ACT and Region's Future Water Supply
In response to the variability of climate change
and unpredictable rainfall patterns, the ACT Government continues
to plan ahead to secure the ACT and region's future water supply.
On
Tuesday 23 October 2007, the Chief Minister and Minister for the Environment,
Water and Climate Change announced the ACT Government's suite of initiatives
in response to ACTEW's recommendations for securing the ACT's water
supply.
The range of water security measures that will be implemented include:
- enlarging the Cotter Dam from 4 gigalitres (GL) to 78 GL, with
planning and design work to commence immediately and work expected
to be completed within three to five years (at a capital cost of
about $145 million);
- the installation of infrastructure to increase the volume of
water transferred from the Murrumbidgee River to the Googong Dam
(about $70 million);
- pursuing the possibility of purchasing water from Tantangara Dam
(about $38 million);
- designing a demonstration Water Purification Plant, with the water
produced by the plant to be used for purposes other than drinking
(about $6 million will be spent during the year-long design phase);
- increasing funding for demand reduction measures by $2 million;
- investigating the extension of Permanent Water Conservation Measures;
- implementing a pilot Smart Metering program; and
- voluntarily off-setting the additional greenhouse gases generated
by these projects.
The region's water supply has historically been dependent on rainfall,
and as the drought continues, it is essential that a greater range
of water security measures are put in place - incorporating both supply
and demand.
These measures represent effective planning of water resources, within
a staged, adaptive management approach, to ensure adequate water supplies
for the ACT Region into the future.
Fact
sheets - ACT Government's Water Security Plan
Next
Steps to Ensure Water Security for the ACT Region - full report
Next
Steps to Ensure Water Security for the ACT Region - executive
summary
ACTEW's
water security reports and recommendations;
Expert
Panel on Health report; and
eWater
Cooperative Research Centre's environmental report.
The ACT Government and ACTEW
have already delivered a number of projects to secure the ACT and
region's water supply, including:
- major enhancements to
the Stromlo and Googong Water Treatment Plants;
- extracting water from
the Cotter Dam;
- installing submersible
pumps in the Murrumbidgee River; and
- investing in a $17 million stormwater harvesting
project in partnership with the Australian Water Fund.
