Qld Coalition plans recycled water-free Wivenhoe-Cressbrook pipeline ...

Excerpt from ABC News:

Wivenhoe-Toowoomba pipeline 'overdue'

9 July 2008

The Member for Toowoomba South says the construction of a pipeline from Wivenhoe Dam to Toowoomba is welcome but long overdue.

The underground pipeline from Wivenhoe Dam to Lake Cressbrook will cost $187 million and is expected to secure the future water needs of Toowoomba, in the state's south.

MP Mike Horan says the Queensland Government was warned in 2004 that Toowoomba could run out of water within six years and the city's low dam levels and reliance on bores meant something had to be done.

Mr Horan says the Coalition's south-east Queensland water policy had previously expressed support for construction of a Wivehoe Dam to Toowoomba pipeline.

"We warned about this in 2004 and were criticised for that warning," he said.

"We have in place a water policy that will provide additional water through desalination using renewable energy for the south-east Queensland water grid and that will free up water from Somerset Dam and Wivenhoe Dam to be used for Toowoomba without the necessary addition of treated effluent."

A former Toowoomba mayor and prominent anti-recycled water campaigner says the pipeline decision is ridiculous.

Clive Berghofer says some time ago farmers from Norwin in the Darling Downs were prepared to sell their water allocation rather than use it for cotton.

Mr Berghofer says their water could be moved more easily across the Darling Downs, compared to pumping water uphill from Wivenhoe to Toowoomba and generating greenhouse gases.

"It's a typical bureaucracy decision. They're pumping water, but we could have got it off the Darling Downs for a quarter of the price, for a quarter of the cost, and a quarter of the time, but unfortunately the bureaucrat didn't want to listen," he said.

See - Qld coalition plans recycled water-free Wivenhoe-Cressbrook pipeline.

Qld Coalition Media Release:

Toowoomba pipeline funds welcome but long overdue

8 July 2008

State Government funding for a pipeline from Wivenhoe Dam to Toowoomba is welcome but long overdue, the State Opposition said today.

Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg said Toowoomba desperately needed water security and local residents would be pleased the State Labor Government was finally providing funding towards building a pipeline from Wivenhoe Dam.

"Toowoomba is yet another city that has had to suffer while the Beattie-Bligh Labor Government dithered over what to do," he said.

"The State Opposition warned in 2004 that Toowoomba faced critical water shortages within six years and we were attacked at the time by the Labor Government for being ‘alarmist’ and ‘beating up this issue’.

"Then Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson even went as far as to say there was ‘no danger Toowoomba’s water supply will exhaust within six years’ (Media Release, 23 June 2004) when defending his Labor Government’s failure to act.

"With the Deputy Premier finally acknowledging Toowoomba’s dams could run dry by 2010, Toowoomba residents will be wondering why the State Government didn’t do something years ago, instead of waiting until a crisis hit."

Mr Springborg said the Deputy Premier’s claim the Wivenhoe to Toowoomba pipeline was being ‘fast tracked’ was laughable given the State Labor Government first committed to the project in December 2006, yet were only now backing up their words with some real dollars.

"With Toowoomba’s combined dam levels at less than 11 per cent and the city relying on bores, the Bligh Labor Government will need to ensure this pipeline from Wivenhoe is built quickly and not subjected to the usual budget blowouts and project delays," he said.

The Opposition’s South-East Queensland water policy, released earlier this year, expressed support for the Wivenhoe to Toowoomba pipeline. However, under the Opposition plan, recycled water was to be used for industry, power stations and agriculture and only placed into drinking supplies as a last resort.

See - Qld Coalition media release.