Great Barrier Reef: STOP Desalinisation Outfall and Envionmentally Unsustainable Infrastructure
- Target:
- The Honourable Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland
- Region:
- Australia
- Website:
- www.mariejford.com
The Queensland State Government has funded and Gladstone Regional Council is implementing unsustainable practices by funding and constructing a desalination plant and ocean outfall in the pristine area of Agnes Water/1770, at the Southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, despite there being other more appropriate environmentally sustainable solutions available for the provision of water.
The total cost of this project is approximately $39million for an approximate Expected Population of 1500, requiring $27million in State Government Funding.
The alternative eco-sustainable solution is $17Million for an approximate Expected Population of 10,000, requiring $6.4million in State Government Funding.
The alternative water security strategy referred to above, has been developed, tailored to meet the real expected population growth of Agnes Water/1770, incorporating tourism and does not require an ocean outfall into the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. This pristine area contains nesting turtles - Loggerhead, Leather-back, Green, Flat Back and Hawksbill Turtles; whales, dolphins andoverall is a very fragile ecosystem.
The alternative water security strategy was presented to The Gladstone Regional Council and dismissed. Some of the benefits of the alternative water strategy are:
• Lower Capital Cost
• Lower Operating Cost
• Built to 10,000 expected population
• Water security to 2030
• Sustainable
• No impact on turtle hatcheries
• No impact on beaches
• Preserves pristine nature of area
Further to all of the above Gladstone Regional Council on 1 August 2008 agreed to construct a Sewerage Treatment Plant on an area 6 kilometres south of the main urban area, which would result in any future recycled water options being economically unviable.
The Gladstone Regional Council are knowingly locating water and sewerage infrastructure inappropriately in an area which would prevent any future sustainable water recycling and re-use alternatives being adopted.
To: The Honourable Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland.
The petition of residents of the State of Queensland draws to the attention of the house that :
1. The QLD government is providing state public funds of $27M for the construction of a sewerage and desalination plant on a pristine beach, whose waters belong to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, and is the home, during nesting season, to some of the most endangered marine species including: Loggerhead, Leather-back, Green, Flat Back and Hawksbill Turtles, with out proper community consultation or environmental and economic studies.
2. The Gladstone Regional Council have failed to listen to the Discovery Coast community, local environmental and engineering experts and made a decision to construct the project based on incomplete, flawed or possibly fraudulent environmental and economic information.
Your petitioners therefore request the house to take all reasonable steps to halt all work on the Agnes Water Sewerage and Desalination scheme by placing a freeze on the $27 million grant of public funds of to the G.R.C.
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The Great Barrier Reef: STOP Desalinisation Outfall and Envionmentally Unsustainable Infrastructure petition to The Honourable Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland was written by Agnes1770COD and is in the category Environment at GoPetition.