Contrary to extraordinary claims made on ABC television earlier this year, it has now been confirmed that timber plantations are not polluting the water supply and causing health problems in and around the Tasmanian township of St Helens.
This was the central finding of the George River Water Quality Panel which released its Final Report on June 29, 2010. The panel of expert scientists was appointed to investigate allegations raised in a double-episode of Australian Story entitled, “Something in the Water”, which was screened just weeks before Tasmania’s March state election in which forestry issues were, as usual, a major point of contention.
“Something in the Water” told the story of Tasmanian country GP, Dr Alison Bleaney who, in conjunction with marine scientist, Dr Marcus Scammell, was endeavouring to prove a hypothesis that plantations of shining gum (Eucalyptus nitens) were releasing toxins into the George River from which St Helens draws its water supply.
The program sparked an at times hysterical reaction in Tasmania where there are more than 200,000 ha of eucalypt plantations, including substantial areas of E.nitens growing in catchments used for domestic water supply. It also raised concerns in Australia’s southern mainland states where E.nitens grows naturally and has also been widely established in timber plantations.
However, no sooner had it been screened than “Something in the Water” was condemned for ignoring or omitting key factors and inconvenient truths that would otherwise have put the threat of plantation forestry into its proper perspective. These included:
