Lake Albert Seawater

5th June 2009

As a partial solution to the ongoing debate of seawater vs freshwater for the lakes and opening versus leaving the barrages shut, I cannot understand why a manmade SOLUTION to the manmade PROBLEM should not also be considered.

• • The southern side of Lake Albert is less than 1 km to the Coorong which is less than 500m to the Southern Ocean.

  • Lake Albert has already been shut off from Lake Alexandrina & is relying on pumped water to sustain any sort of level.

  • A FAST capability exists to lay a tidal pipe between the Southern Ocean & Lake Albert (ie not open through the Coorong so as to retain the current ecology of that environment) to allow tidal flows direct into Lake Albert. 

This solution IS economically feasible and also segments one component of the debate to allow acidification to diminish in Lake Albert & freshwater evaporation to cease in that environment, allows a concentrated study of the effect of transition of that environment into a seawater ecology & is reversible if ever required by capping the pipeline & opening up the current barrier between Alexandria & Albert (as would be the case if the barrages were opened).

The remaining debate can then continue on a reduced scale regarding the barrages.

Can someone tell me why this is not being considered as my previous suggestions to State & Federal Ministers on this issue have gone unanswered & forums comments to the same to The Advertiser unpublished (freedom of speech ?)

Paul Richards