Agnes and Ecstasy

July 2008

ENVIROMENTAL TERRORISM

The long running battle of the WaterSpurts may be in the final stretch following a public meeting held Sunday 20th July at Agnes Water 1770. Over 180 local residents plus water treatment and conservation scientists and enginers attended plus, it seemed, all the Gladstone Regional Councilors plus one senior Council officer. The 6 representatives from the winning tender and its sub-contractors plus one Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority representative appear in the photo below. Is it reminiscent of the Last Supper...

Debate cum argument cum bulldozer cum ignorance have all taken center stage in resolving whether or not Agnes Water 1770 needs a $40,000,000 desalination facility or whether the community should try water tanks and reclaiming & recycling water as a first step before dashing headlong into the expensive and ever escalating arms of the Desalination Juggernaut crisscrossing our country. Maybe skullduggery played another hand and maybe breach of powers also. I stand with the vast majority of people who attended and say I don't know but I do know that if any outfit leaps first into the lap of desalination before employing water retention and recycling then there is something crook in Tallarook! (For non-Aussie read 'something is rotten in the state of Denmark' !)

Fortunately, on the horizon, there looms large a White Knight who has relentlessly pursued this matter as he has others for the area. He made it clear on Sunday that without the support of the residents for desalination, he would halt the current progress. Rob Messenger MP (photo) is a good man to have in our corner. To date our little peninsular of heaven has been run roughshod over by blow in developers and authorities who didn't even have the nouse to stand up to them and declare even in a squeaky voice 'would you mind awfully putting in tanks to collect the run off and grey water?' No community consultation before contract signing and whilst I see the current Council dilemma, I believe their resolution has been compromised.

Strangely before the meeting started, our Mayor George Creed announced that the Council had decided that the treated sewerage would not be piped out beside the surf beach now, so that meant only (der!) the brine would be. Maybe the trigger for that sudden volte-face was because no authority would be likely to give approval for such environmental vandalism to proceed plus we are a reef fishing, surf swimming playground noted for our pristine environment.

Many places have desalination plants because they have no water.

Some places have desalination plants because the don't get enough water from catching the free water and reusing grey water.

Agnes Water 1770 does have enough water and if we captured the free water instead of letting it run down the drains, and grey water, we would have enough for a very long time.

We have lived here now since 2005 and I can assure you that the boom that was much tooted by the developers never happened and doesn't look like it is on the cards for some time to come.

The census last year gives 1600+ people in Agnes Water 1770 on that night and the electoral roll gives 1000 voters in Agnes Water 1770 this year. After the main caravan park in town on the beach was closed down a couple of year ago for the development that never happened, Sansara, tourism numbers dropped off and what with fuel costs and fishing closures and most lately general R (I dare not breathe it's name... Recession) worries, tourist numbers don't account for quite as much anymore. But we need a $40 million dollar water plant with never ending costs pumping brine off the beach? As those all knowing children of today would say - Yeah - Right! The Agnes Water 1770 treasure - baby so to speak - is it is still an affordable little pristine sea change village and eco area. As Tom would say "Don't throw the baby out with the brine water!"

We have not heard the end of 1770 Agnes Water's 1000 enrolled voters' view on desalination nor, thankfully, have we heard the end of Rob Messenger. Many people own property here but don't vote in this area but the costs for this method of 'selling ourselves our own water' rather than first trying to collect the free water, will impact them. I know many of those folks visit this web site regularly and some email with queries, suggestions or just to say thanks for the updates.

Well, this time I ask you to do a bit of homework and decide whether you think the costs of desalination are warranted or not. And let someone know! Email me or the Mayor or Rob Messenger - don't leave it up to the few this time else it will cost you much more than money (the dollar amount even Council still couldn't tell us on Sunday).

Under Fun in Facts - I thought this image might help backpackers who come here *smile*