TUESDY, JANIUATRY 25 19,1,
WATzER RE'SOUROES DEVELOPMUNT
Some timie ago I indicatod that Australia ought to be looki ng at
water resource and water conservation progqrams and I qusticnec.
whether: in rcen t timen we have shown the kinds of imtag~ ination
that ha! s been exhibited by those who sponsored and began the
Snowy M. ountains Project. This prioject captured the imagination
of all Australians. Now, in the MAOdl of one of tho worst
drougjht s in history, ana at a time of rocension whcn we nee
more work for A~ ustra lians, it t i nely to embark on a for ther
major expansion of conservation of Australia' s v'ery scarce water
suppl~ ies.
Senator Carrick: has proposna, and the Government han accepted, that
we should support and fund a number of projects in a number of
States. A l~ ist-of thase projects: is attached to this statemnt.
Tt is an indicative List: I shall be writing9 Lo the Premiers
and Sena tor Carric k will ho makingj
Arrangemenmts with his State coun terparts for consultationis
next week about the C"' ronel t ; proposals.
The major nationwide ex: pansion which wo are proposing involves:
* a special 5-year supplementary pcranneto start ie~ atl
aimed at accelerating the development of now: water resourdce
projects;
* a 4-year extenision1 of the existing National Water Resouuces
programnme to l9OV/ 88.
Together, the two mteasur~ es meai that the Com~ monwealth will
spend about $ 640O millAion over the next 5 years onl water resourceo
dovelopmrent projetcts around the nation.
ThQ now 5--yeau7 progjram will cost1 $ 70 million annually, and
will concentratc on projects which can be otartod quickly,
and] which will gcnorate nub~ tantial immediate* employmient.
Thin new su-ppl. e w-ontary prog~ ram will. be concerned with
c'xtending c6rought'-proofin3 moarsures ip rural areas, 3n( o
furthcr improvingo and 5acuriwj to~ wn, city an~ d iniustrial
water suppl. ies. The now pr-ogjram wil g1cenerate up to 1 ,750
jobs initially in the construct io. sector, with a simil ar
nuAb.-r of jobs boinc! qn~ ratc'd in the. s'ippl ier inlus . ri ez:
and i. nrt he enin: e erin pr. o fessi'o n.
11n ad& ition to 0. ec1: Qct ex-a ndin':. j ond inzoirjour
water re sourc es,, th'C: Cor-. onwea1 will fund three wajor
fee~ sibility projoct-. F. One of thc! se pr( cjects is theo turi nc
back of certai n11 vrs . in Quc~ in Janrd into the i~ ad
aniotAhel is thle turniing ii)) anc ofL. the northern ir-jvers such
as tho Clarenice 1Fjuver uin Nev.' South VW11cs. V" e will 1711nd
these 1feasihi lity 2OGL ctr] v
There will be a further f~ sbiivproject aibout building
one further major rsririn the Snov.-.1o-untaijns area.
It is weorth j otinq that if it hadn' t been for: the construc U iln
of tho Da r tiu u h Dam v ivx oplc, who are depe'ndent upon
the rry1' uvrmiJ l ys tern incl. uding South 7Autralia
would be in a desperate situation today.
It is exuEcted that the fceas. L-ibIiy ? rJcSwill take
-About tw,, o yea4r-in ehC:. sanci they will prov-id-, th
b, 315is fo fu11tur( e G'OVCrj: r, ct dl ecij_-ionS,.
The Gcoverroment is also. co: ru'itted2 to mcc-ting the full
cost of the constr-uction of the JDurdckin ? zli\ 7r D) arn, ni-ar
II mvii in Qu-s an6, and thi s will rccj. ui re albou t
Iril-lionl over the nex-t three ycars, 5ubject to the
cle1tils of the construction tiirtable.
The mteoting5s between Scna\ tor Carrick andI the. State Minstern
wil). scttle tChe detaili7 and iI ple cin'Cttion of the new ocrn
TheCorx~ owel~ hwil t-eft~ 1 iancial re-c-nnibiJlity,
for providino, about $ 350 i-a-ill ion over 5 ycar,, s for thu-nlew
Rxpenclit-Ure b-y th-e Con~ orwcl on the extonded national
water res. ourcos progran% is estimatced to average abourt
mnill ion aninually, an the~ c)-States wo, uld bv% invited
to continue to metthe ir slharc on a c1clLar-for-6coi. lin:
basic,$ cis ill the. pas; t.
We t~ oc ' nhow fore25cht to makef sure that our scarce
water sul: plies are . sa"-(-,, juarded and, 1 conse-: rved. ro that they
can be vtaci avail~ b). e to future AustrzilianF..
-000
LEAD T~ mEcil i OD'C
NEW~ SOUT11 14ALE'S
Split Rock Darn
C* Icnbawni Dam
Stag(_ 2
VICTORIA Lako, Icrrirriu
Stage 3
Piping ':. frz-rasupply
schce
? Hitchell River 372,000 il,
Muizwe1 Ibrook
Bz-cchus Marsh74,000 ML
Su'yr. li 1
Bozirnsdale Aug-nt'. stpplies for irrigatioa, mainly cotton,
in Namoi Valley
Augm-ent water supplic:; in Huncce Valliey
Increase Storage cap-city froza 15,000 M~ to
74., 000 M. L for outer mctropoli arcas :' nd
irri~ artion of market greig
Conveyt existing copen chn: zel rtock4 and domestic
Ct Oyto piped supply. WJould Save-about
,0, GOO -ILz nrnually no." lost by evaporatio. ajnd
IWS-met groundunter used for vegetable production,
Mizd urlan supiics for 6irnsdale and holiday
resorts GC)' sland e. 4 m . ths 5 year~ s
y~ ea rs
3morths 3yca-: s
6 m~ onths-
3 io n Ihs 5-1C ' e~ a S
5 years
SVEN! SLAHD
Da~ wsoru River Weir
-Acintyrz liver
Ve i r Theodore
Gladstone Rzplcc old tireber weir and increaze storzge
capacity for arri culture, smininig ard urb-n: siplics,
iRegulate releases fr-m 6toragea to i=,,.-rova ; UPPISCS
for irwig-ation.
12 5 , ooo taPAu !, znt cuppliae. for urbzn nnd industrial
puzpotss in th~ e atne rcaio.
LOCATIONSiZEUET14A9% . S 6 = onths
9 months
I year 3 years
2 years
4 veers
1-17-T 07-SN. C" AL A
15,000 F;
LEAD TIME.
S ; 7 AP! ST rRAt1. I1A
Filt. ration Sc.! i&=
Norr. h? n Toums
Cobc'O, Ia
Rcha i2 t. i o n Ade'Aa idZ
Iron Triangle
Tc,-' nis Acccearate wor oyn filz. 2zion rchc-~ to overcor--e
water qul~ city problcz= ori, intini-ir. tha tlra
Acccerate or filtration sh to ovezcco.-
Lrr u. 1; pobz. zor-r cth! t tnM~ u~ r zay
Insza'Alarior.: are ntearinS. end of tercconomnir
life z. n; d -dill haeZO be rcp1--czd.
P r r i Byears
6 r-onrhs 5 ye; ars
Rcl~ il iLacion
Harris Dzsz Pundar-ing Dain
to Kz1& oorie
Colliea 20 IaZo Somz zf cte ori,-Irua ipc-tlcrions ar2 uneconzozic
an wiil have~ to be rnplaced.
provide , cod cQuo: iiy wzater to dilute salinity
in u1i Currently ñ-vaihzb1c from
4dllitioirn Dnm. -9 months
Harvey140, 000 ML% watcr suphics for che llarvaey
Irrigation Atrea -veeables and whole milk
for Perth and south-v,-L 9 rornthv !-arr
Y AIN I
Craigbourne Coal River 5, CGO ML A new dara for trrigvai-on in the Coal River Valley 18 r-onthS 3 years
north o~ f
, chaond 13
ri) JCLOCATI ONSIZDETlAI L 4yer ? Elks~ c
LC" CT I Cl
RIE Hl. PA us. 4
?%, mndz~ Lake--
scor ~ L~ r~ tr~ dee ~ 11) : S T 7
Inr. C-nc~ s of
RI..
7CO8 V. ETA iLS
R. iiz-lovo. of aisin2 w~ t œ jac.:-ac rzrarle3
' LAse 1-vol of sncrnno n-t-"' 4o n
Capacit frg I-rC cilontlSLa. mllo
ES7 i CA: Y 0N
l.-rn~ cu r, Sv d Zo) ta1 2
sr am. io tn. i r~ ~ i
6 = nnc-
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