Nan Nicholson, The Channon
The proposed dam at The Channon/Dunoon is not about future water security. It is about driving unsustainable growth on the coast.
Future water security for the region can easily be achieved without a big new dam. All that is needed is for Rous County Council and its local councils (Lismore, Ballina, Byron, and Richmond River) to institute region-wide water efficiencies and reduction of wastage within their systems.
A new dam at The Channon/Dunoon means:
(a) trashing an irreplaceable Endangered Ecological Community of Lowland Rainforest,
(b) losing threatened fauna habitats and threatened species of flora, and
(c) severing important local wildlife corridors, particularly for koalas.
Considering that less than two per cent of water is actually used for drinking and cooking, surely we can do better than flushing these priceless assets down the toilet?
Nan, This will obviously be a surprise to you but once a dam is completed it does not magically fill up within seconds and drown everything, A dam will typically take 2-4 years to even approach filling to capacity. During that time if a koala notices its feet are wet its entirely within expectation, entirely within the intelligence capacity
of a koala it will walk a few metres up the hill.
Here is something for you to ponder about in our covid isolation. If flooding a country with water causes irreversible damage and mayhem does that also hold true for flooding a country with illegal immigrants.
“wildlife corridors”
Wildlife corridors from me as well.