RSS Feed
November 18th, 2011 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda - Video
- Image
The Wivenhoe dam spillway has been opened to bring dam levels down to 75%
QUESTIONS: There is debate around whether water needs to be released from Brisbane’s dams, including Wivenhoe, before summer starts.
Source: The Courier-Mail
THE release of 57,000 megalitres of water from Wivenhoe Dam began today in a bid to protect Brisbane and surrounds from potential flooding.
The supply level will be brought down from 80 per cent to 75 per cent over an estimated seven days.
The plan to make the release came after several agencies, including the Bureau of Meteorology, recommended action be taken to prepare for what is expected to be a very wet summer.
“This decision was made in accordance with recent amendments to the Water Act and based on advice from the Bureau of Meteorology, Seqwater, the Water Grid Manager, the Queensland Water Commission and the Department of Environment and Resource Management,” Natural Resources minister Rachel Nolan said.
She said water restrictions would also be eased until November 27, but reminded residents that water would still cost.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
“While residents don’t have to abide by the current restrictions during this time, they should be aware that they will still have to pay for water they use,” she said.
Seqwater will be working with local councils to keep areas safe during the release period, despite assurances from Ms Nolan that water levels should not be affected near Brisbane.
“Twin Bridges and Savages Crossing will be closed as a precautionary measure,” she said.
“The releases should have no impact on Colleges Crossing or provide any noticeable change to water levels in the Brisbane River below Moggill.”
The release comes despite advice given to Natural Resources Minister Rachel Nolan at the weekend cautioning that falling dam levels may force the need for “manufactured water” in coming years, including desalinated or recycled water.
Full desalination production could be triggered three times over the coming five years if drought-like conditions were occurring after this summer’s wet season.
See The Courier-Mail print edition for an infographic on the implications of the Wivenhoe release, and why the cost of the aborted Traveston Dam has hit $500 million
Alternative water sources might also need to be developed “years earlier than expected”, forcing southeast Queensland water prices even higher, the papers said.
Brisbane is facing its driest November on record, with little prospect of rain until next month and catchments rapidly drying. But about five months’ worth of drinking water will be dumped after Ms Nolan on Sunday approved the flood-proofing drawdown amid forecasts of another wet summer.
“I feel confident on the basis of expert advice that the judgment we’ve made is the right call,” Ms Nolan told The Courier-Mail yesterday.
Before making her decision, Ms Nolan asked agencies including dam managers to consider how lowering Wivenhoe would affect water security but added a “precautionary approach” was needed, effectively elevating flood mitigation above water security.
Seqwater later recommended the Minister lower the dam to 75 per cent but CEO Peter Borrows admitted the decision only took potential flooding into account.
“Obviously, we are not addressing the water supply security and pricing issues,” he wrote.
A Government spokeswoman yesterday said Seqwater was not responsible for water security and insisted dropping dam levels would not leave Queenslanders short of water.
Desalinated water would be needed if the combined levels of Grid 12, which includes Wivenhoe, Somerset and North Pine dams, fell below 60 per cent.
Ms Nolan said there was only a one in 25 chance that levels would hit 60 per cent in the next five years.
“So I don’t think there should be anything but confidence in our water security,” she said.
A DERM spokeswoman said that, even under severe drought conditions, it would be mid-2017 before levels dropped below 40 per cent, a red-flag level for water security that would prompt recycled water production.
Posted in 
Tags: 
