Stop Desalination Plant Plans in Victoria

This proposal should not go ahead because it will have a negative impact on the environment. Desalination plants have an overwhelming effect on the environment. The amount of energy and greenhouse gases desalination plants produce is phenomenal. The desalination plant releases approximately 945,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year this is equivalent to an extra 240,000 cars on the roads.

The WWF stated ‘Removing salt from seawater…may end up worsening the crisis.’ On September 17, 2007, Senator Allison states, 'Global warming is lowering rainfall… Yet desalination is an attempt to tackle the water crisis and by so doing the Victorian State Government is only exacerbating the problem.’ The desalination plant proposal should not be accepted because of the negative impact in the social health and well being of sea life, causing massive destruction to their social habitat.

While people have been thinking about themselves and the economy, marine life are suffering too. They don’t speak but they do have a say, it is there homes we’re taking away from them. Marine life will not have a home, if we take the ocean and use for ourselves. We are destroying the only place where they can survive. A wide variety of chemicals, high salt concentrations and toxic substances are some examples of waste that come from desalination plants. Brine (concentrated saltwater) can have a damaging effect to sea life and their environment. Professor Nick Ashbolt, Head of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales stated that, 'The brine generated as waste water during desalination is heavier than seawater…If it is released into calm water it can sink to the bottom…and can kill organisms on the sea bed, from a lack of oxygen.'

The WWF state on June 19, 2007, 'Large-scale desalination engineering could also endanger sea life…’ Conserve H2O desal we say no!!!!!