Granite Belt Water Security.
$210 million could buy the Granite Belt a pipeline to Connolly plus raise the wall on Storm King Dam plus provide rainwater tanks attached to all buildings on town water plus provide money to support water efficiency processes for all farmers on the Granite Belt.
Now, that would go towards providing water security for all the Granite Belt community.
Instead, we have $210 million of taxpayer and ratepayers money being given to a private company to provide water to 50 growers at the end of a pipeline from a white elephant, shallow, evapouration pond purporting to be a dam!
What sort of economic efficiency is this?
What drives the politicians of our local council, state and federal governments to use their power over taxpayer & ratepayer monies in this way?
We need a real debate about water security on the Granite Belt.
Not a debate about a dam for 50 growers.
Our Council has an Environmental Sustainablility Strategy where it aims to “Promote local successes and experience in water use efficiencies in agriculture” and “Increase regional water security”.
The Council Plan says it will do this by maintaining “environmental flows” and providing “holistic water strategy incorporating town water, groundwater and recycled water”.
The Plan also says the Council will provide “demand management and supply considerations including connections across the Local Government Areas and with the SEQ grid”, and “opportunities for increasing water supplies and securing contingency sources”.
This Council Plan is outlining that Granite Belt water security is achieved by increasing water supplies. This can be achieved with the Connolly Dam pipeline, raising the Storm King Dam wall and providing tanks attached to all buildings on town water.
The Council Plan aims for demand management which incorporates water efficiency measures for all water users.
The Council Plan aims to promote water efficiencies in agriculture.
I think the $210 million of taxpayer and ratepayers money should be used to provide water security for all the community of the Granite Belt and not a private company building a shallow evapouration pond [dam].
-Brian Gibbons, Stanthorpe.
