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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-09-09 Daily Xml
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ALDINGA STORAGE DAM

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop) (15:15): My question is for the Minister for Water Security. Why has SA Water failed to complete the winter storage dam at Aldinga, which would have enabled 740 megalitres of recycled wastewater to be stored and used as a substitute for a similar quantity of potable water by Willunga Basin irrigators?

The opposition has been told that SA Water's failure to complete this project will prevent the saving of some 240 megalitres of mains water and will cost McLaren Vale irrigators half a million dollars. Irrigators will continue to use high quality drinking water to irrigate their crops.

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD (Chaffey—Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water Security) (15:16): It is quite simple. The reason for the delay in the construction of the dam is because of the weather. In the winter months we have had substantial rain, and you cannot build dams when it is raining heavily. So, we have had to stop construction during those very wet periods. We are also now working with the—

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the member for MacKillop!

The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD: —Willunga Basin Water Company on alternatives for storage of water, which include aquifer storage and recovery, and we are also looking at whether or not we recommence construction of the dam or stop at this stage and provide for the, I think, 400 megalitres that is there in the construction phase as it is at the moment.

We are working productively with the Willunga Basin Water Company and the McLaren Vale irrigators to get the best outcome that we can. The Willunga Basin Water Company advises SA Water that it will probably be possible for them to transfer some people over to recycled water this year with all of the options that we are putting together with them now.

We have a good working relationship with the Willunga Basin Water Company, and the objective of both the government and the company is to get as many people as possible using recycled water and to increase and enhance our water recycling and re-use programs.

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