3 June 2009
Construction of the new pipelines with filtered water from Tailem Bend to properties in the districts of Raukkan, Narrung, Meningie and along the Poltalloch Peninsular plus another to Langhorne Creek connected to the Strathalbyn, Milang and Clayton pipelines supplied from Murray Bridge. Water security has been improved and guarantees consistent water quality for communities and stock in the Lower Lakes with exception of Point Sturt they have to wait until September. The irrigators $12.5 to 13.5 million and thanks to the Commonwealth and State Governments putting in not less than $94 million will have their separate pipeline via Jervois, Langhorne Creek and Currency Creek completed by October, 2009, the reliance on the Lower Lakes for water being transferred upstream to Tailem Bend.
Environment and Heritage Dept. Chief Executive Mr. Holmes gave the first sign sea water would not be used to flood the Lakes when quoted in last Saturday’s Advertiser 31st May “ we’re not sure if that will be the response”.
This now shows that the January, March and May 2009 meetings in Goolwa have been nothing but “ROAD SHOWS BANNERS AND ALL”, as nothing has changed since day one and any other suggestions by the community have been ignored. They have achieved at least on thing and that is to go from a “FULL HALL” in January down to 100 at the 16th May meeting. I would like to thank him and the department on the way they spent our money having a “Agriculture seeding ( Rye grass can be toxic to animals ) and limestone dusting exhibition” in the Option C and F areas to be covered by water pumped from Lake Alexandrina very shortly or is it. He is further quoted “the decision to build the weir related solely to Adelaide’s water security and not the health of the Lower Lakes. The weir relates entirely to Adelaide’s water supply. It isn’t a device to manage the Lakes,” he said.
If Mr. Holmes main concern is the to manage the health of the Lakes why hasn’t he objected to or stopped the above pipelines as he has to sea water. Two of his fellow government departments Water Security and Agriculture Food and Fisheries have increased the problems for the Lakes as more water will now be extracted from the River before it reaches Wellington and having a weir to protect Adelaide’s water supply.
One of the E & H speakers at the 16th May 2009 meeting, when I asked about sea water reaching Mannum 1915 he corrected me by saying it was salt water.
I now believe working on his theory that by allowing sea water through the barrages ( not there in 1915 ) Goolwa and the Coorong will have sea water and we can achieve the same environment by having salt water in the Lakes. Hang on a moment there is another problem thanks to the Dept. of Water Security we have a weir at Wellington. That ‘s alright at least history will not repeat itself the Willows won’t die between there and Murray Bridge and salt water will not reach Mannum.
I am the person who thought of the idea of continuing the pipeline from Goolwa to the above areas using Myponga Reservoir water.
S. Murphy Goolwa