The Honourable Stephen Robertson
31/12/2010
Tugun desal plant delivering water security for SEQ
The Tugun desalination plant is delivering South East Queensland residents with vital clean drinking water after unprecedented rainfalls have resulted in poor water quality in the Brisbane River.
The desalination facility was brought up to full capacity on Wednesday after heavy rainfall over the Lockyer Valley and Bremer catchments resulted in large amounts of sediment in floodwaters flowing down the Brisbane River.
Water Minister Stephen Robertson said the poor water quality presented real challenges for water treatment plants like those at Mount Crosby, which are the main supply for Brisbane.
"The Mount Crosby plant is continuing to produce safe drinking water, but its production has been limited due to the amount of sediment in the waters flowing down the Brisbane River," Mr Robertson said.
"Bringing the desalination plant up to full capacity meant that the flood-associated issues at Mt Crosby could be addressed without compromising water security or quality for Brisbane.
"This supply has been used to replenish reservoirs on the Gold Coast and for pumping into Brisbane via the Southern Regional Water Pipeline, ensuring that supply to Brisbane remains constant and at a high quality.
"The Tugun desalination facility and interconnecting pipelines have again proven that they underpin water security for South East Queensland, ensuring that we continued to supply good quality drinking water," Mr Robertson said.
"We have always said the plant is an investment that will deliver water security to South East Queensland both now and into the future.
"And that's just what it's doing," he said.
"By maintaining the desalination facility in standby mode, we will ensure that it is available when needed in the future - without the cost of producing water at other times.
"What's more, the events of the last week demonstrate that the Bligh Government's water grid also delivers major benefits in terms of flood protection and water quality management."
