The Tamar River will finally get the clean-up it needs under a new joint State and Federal partnership announced today.
Under the agreement, the Turnbull Government will partner with a re-elected Tasmanian Liberal Government to complete a comprehensive list of actions identified by the Tamar Estuary Management Taskforce in its River Health Action Plan.
The Taskforce was established in April 2017 to deliver better governance and planning, and reduce pollution to improve the health of the Tamar River.
The partnership will enable 12 projects to be undertaken along the Tamar Estuary, focused on improving catchments and upgrading major infrastructure.
The total investment of $95 million will be split in a 50:50 funding arrangements with work to be undertaken over a period of five years from 2019.
The announcement is the latest in a series of State and Federal Government partnerships which have resulted significant joint investments in Tasmania such as $730 million for the Mersey Community Hospital in the North West.
A re-elected Hodgman Government will also continue to progress other priorities through the Launceston City Deal in-conjunction with the Turnbull Government, including the redevelopment and relocation of the University of Tasmania campus in Launceston.
Priority projects identified by the Tamar Estuary Management Taskforce include:
Combined system actions to improve pumping rates, storage and capacity of the sewerage and stormwater system
Esplanade storage ($6.7 million)
Forster St storage ($8.4 million)
New Margaret St storage ($10 million)
South Launceston diversion ($18.1 million)
West Launceston diversion ($4.6 million)
New combined rising main ($26.8 million)
Ti Tree Bend plant nutrient removal upgrade ($10.0 million)
Catchment actions to be implemented across dairy, grazing and urban areas
Brumbys-Lake, Macquarie, Meander & Tamar – dairy ($1.1 million)
North Esk – grazing ($1.33 million)
Upper Tamar – grazing ($1.66 million)
Brumbys-Lake, Meander and South Esk – grazing ($5.41 million)
Launceston sewage stormwater intrusion ($0.5 million)