A PROPOSAL to build a $49 million Macquarie River pipeline to provide water for Orange has been described as “a fifth grader’s answer to the problem”.
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Bathurst environmental consultant Ashley Bland said it was like suggesting that a big pipeline from northern Australia would solve water scarcity in other parts of the continent.
“The irony of all this kind of thing, and what really annoys me, is that Orange wouldn’t be running out of water if they weren’t selling it all to Cadia,” Mr Bland said.
“It is a typical example of resource limiting conditions, where a population’s use of a resource comes up against the limit of what the environment can provide.
“This is a situation that won’t get easier. As a society we face tough choices and, unfortunately, we don’t deal with those choices.
“Cadia won’t last forever, it has a 20-30 year lifetime and the pipeline is a very expensive option given that time frame.
“People like Julia Gillard keep talking about a sustainable Australia but they have no idea what that means.
“This is a tangible example.”
Mr Bland said he shared Bathurst mayor Paul Toole’s concerns in relation to the effect of the pipeline on towns further down the Macquarie River.
“Water doesn’t reappear where you want it to,” he said.
“You could stick a straw into the Macquarie River downstream of Bathurst and it would not affect us, but I would be really worried if I lived in Wellington, or was an irrigator relying on Burrendong Dam.
“My big concern would be the future of the Macquarie Marshes.”
Mr Bland applauded the work Orange City Council is undertaking to promote water efficiency, including their work with stormwater recovery.
