QCC, Gecko and EDO have concerns about the viability of desalination plants both in terms of cost and energy output. We are looking to hold joint workshops on this vital issue to discuss the best options in view of the local and State governments’ growth management policies.
The Desalination Plant at Kirra
by Irene Wareing
Gecko has grave concerns about the effects on our marine life and fish habitat of the trial project of the desalination plant at Kirra. We have emailed Council regarding a report that was due to come out in June, detailing Environmental Impact Studies and the costs involved in setting up the scheme. When we first had a meeting with Shaun Cox, who is in charge of Gold Coast Water, we understood the project was to be for a trial period over four months only, after which the plant would be dismantled to make the park available to the public.
The platform that has been seen out to sea off the Kirra foreshore, has been surveying the site to assess the suitability of putting down pipelines through the bedrock to suck up the sea water to the desalination plant.
To date, we have had no public input into this project, no EIS and no report as yet and the original concept of a four-month trial has come and gone.
At the last Gecko Guest Speaker Night, Ted Brambleby and Kerrie Trees showed us fascinating underwater photography of microscopic marine creatures – and by microscopic, we mean 114 fitting onto the size of a pin head – living and breeding in our coastal waters. These have a real impact on the marine ecological processes, the atmosphere and cloud formations, that contribute to rainfall over the coastline.
We would have to ask whether Council knows about these studies and whether they are being taken into account in the report that we are all waiting for.