Mine to hike water pollution, our bills
THE dozers seen clearing the way for the recently approved Adani rail line produce a mild level of disturbance to the landscape compared to the major construction.
The surveyed line travels 200-plus kilometres across the floodplain of the Suttor River and will have to cross every gully, watercourse and creek that delivers the catchment’s water run-off to the river.
Every necessary concrete culvert and bridge installed will drastically increase the turbidity levels (measured in NTUS) of that water, destined for the Burdekin Falls Dam.
The major contributors to the already high NTUS in the dam are the Baleyando/suttor catchments. The mine site will equally pollute the waters of the Carmichel/baleyando river, also destined for the dam.
Since construction, the dam has consistently contained water with NTU readings of 170. The maximum allowable NTU reading of water for human consumption is 5.
The current treatment plants for Townsville are incapable of reducing the NTU readings to permissible levels, without first undergoing two chemical-based pretreatments.
This is a very expensive additional cost, because of the chemicals and very poor yield of improved water.
I find it difficult to comprehend how all governments, from federal down to council, have blindly pushed the Adani mine and associated rail infrastructure which will impose such a huge, ongoing increase in water rates to us ratepayers. JOHN KERSH,
Giru.