New dam alternative

Arthur Gorrie | 16th October 2009

Peter Garrett.

AAP

AS new Traveston Crossing dam alternatives emerged yesterday, federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett promised he would assess the Mary River plan “thoroughly and properly.”

Mr Garrett, who has last say on the dam on environmental grounds, yesterday asked Australians to trust that he will do the right thing.

It is a role which could be complicated by the emergence of new Traveston Crossing alternatives, including a now-competitive Borumba Dam proposal and a radical new plan to provide the same water at a fraction of the cost from raised Wivenhoe and Somerset Dams.

Mr Garrett's commitment coincides with the emergence of these new or newly viable alternatives, particularly now that Queensland Co-Ordinator-General, Colin Jensen, has effectively rejected Stage Two of the dam proposal.

The State Government had previously insisted that alternatives should be measured against the larger Stage Two proposal, while at the same time insisting that environmental impacts be assessed on Stage One only.

After conditional approval from the Queensland COG, with environmental requirements effectively ruling out Stage Two, the Borumba dam alternative advanced by Mary Valley grazier Ron McMah has been given a new lease on viability.

And coinciding with that yesterday, the Wide Bay-Burnett Conservation Council advanced a significant “new” plan, which it claims has already been recognised as viable by the State Government, but effectively kept under wraps.

Mr Currie joined with Sunshine Coast Environment Council manager Narelle Mcarthy, Save the Mary River Co-ordinating Group president Glenda Pickersgill and secretary David Kreutz and the Greater Mary Association's Tanzi Smith.

In a challenge issued yesterday afternoon, they challenged Infrastructure Minister Stirling Hinchliffe to justify his claim that the Traveston Crossing dam is “the most cost effective option” for South East Queensland's water security.

“SEQ can be climate proofed for a mere $10 million,” Ms Mcarthy said, comparing the raised dam proposal to the $1.7 billion Traveston Crossing proposal, which has already cost taxpayers about one-third of that in preliminary land purchases.

“We challenge Mr Hinchliffe to explain why he is pursuing a multi-billion dollar option when the government's own Queensland Water Commission (QWC) has identified a vastly cheaper option that provides much more water.”

She said the new option was originally outlined in a 2007 QWC report titled 'Provision of Contingency Storage in Wivenhoe and Somerset Dams,” which included raising Wivenhoe dam 2m, a measure which would also improve the dam's safety.

“The report states that this option 'provides a significant increase in storage, 228,000ML, for a relatively small capital cost.”

Mr Kreutz said: “By pursuing Traveston instead of raising Wivenhoe, Hinchliffe is asking Queenslanders to pay 40 times more to get, at best one-third of the water.

“He's asking us to fork out for a Rolls Royce and he's going to give us a BMX with flat tyres.”

Mr Garrett says he has now received the Queensland COG's report and expects to meet his November 18 deadline.