Water wars: it's the sea or underground
stevem
in Dam Alternatives, Desalination, Environmental, Malcolm Turnbull, Political, Privatisation, Water Trading
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Anne Davies State Political Editor
February 7, 2007
The NSW Opposition plans to tap the Botany aquifer to provide up to 5 per cent of Sydney’s future water if elected in March, but the Iemma Government has committed itself to building a $1.9 billion desalination plant.
Vowing that he would “not let Sydney run out of water”, Morris Iemma revealed yesterday that two consortiums had been invited to tender for a plant at Kurnell, and pledged he would sign the contract if re-elected.
The plant, initially able to produce 125 million litres a day, will be working by 2009, and could be be upgraded to 500 million litres.
However, the Opposition is working on a major stormwater-harvesting plan, involving the Botany aquifer, an option that has been championed by the federal Environment Minister, Malcolm Turnbull. It has been talking to private companies about exploiting the aquifer, the Opposition’s water spokesman, Andrew Stoner, confirmed to the Herald.
“The Liberal/Nationals believe the northern part of the Botany aquifer has the potential to be part of our diversified plan to supplement Sydney’s water supply,” Mr Stoner said. “At the very least, independent experts estimate that the northern part of the aquifer could deliver 14,000 megalitres of excellent-quality water a year sustainably.”
The Opposition Leader, Peter Debnam, said he would support desalination only as a “last resort” but would not state the Coalition’s trigger point for building a plant. The Government has always said its trigger would be when Sydney dam levels dropped to 30 per cent. They are already at 34 per cent.
“This is a desalination plant that was on, then it was off again, then it was on again, and now it’s revved up,” Mr Debnam said. “Our priorities are for stormwater and recycling. If, down the track, we have to build a desalination plant, we would establish a committee after the election to look at alternative sites at Malabar or Botany.”
The Government is sceptical about the aquifer. “It is not the silver-bullet solution to our water problems as Mr Turnbull would have you believe,” said the Water Utilities Minister, David Campbell. “The proposal at this stage still raises a number of serious questions and would need a comprehensive health risk assessment and community consultation.”
Other projects, such as the Western Sydney Recycled Water Initiative, were better options, he said. But private sector work, sighted by the Herald, indicates the aquifer project is cost-competitive and could produce high-quality water for between 50 cents and 90 cents a kilolitre. At present water costs consumers $1.26 a kilolitre.
Mr Stoner said: “It [the aquifer scheme] could be brought on line relatively quickly due to the fact it’s so close to existing infrastructure and ready to tap after initial testing proved its viability.”
The private sector proponents say the aquifer’s yield could be increased by recharging it with stormwater from the CBD and nearby parklands. A “water curtain” could also be installed as a barrier to stop toxic pollution from the southern part of the aquifer, below the Orica plant at Botany, moving north.
Green groups attacked the Government’s desalination decision because it will require high energy use, despite the Premier’s commitment to use green energy from the grid to power it.
However, the chairman of the Government’s independent water assessment panel, Peter Cullen, described the desalination plant as prudent. “If this dry spell continues then desalination means there will always be an alternative source of water,” he said.
Asked if Sydney could have avoided desalination if it had moved on recycling earlier, Professor Cullen said: “Maybe. But the beauty of desalination is that it is independent of rainfall, unlike even recycling.”
Mr Iemma admitted that by calling tenders he would expose a future Debnam government to compensation of “some millions” if it terminates the tender.
The two consortiums are: Bluewater, comprising Veolia, John Holland SKM and Maunsell; and dmt, a French water company, Degremont, Multiplex and Theiss. The Greens said the companies had donated more than $1 million to Labor since 1999.
stevem
Wed 7th Feb 2007
Desalination “Cheaper than Recycling”
NEW South Wales Premier Morris Iemma says adding treated sewage to Sydney’s drinking water supply would cost at least twice as much as his planned $1.9 billion desalination plant.
Mr Iemma intends to order the construction of a 125 megalitre per day desalination plant at Kurnell in southern Sydney if he is returned to office at the March 24 state election.
The announcement threatens Labor’s hold on two marginal seats in the area.
But Mr Iemma today said using treated sewage or drawing drinking water from the Botany aquifer in southern Sydney were not realistic alternatives to desalination because of cost, time and viability issues.
“The point with desalination is this: It will be up and running in 26 weeks time,” Mr Iemma said.
It would take four to five years to build the infrastructure to add treated sewage to drinking water supplies at a cost of $4 billion to $5 billion, Mr Iemma said.
“If you started tomorrow you’d be talking about four to five years to construct the infrastructure,” he said.
“It’s not as simplistic as saying, ‘just go and make people drink recycled sewage’.”
Mr Iemma said water from the Botany aquifer was being used for industrial purposes but more work would be required to determine if it could be made suitable for drinking.
Opposition Leader Peter Debnam said the Government should spend the $1.9 billion set aside for the desalination plant on other water projects.
“Imagine what you can do with that $2 billion in terms of recycling projects, water harvesting projects, fixing leaks, getting rainwater tanks in homes right across NSW, you can do all that in the next year or two,” he said.
The Opposition says it will cancel the Kurnell desalination project if it wins the state election but would consider building a plant in the Malabar/Botany area as a last-resort solution to the water crisis.
Mr Debnam said he was looking at water recycling options, as well as tapping the Botany aquifer.
“It is a natural collection point for stormwater (and) for harvesting,” he said.
The full details of the Liberal Party’s Sydney water strategy will be released in the coming weeks, Mr Debnam said.
Mr Iemma today ruled out visiting Kurnell to explain the details of the desalination project to local residents.
“It wouldn’t make any difference because the information, the rationale for the decision is in the public domain,” he said.
The plan threatens to damage Labor’s chances of holding the marginal seats of Miranda and Menai, near Kurnell.
But Mr Iemma said: “The fact that I have two marginal seats in the Sutherland Shire cannot stand in the way of doing the right thing on behalf of the people of NSW, the people of Sydney.”
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