Page 1435 - Week 04 - Thursday, 26 March 2009
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Over the next year we will further review our demand management regime to ensure it is appropriate for the new norm in rainfall and catchment performance. The government’s objective is to implement an efficient and effective planning and management approach to ensure water security for the ACT and parts of the broader region.
A central plank to this approach is risk management by catchment diversification. Specifically, this diversification includes the construction of an enlarged Cotter dam, which is scheduled to commence construction in August this year and be completed around April 2011; the construction of a pump station and pipeline from the Murrumbidgee River near Angle Crossing to Googong dam, with construction of this project expected to commence in February 2010 and be completed by July 2011—Googong dam, at 120-gigalitre storage capacity, is and will again be our largest water storage with the water sourced from the Murrumbidgee—and pursuing a program of purchasing water entitlement downstream in the Murrumbidgee River, which will be stored in Tantangara Dam and released down the Murrumbidgee River and pumped across to be stored in Googong Dam for urban water use.
These are all major works, and in agreeing to them the government has also agreed that the resulting greenhouse gas emissions will be offset either by well-developed and appropriate offset schemes or by the use of renewable energy to power the operation of these facilities.
The government has also agreed with Actew’s advice that, whilst the demonstration water purification plant is technically feasible, it is not necessary to pursue that project at this time. The measures we have committed to implementing will provide a sufficient level of security to enable its long-term deferment. Clearly, if the deterioration in our rainfall persists or, indeed, worsens, the government will again review the merits of this project.
The government has also determined we will continue to increase our efforts to substitute non-potable water for potable water in our urban environment wherever possible and reasonable in terms of cost. The government has already invested significantly in water-sensitive urban design projects and the restoration of urban waterways, such as Sullivans Creek, with new water management ponds near Flemington Road in Mitchell.
The government will continue with these initiatives and the construction of further ponds to improve water quality and create new sources of non-potable supply within the urban area for use on sporting facilities, in our schools and for other community and commercial users. The government will also continue to invest in programs to assist with demand management. The government will be continuing to offer the toilet smart program for households and commercial office buildings and a range of other rebate programs to reduce water use by updating water appliances in dwellings and other buildings.
I am pleased to say that all of these actions will minimise the effects in our catchments, and we expect them in many cases to have positive outcomes for the
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .