28 May, 2013
Macquarie River pipeline proposal tests independent decision
The Inland Rivers Network will tell a public hearing today that a final decision on the Macquarie River-to-Orange City pipeline should not be made until new water-flow modeling has been completed.
IRN President Bev Smiles said new models were required because those used by Orange City Council, the project proponent, were deeply flawed.
“The Inland Rivers Network is particularly concerned the Department of Planning has recommended the pipeline be approved when the department’s own independent advice shows a lot of assumptions and modeling is wrong,” said IRN President Bev Smiles.
“IRN is urging the Planning Assessment Commission to gather all required new information before making a decision on this significant proposal.”
The group will present key objections to the proposed pipeline at a Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) meeting in Orange today.
“The public meeting is an opportunity for the Commissioners Paul Forward and Brian Gilligan to take additional information on the proposal before deciding on its merit,” Ms Smiles said.
“The PAC will make the final decision on the pipeline proposal so it is vital that they have accurate models and data to inform their decision.
“IRN will be highlighting the numerous failings of the proposal, many of which have been identified by the independent review commissioned by the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure.
“The Macquarie River is part of the Murray-Darling Basin which has just had a new plan to put water back into the system for environmental health. The pipeline proposal will cause extraction to increase in a very sensitive part of the river.
“The decision on the pipeline project will be an important test of the independence of the Planning Assessment Commission. IRN does not support the recommendations of the Department of Planning.”
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