Hydrosphere have reassessed their costings for the Mullumbimy Lavertys Gap water supply option versus moving the water supply to Rous County Council (RCC). The Greens are calling on further investigation of the option to effectively understand the implications of closing the Mullum water supply permanently.
The decision is before Byron Shire Council (BSC) this Thursday.
‘They were extracting the savings of not doing Lavertys Gap and attributing that saving as a benefit of doing the connection to RCC water supply,’ explained Cr Duncan Dey.
Cr Dey also cast doubt on the new figure of $39 million for the purchase of land for the off-stream holding pond suggesting that it might be an error of one digit, i.e. $3.9 million.
‘Doubts such as this are why more than three days time is needed to digest the new information,’ said Cr Dey
‘The outgoing Mayor has spearheaded opposition to proper investigation into keeping Mullum’s current local water source at Lavertys Gap. After 80 years serving the town, that supply system needs a refurb requiring capital investment (to which we should expect the state to contribute). The existing system will then provide cheap water into the future, maybe for another 80 years, through the addition of an off-stream storage reservoir,’ said Cr Dey.
RCC has no secure water supply
By 2040 the RCC water supply area is expecting an increase of 40 per cent in customers and they are also approaching Nimbin and Casino, as well as Mullumbimby, to also bring them onto the RCC water supply.
‘For 30 years RCC has not known where it is going to get its future water from. Some of us recall the 1990s struggle to prevent Rous from damming Wilsons River near Federal. Thirty years later, Rous still has no idea where to source new water.’
Greens councillor Duncan Dey and Greens candidate Elia Hauge, both water engineers, say that the decision regarding the town’s water resilience is too important to be rushed through with inadequate examination of the options and without the community seeing that information.
‘After pressure from the Greens the council surveyed the Byron Shire community – and the community has spoken, with 91 per cent of respondents saying that it’s important that Mullumbimby retains an independent water supply. We need the council to listen, and to thoroughly investigate to find the best option for Mullumbimby’s water resilience, rather than rushing through a decision for political expediency.’
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