Don Collins of Kallangur Qld.

If it does not rain in the catchment area of the Mary River after the controversial Traveston Dam the whole project would be a waste of money and also a waste of valuable agricultural land in the Mary Valley.

A feasible option could have been investigated to increase the total water storage of South East Queensland without ANY new land resumption or forcing people from their homes, possibly at a cheaper cost to the Government than the acquisition of valuable FARM LAND or the COST of building NEW DAMS.

Now that the three existing Dams, Wivenhoe, Somerset and North Pine are at 25% capacity and are likely to get lower over the next year or so, why not excavate some of the exposed soil below the high water line of these existing dams to increase the total volume capacity that each of these dams once held, it would not be impossible to increase the total capacity in these three dams to that of the planned Traveston Dam capacity when we do eventually get some heavy rain to fill our three dams.

This scheme could go a long way to be almost self funding by selling the excavated soil for gardening and landscaping and any gravel could be sold for concrete of road base material, this material could be stored anywhere above the high water line on properties that have already been bought by the Government when they built the dams many years ago until the excavated material could be used elsewhere.

This idea would not be impossible and would have no more leakage effect on the existing dams than the building of a new dam at Traveston because the new dam would also have to seal itself in the underwater subsoil. Why not look into this method of increasing SEQ. vital water storage without the needless waste of valuable farm land and uprooting peoples homes and lives, it could be done if the Government were prepared to look at other alternatives to the water shortage, it would also be much more preferable to drinking recycled sewerage.