Green MP says NSW Govt wasting dam water to benefit Kurnell desalination plant economics
September 12th, 2011 by Warwick HughesNSW Upper House Green MP John Kaye is raising the issue that the NSW Govt has stopped pumping surplus Shoalhaven water to Warragamba dam to keep Warragamba under 80% full – which apparently is the trigger level for shutting down the Kurnell seawater desalination plant. He says the Govt wants to sell Kurnell and I suppose it is not rocket science that Kurnell needs to be operating to be an attractive investment.
I wonder what readers think of this – there are a lot of contradictory nuances in this story. But overall – that the NSW Govt would want the Warragamba Dam level capped or worse – would fit with what I know of Govt water policies in Perth, the ACT and Melbourne – which for a decade have all driven up prices and beaten up scarcity – against the interests of water consumers.
This article indicates the NSW Govt stopped the transfer of Shoalhaven water to Warragamba in late 2008 – near 3 years ago – not 15 months ago.
This page talks chapter and verse how the NSW Govt will increase environmental flows out of Sydney dam water supplies if inflows increase – aided and abetted by the anti-Dam Greens of course – no surprises there.
Posted in Water | 1 Comment »
September 13th, 2011 at 12:36 pm
On the face of it, that activity seems like a double crime. First, it’s a studied dereliction of the responsibility of government to look out for the interests of the citizenry. Second, it’s a clear case of abuse of government power to foment an economic fraud.
Is there any mechanism in Australia for citizens to indict sitting government officials, Warwick? It seems like there’s a clear case to be made.