Weekly Water News - 20 February

February 19th, 2009

Stormwater recycling boost for Adelaide

Featured Story: Queensland Floods - A community view

From one person’s photographs on the photo sharing website Flickr, an entire community of people affected by the flooding in Queensland, Australia told their stories of the destruction and sometimes isolation as the rain continued. These stories have been caputured by the BBC World News Service.

National News Round-Up

Vic Govt mulls easing water restrictions.The Victorian Government will consider relaxing water restrictions for households in the state’s fire-ravaged areas.Work needed on Goolwa channel: SA Govt. The South Australian Government says it wants urgent work to stop the acidification and environmental collapse of the Goolwa channel.  Water to be pumped into smelly Loveday Basin. About 42 megalitres of water will be pumped into the Loveday Basin this week to reduce unpleasant odours caused by low water levels.Dubbo council shelves $1m water upgrades. Dubbo City Council has been forced to shelve more than $1 million worth of upgrades to water infrastructure.

Tougher water bans for Barraba. The Tamworth Regional Council has further tightened water restrictions in Barraba. Authorities check river bank safety. Two riverbank collapses along the Murray have prompted the Coorong District Council to inspect the river banks and the lower lakes for any further signs of trouble. Adelaide desal contract goes to Spanish-led consortium. A Spanish consortium is the successful bidder to build Adelaide’s desal plant.

Torrens algae levels still high: council. The Charles Sturt Council says algae levels in the River Torrens remain dangerously high. Buy-back benefits take time: Wong. The Federal Water Minister, Penny Wong, says bringing forward water buy-backs will not restore flows to the Murray-Darling Basin straight away.  Roberts makes second trip to north-west flood zone. Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts is visiting flooded communities in north-west Queensland this afternoon.

CIT urges more exit grant details. The Central Irrigation Trust’s (CIT) chief executive officer, Jeff Parish, says more detail is needed before the full impact of expanding exit grants for irrigators is known. Northern rains flow toward SA.There are hopes that heavy rainfall from New South Wales and Queensland will flow into South Australia soon.  Pipeline not sea water trigger: SA Govt.Murray lower lakes residents are assured a new fresh water pipe will not be a trigger for sea water flooding.

Councils team up to form water alliance. Councils along the Lachlan River are expected to commit to joining a binding alliance on Friday to manage water delivery. MPs gather for lower Murray pipeline event. A pipeline supplying water to residents around the lower lakes region of the drought-hit Murray is being ‘officially’ turned on today by the Federal and South Australian Governments. Irrigators get carryover assurance. Irrigators are being assured they will have access to water they carry over to next season.

Rain to determine Ballarat water bans respite. Central Highlands Water says Ballarat’s strict water restrictions may be eased later this year.Call for growers to get water allocations assurance. The chairman of the South Australian Murray Irrigators, Tim Whetstone, says growers need assurance about whether critical water allocations will continue next season.Dubbo consults other councils on blanket water bans. The Dubbo council will work with other councils on implementing blanket water restrictions across much of the western New South Wales region.

Water supply moved amid bushfire threat. Billions of litres of drinking water is being moved out of Victorian reservoirs with catchments which are fire damaged. Consultants appointed for mining groundwater study. Consultants have been appointed to develop the terms of reference for a study into the impact of mining on groundwater reserves in the Namoi Catchment. Murray irrigators warned ‘no water until August’. Goulburn Murray Water has warned Murray irrigators there is unlikely to be water available when the next season starts in July.

Same allocations urged for Australia’s irrigators. A Riverland irrigator says there are too many disparities between water allocations for South Australian irrigators and their interstate counterparts. NFF wants greater focus on basin infrastructure. The National Farmers Federation (NFF) says spending on the Murray-Darling Basin secured in the $42 billion stimulus package should focus more on infrastructure. SA irrigators stuck on 18pc entitlement. SA irrigators will face a 18 per cent water entitlement for another month.Downstream welcome for Xenophon’s water deal. Downstream Murray users are pleased with Senator Nick Xenophon’s water deal.

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