TCC - it's time they resigned ...

Excerpt from a recent Letter to the Editor, the Chronicle (annotated):

It is time the six "yes" councillors admitted that the "no" result was entirely reasonable.

As explained below, had there been a "yes" result, the advanced treatment plant would have been a white elephant, in another word useless for at least 20 months, form May 2009 to January 2011.

There were two important criteria for everyone to consider before voting.

1. The requirement that the water be held in Cooby for three years for testing.

2. The new and existing bores would supply only 75% of the city's demand.

Had there been a "yes" result the TCC would have started work on the ATP in August 2006.

[Note: this is unlikely as the Council would still have needed to satisfy the other conditions of Federal funding and would have needed to complete a competitive tender process to award the construction contract for the recycled water plant. So, the gap between needing additional water supplies and Water Futures coming online would have been ever greater.]

Allowing 18 months under construction, it would start putting the treated water into Cooby by January 2008.

Even taking into account the new bores coming on line progressively, Perseverance and Cressbrook would be empty by May 2009.

The recycled water in Cooby would not be available until January 2011.

Therefore, from May 2009 to January 2011, the only supply would be 75% from the bores.

In that situation, the city would experience enormous difficulties. Regarding sewage and effluent, the flows would be greatly reduced, and we would probably experience blockages in sewage mains.

The "yes" councillors should have realised all of the above before the referendum. Really, as long as conditions one and two above were in lace, the TCC should have postponed or cancelled the referendum and "yes" advertising.

The six "yes" councillors botched their Water Futures promotion and wasted over $400,000 in advertising.

Because of all of the above [the outgoing Mayor's] resignation is welcome. It would be even better should Crs Ramia, Englart, Albion, Schneider and Alroe resign as well.

BE
Toowoomba