Kim Booth MR
“It is scandalous that Lennon Labor are more focused on ensuring that Lake Trevallyn is kept topped up as the Gunns’ pulp mill water supply, rather than releasing the environmental flow through the Trevallyn Dam and down through the Gorge, for the benefit of the people of Launceston and the Tamar Basin,” Mr Booth.
OSTRICH’S PULL YOUR HEADS OUT OF THE SILT AND ACT!
Greens Call For Immediate State And Federal Action on Tamar Basin
Kim Booth MP
Member for Bass
Tuesday, 6 May 2008
www.tas.greens.org.au
The Tasmanian Greens today called on the State and Federal governments to commit serious financial resources for action on alleviating the silt problems in the Tamar Basin and to immediately address the issue of low flows through the Gorge by committing to releasing the environmental flow from the Meander Dam through lake Trevallyn down through the Gorge to the Tamar Basin.
Greens Member for Bass, Kim Booth MP, said that more reports were not going to fix the situation and that authorities know the causes of siltation and the solutions and that it was time for action not more report writing.
“It’s time for the state and federal government’s to stop behaving like ostriches, pull their collective heads out of the silt and face the reality that they must commit serious resources to act on the Tamar Basin silt issue,” Mr Booth said.
“The siltation crisis facing the Tamar is of human making and has a human solution.”
“That solution is to restore Gorge flows immediately, prevent further mud inflows from the catchments and match dredging to a level that will reduce the current build up as well as remove flocculated silt that comes back up the river with the tide.”
“Low flows down the Gorge are a big part of the problem and it is totally unacceptable for the publicly funded environmental flow from the Meander Dam to be stopped at Trevallyn Dam and held for Gunns’ pulp mill.”
“The Meander dam environmental flow should flow through the Gorge to the sea to assist with river health and to provide a fresh water basin around the lower Gorge and Home Point areas which will help keep the silt further down the river.”
“It is scandalous that Lennon Labor are more focused on ensuring that Lake Trevallyn is kept topped up as the Gunns’ pulp mill water supply, rather than releasing the environmental flow through the Trevallyn Dam and down through the Gorge, for the benefit of the people of Launceston and the Tamar Basin,” Mr Booth.
“Rather than more reports I again call for action and the establishment of a catchment management authority with legislated ‘teeth’ to control silt causing activity as well as manage allocations and interceptions on a catchment to the coast basis.’
“The time for hand wringing and report writing is over. It’s time now for some action on the unacceptable state of our river and the pitiful trickle of water coming down the Gorge and it is the absolute responsibility of the Lennon government to repair the damage that their policies and inaction have caused.”
