Straight talk on water
I WRITE in response to Allan Franklin’s Letter to the editor ( Townsville Bulletin, 25/ 9) regarding water solutions for Townsville.
1. WFTAG is a group of volunteers committed to ongoing lobbying for the water infrastructure that is the most suitable, affordable, timely and sustainable.
Our detailed proposal from April 2017 has been freely available to the public and will be updated in our October 2018 report.
2. The FRP option was not being manufactured at the 1800mm diameter in Australia at the time our research was being done. Not “missed”, just MIA. 3. Antique steel concretelined pipes are “antique” for very proven reasons. Had the larger FRP option been available last year our techs would certainly have investigated the pros and cons.
Fibreglass reinforced plastic does not have the same evidence of success over time for water pressure pumping at 1800mm.
4. Our lobbying has been directed at politicians of all political alignments and in each of the three tiers of government. The mayor is not immune from scrutiny and not just for the Townsville City Council’s water security statements — neither is the deputy mayor and interim chair of water and waste. Knowing basic details about the duplicate pipeline is a ratepayer expectation.
Involving a celebrity, rather than local experts, to educate the community about water use, is worthy of scrutiny when his fee has not been clarified. Involving a local sporting celebrity is worthy of scrutiny.
Non- disclosure of $ 10 million allocated by the state mid- 2017 for the council’s rollout of the Water Transition Package is worthy of scrutiny when nothing has rolled out 15 months later.
5. Though invited, perhaps 100 times, to provide detailed designs of his “gravity” proposal with costings, time frame, EI and logistics, Allan Franklin refused to do so.
His option would have been published and members could have discussed the option.
6. WFTAG has researched in great detail the constraints for drawing a much larger volume of water from the nationally significant wetlands in the Haughton Channel.
Our conclusions have been informed by a full day tour, accompanied by the ecological engineer who designed the channel 30 years ago.
6. One quarter or even one eighth of 14,500 informed community members is a lot more than the winning margin of 37 votes at the last federal election.
In the current climate of political chaos, a one- seat majority might be the decider at the next.
Herbert is the most marginal Australian electorate.
Townsville has the first City Deal. DR LINDA ASHTON, Convenor, Water for Townsville Action Group.