ID :
15897
Thu, 08/14/2008 - 20:44
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/15897
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Govt plan aims to save SA's dying lakes
The federal government has dramatically stepped up efforts to save the dying lakes at the mouth of Australia's biggest river system, agreeing to buy up water-hoarding properties and send the water downstream.
Federal cabinet has agreed to a suite of new measures in a last-gasp bid to save theMurray-Darling's lower lakes from turning into acid or being flooded with seawater.
The government would try to buy out "appropriately located irrigation properties",Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said, as he announced the new package in Adelaide.
The government will also try to buy out the water rights of entire irrigationcommunities in the drought ravaged basin.
It has fast-tracked spending on buying back water rights.
And it will commission an independent audit of the basin's water storages to makesure the numbers are correct.
But the cabinet, which met on Thursday in Adelaide, has conceded that the newmeasures might not be enough to save the lower lakes.
Cabinet has decided that if experts say it is necessary to flood the lower lakeswith seawater, the government will consider the option.
The Murray-Darling stretches through Queensland, NSW and Victoria before coming outat South Australia's lower lakes.
The basin is so dry that the lower lakes, which are freshwater, are turning acidic.
There are two ways to save them: sending more freshwater downstream, or letting inthe seawater, which would significantly change the lakes' ecology.
Mr Rudd said he was trying to save the lower lakes but warned it might not be possible.
"I don't want to say there is a magic solution here ... I am not going to provide false promises, I am not going to provide false guarantees about there being somesimple solution," he said.
"I am trying to turn around a situation which has evolved over many, many years ...
and we are dealing with the real consequences of climate change."The announcements signal a change in direction by the federal government.
It had previously focused on a $3.1 billion buyback of individual irrigators' waterrights.
Water Minister Penny Wong recently said there was not enough water in upstream waterstorages to save the lower lakes.
But now the government will try to buy properties outright - particularly in the northern reaches of the basin - and also buy out the rights of entire irrigationcommunities.
It has picked up the pace of water buybacks, and caved in to demands forverification of the Murray Darling Basin Commission's numbers on water storages.
"There's been some challenge to the accuracy of the Murray-Darling Commissionnumbers," Mr Rudd said.
"We will commission one of the independent accounting houses of the world to separately and independently audit the accuracy of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission's numbers." Greens water spokeswoman Rachel Siewert said the changes were missing one vital reform: the government should consider compulsorily buying out irrigators' waterrights and allocations.
Senator Siewert said the focus should be on buying water that actually exists, asopposed to water rights which are buying zero allocations in dry times.
Coalition water spokesman John Cobb said the measures would not alleviate the crisisand instead would decimate struggling communities.
Mr Cobb said the water buybacks would take too long to finalise, plus it would takea lot more water than the government could buy to restore decent flows.
Federal cabinet has agreed to a suite of new measures in a last-gasp bid to save theMurray-Darling's lower lakes from turning into acid or being flooded with seawater.
The government would try to buy out "appropriately located irrigation properties",Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said, as he announced the new package in Adelaide.
The government will also try to buy out the water rights of entire irrigationcommunities in the drought ravaged basin.
It has fast-tracked spending on buying back water rights.
And it will commission an independent audit of the basin's water storages to makesure the numbers are correct.
But the cabinet, which met on Thursday in Adelaide, has conceded that the newmeasures might not be enough to save the lower lakes.
Cabinet has decided that if experts say it is necessary to flood the lower lakeswith seawater, the government will consider the option.
The Murray-Darling stretches through Queensland, NSW and Victoria before coming outat South Australia's lower lakes.
The basin is so dry that the lower lakes, which are freshwater, are turning acidic.
There are two ways to save them: sending more freshwater downstream, or letting inthe seawater, which would significantly change the lakes' ecology.
Mr Rudd said he was trying to save the lower lakes but warned it might not be possible.
"I don't want to say there is a magic solution here ... I am not going to provide false promises, I am not going to provide false guarantees about there being somesimple solution," he said.
"I am trying to turn around a situation which has evolved over many, many years ...
and we are dealing with the real consequences of climate change."The announcements signal a change in direction by the federal government.
It had previously focused on a $3.1 billion buyback of individual irrigators' waterrights.
Water Minister Penny Wong recently said there was not enough water in upstream waterstorages to save the lower lakes.
But now the government will try to buy properties outright - particularly in the northern reaches of the basin - and also buy out the rights of entire irrigationcommunities.
It has picked up the pace of water buybacks, and caved in to demands forverification of the Murray Darling Basin Commission's numbers on water storages.
"There's been some challenge to the accuracy of the Murray-Darling Commissionnumbers," Mr Rudd said.
"We will commission one of the independent accounting houses of the world to separately and independently audit the accuracy of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission's numbers." Greens water spokeswoman Rachel Siewert said the changes were missing one vital reform: the government should consider compulsorily buying out irrigators' waterrights and allocations.
Senator Siewert said the focus should be on buying water that actually exists, asopposed to water rights which are buying zero allocations in dry times.
Coalition water spokesman John Cobb said the measures would not alleviate the crisisand instead would decimate struggling communities.
Mr Cobb said the water buybacks would take too long to finalise, plus it would takea lot more water than the government could buy to restore decent flows.
