Clarence dam proposal a 'great lie'

The Clarence River.

Daily Examiner

Poll

Should Clarence water go west?

This poll ended on 28 February 2010.

Yes

39%

No

60%

This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.

ABSOLUTE misinformation, unacceptable, highly misleading, a great lie, half-baked, inordinately expensive and of negligible benefit ... these are a few of the terms environmental groups have been using in response to the latest proposal to divert the Clarence to the west.

Last week The Daily Examiner reported on moves by members of the Murray Darling Association to have peak flows in the Clarence dammed and then directed into the Murray Darling Basin.

The association said it would 'only require 24 per cent of the total maximum storage volume' to provide similar amounts of water to the Snowy River Scheme and that the system could be gravity fed.

But Clarence Environment Centre secretary John Edwards said the proposal included one of the greatest smoke and mirrors tricks imposed on a sometimes gullible public.

He said if the proponents were seeking 24 per cent of flows, it would equate to a dam of 8,000,000 megalitres.

“The largest dam ever proposed for the Clarence had a capacity of 5,000,000 megalitres,” he said.

“That dam would have seen the inundation of Jackadgery and the Nymboida village, require re-routing of the Gwydir Highway and Armidale roads totalling 60km and the complete closure of the Old Glen Innes Road between Buccarumbi and Dalmorton.

“The claim that no pumps would be required and that water would flow downhill through a 22 kilometre tunnel is the greatest lie of all. The water would need to be pumped more than 800 metres upwards through a minimum 60km tunnel to reach the Beardy River.

“This half-baked plan has most likely been dreamed up by an engineer wanting to build something, who has not the faintest link to reality.”

Environment group Valley Watch echoed the comments.

President Athena Batcheldor said every study since the 1930s had shown the scheme was not feasible.

“We don't need another study to confirm what is already known,” she said.

“It's not just a question of keeping 'our water', it's all to do with keeping the Clarence healthy.”

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