[Greens-Media] Qld Greens media release: Traveston dam water too expensive, ecologically, socially and economically

[Qld Greens Media]

Media Release

Traveston dam water too expensive, ecologically, socially and economically

22^nd August 2006

"On polling day the people of South East Queensland will send the 
government a strong message on the damming of the Mary River at 
Traveston Crossing" said Paul Marshall, Greens candidate for Gympie.

“ It is not acceptable for the government to kill our river because it 
lacks the courage to make the obvious decisions about water recycling. 
We are not willing to see our river sacrificed in this way because of 
the government’s lack of planning and foresight,” said Mr Marshall.

“Water from the proposed Traveston Crossing dam would be more expensive 
than any of the other water supply options and far more expensive than 
water recycling”. Mr Marshall said there was plenty of evidence that 
water recycling represents the cheapest and most reliable water supply 
option.” said

He said that all around the world cutting-edge Australian technology is 
providing recycled water at a ‘Six Star’ rating and it’s about time we 
did the same. “Surely Brisbane doesn’t want the reputation of a “pirate 
city” that plunders the surrounding catchments and sucks them dry, 
leaving their communities, their primary producers and their aquatic 
species parched and dying”, he said.

“The proposed Traveston Crossing dam would tear apart the social and 
economic fabric of the Mary Valley communities, including Gympie. It 
would drown some of Queensland’s best farming land under a huge, but 
very shallow, lake that would soon become chocked with water weeds. It 
would drown key breeding habitat areas for the endangered Mary River cod 
and threatened Queensland Lungfish. And that’s just the upstream impacts 
of the dam”, Mr Marshall said.

“Downstream effects would be felt as far away as the Great Sandy Straits 
and Fraser Island. The disruption to normal environmental flows would 
have a huge impact on fish and prawn spawning and devastate the 
recreational and commercial fishing industries.” Mr Marshall said that 
the government was trying to hoodwink the community by claiming that 
environmental flows would be maintained while it was slyly giving itself 
the option of “turning off the river” for nine months at a time.

Further information: Paul Marshall 0408 925725

_gympie at qld.greens.org.au <mailto:gympie at qld.greens.org.au>_


-- 
www.qld.greens.org.au

State election Spokesperson. Juanita Wheeler 0402 487 110

Queensland Greens media spokespeople.

Climate Change and Indigenous. Drew Hutton 0428 487 110
Human Rights and Environment. Juanita Wheeler 0402 487 110
Transport and Planning. Greg George 0424 725 719

Queensland Greens campaign coordinator.
Ian Gittus 0422 542 370

Office 3846 0862
fax 3844 4654

www.qld.greens.org.au