1A We oppose desalination anywhere, as a first option. Williamsons Beach, Victoria Proposed site; Desalination Plant.
Formed mid 2007 in response to announcement by State Government that they intend to build a massive water factory on the Bass Coast. In an unprecedented move, via Federal Court action the federal Rudd and state Brumby governments silenced this group’s legitimate opposition to the environmentally reprehensible plan! For the sake of the future of our planet, the community needed a continued voice, so we formed; 1A
Some Actions Community assembly; shut down by Mr Brumby Bob Brown, strong supporter; during a site visit Human sign; 1200 angry people at the site Walk Against Warming; Melbourne, 2008
John Brumby’s Water Factory Powlett River Williamsons Beach
John Brumby’s Water Factory Powered by brown coal (not “green powered”) • 90 - 120 mW • New high voltage power supply • Emits up to 1.5 million tonnes CO2 annually ➡ Equivalent to 350,000 new cars 150 - 200 billion litres annually via pipe, 85 km to Cardinia reservoir Rural landscape Unspoiled beaches & foreshore reserve BASS STRAIT • Shallow • Poor flushing ➡ exacerbates negative marine effects Intake; over 15,000 litres water per second • kills over 300,000 marine organisms per second (removes salt) Effluent; 7,000 litres per second; • brine • ecotoxins • dead sea life (removes sea life)
1A Why we oppose THIS desalination project. It is; • not required • environmentally unsustainable CO2 emissions marine ecology terrestrial ecology • economically prohibitive • socially destructive • a last resort solution being placed first.
It is NOT REQUIRED Until now, government has not acted despite years of warnings that Melbourne’s antiquated water supply system will not cope with climate change and pollution effects (reducing rainfall) and increasing population. There are alternatives that will deliver more water than desalination; cheaper and with a fraction the environmental effects. Government knows this; but refuses to act responsibly.
It is NOT REQUIRED In Summary: • 400 billion litres of urban storm water is wasted every year and • 300 billion litres of treated waste water is wasted every year. Desalination will suck back out of the ocean just one quarter of this! Why not STOP it all running into the ocean in the first place? It CAN be done (cheaper and with a fraction of the environmental impact). Water experts confirm that.
It is NOT REQUIRED Neil Rankine’s objective AND fully referenced collation of Government’s own policy (including Melbourne Water’s and CSIRO’s figures & statistics) confirms that we do NOT need desalination. Prof. Barry Hart, director Water Studies Centre at Monash University; “I believe the information in this document is sufficiently robust for there to be concern over the validity of the case for the desal plant”.
Summary graph from Neil Rankine’s report; demonstrates the volumes of water available. Link to full report; http://www.yourwateryoursay.org/2008/05/09/analysis-supply-and-demand-melbourne’s-water-version-4/ Even with severe climate induced restrictions to dam inflows MELBOURNE’S STORAGES WILL BE OVERFLOWING IN 2014 or 2015 150 GL 60 GL Wonthaggi Eastern Treatment 37.4GL Desalination Efficiencies Supply Plant upgrade and Factory 42 GL Water Substitution 83% pumping 40 GL Rollout of Water consumption to Above Stormwater Rainwater for 2007 2014 Excess 295GL Melbourne 2013 Excess 267GL 2016 2012 Excess 261GL Harvesting Tanks in 5% 15 GL Con- and of suitable New Water for 75 GL Excess 211GL Substitution homes sumption Environmental Sugarloaf for Drinking per annum Flows 15 GL Interconnector Water Tarago Severe Reconnection 2011 further 2010 Excess climate 86GL inflow reduction 15GL 20GL Consumption scaled for population increase to 4.5+million by 2020 Annual Storage Levels with excess supply (end 2007 level 693GL) 708GL 729GL 815GL 1026GL 1287GL 1554GL 1849GL (Total storage capacity is 1773 GL) Storages will be overflowing mid 2015 - even assuming augmentations not online until following years Figures are from Melbourne Water for dam inflows (four main storages and an allowance for other inflow/outflows) and 2007 annual consumption. New Supply volumes are from the State Government’s new water policy, others are from their policy presented at the last election (Eastern Treatment reduced), 8 and the last two options (discussed in the previous policy but no figures given) have conservative figures from recent research (see references for detail).
1A Why we oppose THIS desalination project. It is; • not required • environmentally unsustainable CO2 emissions marine ecology terrestrial ecology • economically prohibitive • socially destructive • a last resort solution being placed first.
“Desalination should Victoria’s proposed DESALINATION plant; remain the last resort, and “an energy guzzling, climate changing, ecosystem altering should only be applied water factory; catch the water after cheaper alternatives falling on Melbourne’s roofs” in terms of supply and - Bob Brown , Nov 18, 2007. demand management have carefully been considered.” - World Bank Desalination: “ Bottled Electricity ” - Bob Carr, 2004.
NASA ʼ s James Hansen* in December 2007: “The tipping points for large ice sheet and species loss were crossed when we exceeded 300-350 ppm of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a point passed decades ago. We need to stop emissions and reduce the greenhouses in the air to cool the planet.” * Director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Advised U.S. Vice President and Cabinet members on climate change and its relation to energy requirements.
Some widely accepted figures regarding Climate Change... • Current atmospheric equivalent CO2 = 387 ppm. • Even if we stop emissions now this is likey to exceed 400 ppm when there is likely to be a T increase to 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels). • 2 degrees is the often quoted tipping point for catastrophic climate change. • Coral starts dying above 450 ppm CO2. • The world is devastated at 550 ppm (likely 3-6 degree T increase). • Professor Peter Christoff (University of Melbourne and Vice-President of the ACF); need to get CO2 below 400 ppm to keep T rise below 2 C. • James Hansen suggests a long term safe level is 300 - 325 ppm • Australian Government has instructed its economic advisers to model at 450-550 ppm! • 550 ppm as decided upon by Garnaut risks runaway climate change. Projects such as the Desalination Project are clearly incompatible with responsible Climate Policy.
Recent climate science; Southern Ocean close to acid tipping point. Tuesday, 11 November 2008 Bianca Nogrady, ABC Researchers are concerned that the Southern Ocean could become too acidic by 2030 This so-called 'tipping point' of acidification had been predicted to occur when atmospheric CO2 levels hit 550 parts per million, around the year 2060. However, the new research shows ...the tipping point is likely to be reached at far lower atmospheric CO2 levels - around 450 ppm ocean acidification could lead to large scale ecosystem changes, affecting not just plankton but other marine life including fish, whales and dolphins
Desalination project ʼ s effect on climate change. According to the EES, a 90 mW plant will produce up to 1,118,000 tonnes of carbon emissions every year , = 22.36 BILLION black balloons = 300 000 new cars! This project is upgradeable to 120 mW . While there are environmentally friendlier alternatives, this is absolutely irresponsible and incongruous with recent federal government commitments to reducing emissions by 60% by 2050! Government claims of “carbon neutrality” are a hoax; an irresponsible abuse of carbon reduction schemes.
The “Carbon Neutral” HOAX Irresponsible justification via; • offsite green power production • carbon credits / ETS = permission to pollute, contributing to ecological collapse. Regardless of government spin, the project WILL result in emissions to 1,500,000 t. / yr.
Marine ecological effects . Entrainment. (the passive capture of small organisms associated with water intake) ★ 300,000 organisms (eggs,larvae,plankton) killed every second. ★ 70-80 tonnes per day of destroyed sea life to landfill or ocean discharge. ★ Loss of biomass from bottom of food chain accumulates with time; flow on effects to higher order consumers (eg. penguins, seals, whales), local fisheries and local reef ecology. Effluent. ★ Salt; 600 million litres / day of hypersaline discharge. ★ Biocides (chlorine etc.), heavy metals, dead organisms. ★ Neutralising agents, coagulants, antiscalants, cleaning chemicals. Local Ecosystem Alteration = Pest species risk. NO studies on whole effluent toxicity have been done.
Marine ecological effects . Brine component of effluent • Salt is heavy; it sinks, reducing oxygen content of the floor; kills benthic sea life. • The proposed discharge point is over high ecological value rocky reef, NOT sand. Extract from West Australian Newspaper; Victoria’s proposed factory is 3 times capacity of Perth’s = 3 times the brine. As with Perth’s site, this part of Bass Strait is poorly flushed; brine accumulates.
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