Qld government turns its back on CSG water for Toowoomba ...
Excerpt from State government media release:
Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning
The Honourable Paul Lucas
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Water Secured for Toowoomba
The Bligh Government will build a $187 million underground pipeline to pump water to drought ravaged Toowoomba from Wivenhoe Dam.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Mr Paul Lucas and Attorney General Kerry Shine today announced $167 million to build the 40 km pipeline, on top of the $20 million committed earlier this year to fast track preliminary designs and investigations.
“The situation in Toowoomba remains critical and this pipeline is desperately needed to provide water for the estimated 120,000 people who rely on the Cooby, Perseverance and Cressbrook Dams,” said Mr Lucas.
“This pipeline will be able to supply up to 14,200 million litres of water a year if needed, that’s over 50% more than Toowoomba’s current demand.
“Time is of the essence after yet another terrible wet season, with Toowoomba’s combined dam levels now below 11 per cent.
“A compressed construction timeline will see this pipeline built in December 2009, before being commissioned and fully operational by the end of January 2010.
“We all hope Toowoomba’s luck will change with some rain over the next year and a half to bring the Garden City back to life.
“If that doesn’t happen, Toowoomba Regional Council’s modelling shows without this pipeline the dams would run dry by March 2010.
“That’s why the $11 million dollars the State Government has provided to the Toowoomba Regional Council to sink bores into the Great Artesian Basin remains vitally important.
“These bores are being drilled to take the strain off Toowoomba’s dams while the pipeline is being built.
“Two bores are now showing promising results and another three are due to be finished by early next year.
“If they perform as hoped Toowoomba will have months and perhaps even a year or more worth of extra water, beyond March 2010.
“The State Government will work with the Toowoomba Regional Council to monitor the progress of these bores and on any other contingency measures that may be required.”
Mr Shine announced the pipeline from Wivenhoe will be bigger than originally planned, with the capacity to provide water to cope with Toowoomba’s population growth for the next 25 to 40 years.
“With extra pumps added, it will be able to supply Toowoomba with 18,000 million litres a year,” said Mr Shine.
“That’s enough to cater for a 50% increase in the Toowoomba population, even without the extreme water restrictions now in place.”
Construction of the pipeline will be managed by the State Government’s bulk water transport authority, LinkWater, which has engaged an alliance of companies (Clough, Diversified and Maunsell) to design and build the pipeline.
Mr Shine said LinkWater and its alliance were working closely with the Somerset and Toowoomba Regional Councils as well as consulting with directly-impacted landowners.
“Construction activity will start in the third quarter of this year, after obtaining the necessary environmental approvals and consulting with landowners,” said Mr Shine.
“The pipeline will be an economic boost for the Esk township and its 1200 residents, with about 90 construction workers expected to start arriving at a local work camp from October.”
Mr Lucas said investigations are also continuing into water produced as a by-product from coal seam gas operations in the Surat Basin.
“We are very interested in this water in the longer term and if there is one thing we have learnt in the last few years it is that water is liquid gold, we cannot waste any of it,” said Mr Lucas.
“However there are still issues to resolve in terms of cost, treatment and transport over long distances.
“We cannot afford to wait any longer to provide a secure water supply for Toowoomba but Queensland Gas Company may be able to put it to good use for drinking, agriculture and industry in other areas.”
See - State government turns its back on CSG water for Toowoomba.
posted by Concerned Ratepayer at 12:05 PM
29 Comments:
This is a silly short-sighted decision by the government although the opportunity still remains for the gas water to be pumped eastwards and eventually be sent to Toowoomba and down to Wivenhoe. Pipelines can be used to run water in either direction.
2:15 PM, July 08, 2008
It's clear that the new Toowoomba Regional Council don't give a toss about the people of Toowoomba and are happy to take whatever Bligh says they wil take and then head home to their houses outside Toowoomba. Well done voters you gave Bligh just what she wanted.
2:21 PM, July 08, 2008
“This pipeline will be able to supply up to 14,200 million litres of water a year if needed."
Will Wivenhoe have that much water to spare even once the desal water and any recycled water left over from the power station supply are added in?
2:32 PM, July 08, 2008
Talk about uttering rubbish.The minister says that it has problems then why is Chinchilla, Miles and Dalby drinking it?????
The QGC has offered to put up
$100M towards a pipeline and they would not have to try to lift 10M tons of water up thousands of mitres up a mountain.
This is not inviromentally friendly and Brisbane should get ready for blackouts while they have a go at pumping processed sewage up to Cressbrook just so the Labour State Government can have the last laugh.
I think Kerry Shine had better figure out what he will do after the next election as he will not get re-elected after this announcement.
5:33 PM, July 08, 2008
WIN News:
Water Announcement
8 July 2008
Toowoomba's worst kept water secret has been confirmed today by the state government, who've made a final decision to connect the City to the South East Grid.
Deputy Premier Paul Lucas announcing a $187 million dollar water pipeline from Wivenhoe Dam will be built by the end of next year to guarantee supply.
And in it will flow the recycled water the community has been so publically against.
7:23 PM, July 08, 2008
In time whichever state government is in power will find the gas water very helpful in meeting the needs of the people in this part of Queensland and will take steps to ensure that the water is piped throughout the region. Politicians come and go and bad decisions are sometimes changed. Is the Cressbrook pipeline needed? No but it may be used in the future to take gas water down to Wivenhoe when the state government realises they need another water source.
8:07 PM, July 08, 2008
What a disappointment and why am we not surprised. The referendum returned a resounding No but it would appear that the Peoples clear decision and democracy have gone hand in hand out the door. Those who have been elected to Council in Toowoomba appear to be sitting on their hands, too anxious to make a decision, there are still some very overpowering personalitys under the same roof who have their own barrow to push, and I firmly believe particularly when I see the development occuring ie roads, bridges etc up and down the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast Toowoomba no longer rates very high with our present State Government. I think it a case of "here's a bandaid, that should make it better, now go away" So incredibly short sighted. So Sad.
8:28 PM, July 08, 2008
A very dark day for Toowoomba and an even darker and sadder day for Queensland - another undemocratic action taken by a Labor government taken along with forced amalagamation - forced drinking of recycled sewage water. A State government forging ahead with social experimentation and not listening to the voice of the people - and a puppet in Taylor - with no backbone elected by the people of Toowoomba and surrounds.
The only way to stop this from going ahead will be to ensure that the opposition get in early next year and stop this madness
8:56 PM, July 08, 2008
A lot of blame surely falls on the old council who sat on their hands for too long over gas water. You know who I'm talking about!
9:14 PM, July 08, 2008
It is plain to see that Kevvie is still in there pushing the same little barrow.
Did the words of Paul Lacas in the Win news feature to-night ring in your ears as words from the past?
It was bloody Thorley and Water Wise Wendy who used this term in the last debate.
"One day you may turn on the kitchen tap and there will be no water!"
It was only last week Cr Antonio said "you will not run out of water".
Either one is a fool or the other is a liar.
9:51 PM, July 08, 2008
Well it looks as though the Toowoomba people still have to fight for their right not to have to drink rotten recycled untested sewage water. We really thought that we would have a chance with the new Council but they signed away all their power to the CEO
Phil Spencer, assisted by Kev Flannagan- Govt stooges.. Councillors were told but they thought they could trust the Govt. Now they have very little to do with most decision making. Labor is controlled by Global Socialism and I would have thought, good country girl that she is, that Anna Bligh would have stood up for the people of South East Queensland.
4:36 AM, July 09, 2008
You're fooling yourself. Anna Bligh doesn't care what water Toowoomba people drink. She's only interested in one thing - herself.
10:42 AM, July 09, 2008
The Chronicle:
Fast-tracked pipeline to bail us out
July 09, 2008
DROUGHT-ravaged Toowoomba residents will be drinking recycled water, courtesy of a $187 million pipeline from Wivenhoe Dam, by January 2010.
Deputy Premier Mr Paul Lucas yesterday was stunned by the levels of the city's two major water storages Cressbrook and Perseverance dams.
Amid news the dams will be dry by 2010, the State Government decided it was time to expedite the pipeline from Wivenhoe Dam to Cressbrook Dam.
"This pipeline will be able to supply up to 14,200 million litres of water a year if needed, that's over 50 per cent more than Toowoomba's current demand," he said.
Toowoomba Regional Council mayor Peter Taylor said: "Without this good news there was the real possibility Toowoomba could have run out of water."
"While new bores are being brought on line to see us through the drought crisis, these supplies alone will not be sustainable over the long term."
Mr Lucas warned the water would come with a cost.
"Water prices will have to rise as they have in south-east Queensland that's the price of water security.
"It is very academic what price you pay for water if you don't have any," he said.
Mr Lucas and Cr Taylor agreed any angst over the recycled water would be a waste of energy.
"The seven-barrier treatment process is world class," Mr Lucas said.
And Cr Taylor noted: "Toowoomba (residents) will be drinking the same water as the other major cities (residents) will be drinking. I believe this project secures Toowoomba's future because without water we can't go anywhere."
Negotiations over the finer details including the water infrastructure ownership are yet to be held.
Construction of the pipeline will be managed by the State Government's bulk water transport authority, LinkWater, which has engaged an alliance of companies (Clough, Diversified and Maunsell) to design and build the pipeline.
Member for Toowoomba North Kerry Shine said: "Construction activity will start in the third quarter of this year, after obtaining the necessary environmental approvals and consulting with landowners."
10:47 AM, July 09, 2008
Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor Peter Taylor's comments on recycled water ...
“With the sensible application of technology, and thoughtful pre-planning, there are plenty of ways that treated water from sewerage treatment works can be used to reduce reliance on dam water supplies, such as watering sports fields, golf courses, gardens, and back through toilets, as well as supplying bulk water for certain industry and mining applications, without any risk of it contaminating our drinking water” said Cr. Taylor.
(5 March 2008)
11:00 AM, July 09, 2008
Which cities is Taylor referring to?
11:25 AM, July 09, 2008
Brisbane? Don't think Taylor knows what he's talking about. Mr flip-flop on recycled water.
12:29 PM, July 09, 2008
just as a matter of interest I was informed by a junior seat warmer in the "peep a boo" Nosworthy dept more than 12 months ago that there was no if's and but's, we were going to drink THAT water. Democracy didn't enter into it. They obviously know whats best for us. Who voted for these gerkins?
12:43 PM, July 09, 2008
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.
1:25 PM, July 09, 2008
WIN News:
Pipeline Follow Up
9 July 2008
Yesterday's announcement put an end to the eleventh hour attempt by the state government to use coal seam gas water to solve Toowoomba's crisis.
But the opposition says if the government hadn't sat on it's hands, it could've accepted a hundred million dollars of industry money to help pipe the untapped resource.
5:42 PM, July 09, 2008
WIN News:
Recycled water anger
9 July 2008
Anger is mounting across the city over the Government's decision to build a pipeline from Wivenhoe Dam.
Recycled water opponents predict people will move away from Toowoomba once treated effluent is pumped into our dams.
Others simply won't drink it!
5:43 PM, July 09, 2008
Taylor is spineless and gutless - under the influence of Kevie and frightened of Bligh and company - I wonder how he sleeps at night - he could not believe the support at the "No" meeting held at the Harristown School Hall in 2006 and his own Jondaryan Council rejected the Waterfutures potable water - now he tells us it is no use fighting and this recycled crap water is as goood as other Australia captital cities (I assume that he is only talking about Brisbane) - I assume that he will soon be running around with recycled water instead of Mount Franklin water in the bottle that he normally carries with him
8:04 PM, July 09, 2008
Clive Berghofer is the only one who makes sense.
Horan must have been off with the fairies as he talks about possibilly not having to add recycled water to the dam!!
The governmnet's (any governmnet)plan is that the people drink water sourced from shit.
This is because the same breaucrates are telling them it is the best option.
When will we ever elect someone at any level of government who will stand up to these fools and treat them as the servants that they are???????????
10:20 PM, July 09, 2008
Typical Labor Govt! Goss scrapped the planned dams as soon as he got into power. The Govt sat on its hands for years and now the situation is desperate they are prepared to feed the whole state untested recycled sewerage water by putting it into Wivenhoe Dam and pumping it uphill to Toowoomba even though we are "not in the south east grid" as they stated previously. If they had acted years earlier and built the dams already planned for, this situation would not have come about. Roll on the next elections. Labor is on the nose in all states now and this will be the final straw for this State. We can't regard them as our "saviours" They caused this hideously expensive mess!
10:23 PM, July 09, 2008
We have to remember that this regional council will go down in history as the ones who gave away our dams.
They stood at the recent election and said they were on our side and once elected they rolled over and got in bed with the State Labour party.
*This change of heart is at Kevvie's bidding as his plan has always been to deliver processsed sewage to us. He was the man who pulled the plan out of the draw 31/2 years ago and he has worked steadly with the State government to do it ever since.
*Remember it should not be a surprise that they are working closely with the Labour party because we know one of the main people in council put money up for Kerry Shine when be stood against our man Lyle Shelton at the last state election.
7:35 AM, July 10, 2008
Cr Anne Glasheen:
"Recycled water can be used for industry purposes ie parks, gardens,road building, there are multiple uses ...BUT NOT FOR DRINKING.
If they put reclycled water in Wivenhoe then isolate this dam for industry use only and take drinking water from other sources ie dams, bores, tanks."
(31 Jan 2008)
9:45 AM, July 10, 2008
Cr Paul Antonio:
He states that he see "waste water as a tremendous community asset. We need to be looking at ways of preserving what we have, for example, through capturing more of our storm water, and grey water, and recycling it for non-drinking purposes."
"Through a family trust, Paul owns a 10% share in a waste management company, GBG Management Pty Ltd, which uses technology developed by CQU to treat waste water, with fully organic processes. The company has grown rapidly and is currently expanding internationally."
9:57 AM, July 10, 2008
Great comment in the Chronicle today. We used to have six sewer sippers now we have a full deck.
10:40 AM, July 10, 2008
WIN News
Wandoan Coal Mine
10 July 2008
Major multinational company Xstrata is considering using south-west Queensland's coal seam gas water as it fires ahead with plans to build a massive open cut coal mine at Wandoan.
It's one of thirteen new coal mine proposals cropping up across the Surat Basin.
6:14 PM, July 10, 2008
Now the plan unfolds.
There is plenty of coal seam water but it is not for Toowoomba people becaused it has been promised to the coal mines and the gas people will get a better price.
Shame, shame on you all.
9:57 PM, July 10, 2008
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