Smart water planning, not pipedreams, for SE Queensland
24 Jul 2006
Piping water from north Queensland is not the answer to South East Queensland's water needs but rather a diversion to securing long-term water supplies, says WWF, the global conservation organisation.
"Dams and pipelines are not the answer," says Dr Stuart Blanch, Freshwater Manager, WWF-Australia.
"We do need multi-billion dollar engineering projects - not these types of pipedreams, but massive wastewater reuse developments and investment in reducing water wastage."
WWF is calling on Queensland to invest at least $4 billion over the next decade to secure South East Queensland's water supplies through wastewater recycling, demand management and water sensitive urban design.
"Premier Peter Beattie's proposal to pipe water 1200 km from the Burdekin to Queensland's southeast corner is out of step with efforts to recycle water, such as in Toowoomba," Dr Blanch says.
"Western Australian Premier Alan Carpenter killed off a proposal in May to take water from the Kimberley in the State's north to water Perth as being too expensive and environmentally damaging to build and operate.
"Water in Australia's tropical rivers should not be siphoned off to water southern cities. This water is already being used in the north to keep rivers healthy and support regional communities."
Dr Blanch says water management must be both economically viable and ecologically sustainable under the National Water Initiative, which Queensland has signed.
Find out more
Charlie Stevens, Press Officer, WWF-Australia
Phone: 02 8202 1274
Mobile: 0424 649 689
Email: cstevens@wwf.org.au
Dr Stuart Blanch, Freshwater Manager, WWF-Australia
Mobile: 0427 957 868
