Hon Premier Peter Beattie MP
PO Box 15185
City East QLD 4002.
Dear Sir,
OPEN LETTER REGARDING THE PROPOSED DAM ON THE MARY RIVER AT TRAVESTON
The Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee (MRCCC) is a not-for-profit community organisation. The aim of the MRCCC is to promote within the community and through interested sectors, a common view of a sustainable and productive catchment. The MRCCC has been operating since 1993 with the primary objective of being a representative body of community, industry and government interests inolved in natural resource management in the Mary River Catchment.
On behalf of the MRCCC and the thousands of catchment residents we collectively represent, I am writing to confirm the MRCCC’s position in relation to your government’s recent announcement of a proposed mega-dam above Traveston Crossing on the Mary River. The Mary Catchment Strategy (1997) Position Statement on Future Water Supplies was again ratified at an MRCCC meeting held late last year, when the Committee agreed that all alternatives to water supply for SEQ and the Sunshine Coast’s growing population should be thoroughly investigated and exhausted before new dams or weirs within the Mary River Catchment are contemplated, particularly if the dam or weir is primarily to service the future water requirements of south east Queensland to the detriment of the environmental, economic and social fabric of the Mary catchment.
Accordingly, the MRCCC does not support damming the Mary River at Traveston, or at any other location your government may subsequently propose. In brief, the MRCCC has the following concerns in relation to the Traveston Crossing dam proposal:
- · No consultation with local government or community preceded the announcement of Traveston Crossing as the site of the proposed dam, and no mention of a mega dam for the Mary Catchment was proposed during the consultation phase for the draft Mary Basin Water Resource Plan. This indicates a lack of strategic direction and planning by your government.
· The proposed dam site will displace hundreds of people, and inundate several thousand hectares of good quality agricultural land, including 11 dairy farms, which collectively contribute over $30 Million dollars annually to the local economy. · Downstream of the proposed dam site in an area already seriously affected by drought, Primary Producers
Downstream of the proposed dam site in an area already seriously affected by drought, Primary Producers and land managers have grave concerns about their future viability as a result of reduced water entitlements. Upstream of the proposed dam, land managers and Primary Producers face uncertainty over reduced water entitlements during and after the construction period.
- As freshwater flows are fundamental to marine environments, a dam on the Mary River would have a disastrous effect on the marine environment in the Great Sandy Strait, a RAMSAR listed wetland, and negatively impact on commercial and recreational fishing in the region. The Great Sandy Strait contributes $100 Million annually to the local economy through tourism.
- The proposed dam will negatively impact upon threatened species both within the proposed dam area and downstream where environmental flows will be significantly reduced. Two of these species, the endangered Mary River Cod and the endangered Mary River Turtle, occur naturally in the wild nowhere else in the world. A third species, the endangered Queensland Lungfish, now occurs naturally only in the Burnett and Mary river systems. In addition, two endangered frog species, the Giant Barred Frog and the Cascade Tree Frog would both be eliminated from areas proposed to be flooded. All of these species are listed under the EPBC Act 1999 as endangered or vulnerable.
The MRCCC is aware that Australia wide, dams are becoming less viable as a source of water storage due to lower yields than in previous decades. Recently, a mini-cyclone hovered off the coast of Brisbane causing flooding and an enormous quantity of run-off (estimates were enough to fill Wivenhoe Dam), yet the catchment dams did not increase during this period.
Sustainable options for reticulated urban water supply including rainwater tanks, recycling and desalination need to be investigated. I would draw your attention to the booklet “Water for the Future” produced by the Future Water Options subcommittee of the MRCCC. In this paper, we demonstrate that in the Caloundra and Maroochy Shires, recycled water and rainwater tanks could supply over four times the present population without the need for construction of a large dam. Using the same principles outlined in this Discussion Paper, south east Queensland could easily handle the population increase projected in the SEQ Plan.
It is estimated that 80% of the capacity of Wivenhoe Dam, Somerset Dam and the other SEQ dams runs off the roofs of houses in Brisbane each year. If that is not a good enough reason for rain-water tanks to be installed in Brisbane, it is hard to imagine what is?
Recent figures compiled by the MRCCC show that the current population of the Mary Basin is close to 400,000. Some of the towns in this region are among the fastest growth-rate localities in Queensland. Projections by the Department of Local Government and Planning indicate the population of this region will double in 20 years. This growth is already placing significant pressures on the catchment’s natural resources and the provision of community services. Accordingly, on behalf of the Delegates of the MRCCC and residents throughout the catchment, I request that your Government reconsider the Traveston Crossing Dam proposal, and immediately commence investigations into alternative water supply sources for south east Queensland.
I look forward to your positive response in this regard.
Yours sincerely,
Harry Jamieson Chair MRCCC
cc: Hon Henry Palascuek
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