030.

Citizens Against Drinking Sewage co-ordinator Rosemary Morley, one of 30 people in the gallery, was chastised by the mayor twice for remarks which disrupted debate.

See - Mayor Thorley - 13 months out from an election.