Nationals’ dam proposal takes water management back to the future
Conservation groups are astonished the NSW Government has announced plans for a new $150 million dam at a time when the federal government is spending billions of dollar returning water to the Murray-Darling Basin system.
NSW Nationals leader and Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner announced at his party’s annual conference in Queanbeyan that funding for preliminary work on a new dam at Needles Gap on the Belubula River in the state’s Central West would be provided in next week’s state budget. [1]
It is not yet clear whether the dam is intended to provide drinking water for nearby towns, water for irrigation, or both.
Inland Rivers Network President Bev Smiles said the $150 million the government plans to spend building the dam would be better spent improving water efficiency in towns and on farms.
“Water efficiency, demand management and recycling are cheaper and less environmentally harmful than new dams,” Ms Smiles said. “Proposing a new dam to achieve water security displays a lamentable lack of imagination, and a failure to learn the lessons of the past.”
Nature Conservation Council of NSW Chief Executive Officer Pepe Clarke said: “The state stopped building dams 30 years ago for a very good reason. Dams degrade river systems, cause a host of environmental problems, and fail to provide water security for local communities.
“Former Premier Barry O'Farrell recognised this when he opposed the construction of the Tillegra Dam as a solution to Newcastle's water supply needs.”
Central West Environment Council spokesperson Cilla Kinross said: “This is a potentially destructive proposal in an environmentally sensitive area and is likely to meet considerable opposition.
“It makes no sense to pay millions to build a dam that will remove water from the system when the federal government is spending billions returning rivers to health.”
[1] Regional NSW to receive $1 billion for drought relief, tourism and roads, www.smh.com.au/nsw/regional-nsw-to-receive-1-billion-for-drought-relief-tourism-and-roads-20140613-zs6ll.html#ixzz34TxlCnpL
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