[Greens-Media] Rainwater tanks trump Traveston Dam

[Bennett, Ebony (Sen B. Brown)]

Monday, 16 April 2007

Rainwater tanks trump Traveston Dam

With the release of the Marsden Jacobs water report today the Australian
Greens call on the Queensland government to abandon the Traveston Dam
project and carry out a full analysis of all the option including
rainwater tanks, Greens water spokesperson, Senator Rachel Siewert said
today.

"The Australian Conservation Foundation is doing the job the government
should have done by doing critical research on water supply options in
response to this crisis in water security," Senator Siewert said.

The release today of a cost-benefit analysis by Marsden Jacob
Associates, commissioned by the Australian Conservation Foundation,
shows rainwater tanks are more cost effective than other water saving
measures.

"I'm shocked that in response to such a serious water crisis state and
federal governments haven't been carrying out this type of analysis,"
Senator Siewert said.

"State and federal governments are still locked into the big
infrastructure approach to water provision, which is clearly evidenced
by the federal government's release last week of five further dam
options for northern NSW rivers and by the proposal to dam the Mary
River at Traveston."

Senator Siewert will be strongly pushing for all alternative options to
be considered in the Traveston Dam inquiry during the hearings this
week.

"Rainwater tanks have the additional benefit of being independent of the
dramatic reduction in runoff produced by climate change as the parched
earth soaks up a greater percentage of rainfall," Senator Siewert said.

Media contact: Chris Twomey 0407 725 025


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Ebony Bennett
Media Adviser
Office of Greens Senator Bob Brown
Mobile: 0409 164 603
Ph: (02) 6277 3170
Fax: (02) 6277 3185
ebony.bennett at aph.gov.au