A proposal for an alternative energy driven desalination plant to offset the requirement for subsurface water extraction from North Stradbroke Island and the damming of our fragile rivers, such as the proposed Traveston Crossing Dam.

Much has been said about the environmental hazards of desalination for both agricultural and domestic use. In most of the world and in Australia in particular, present and future populations are faced with the dilemma that the above supply introduces. The use of underground water in its limitations, has been proven to be deleterious if not strictly controlled. The damming of our fragile river systems has attracted a great deal of adverse criticism. Even those dams in place, were subjected to water restrictions during the El Nino duration causing the pre - 2010 drought.

That the La Nina relief (although ‘she’ was responsible for some of the worst flooding in the eastern states from 2010 t0 2012) has replenished our dams, any resultant complacency should be looked upon as our enemy. El Nino will raise ‘his’ head again and again as ‘he’ has again and again in the past.

The proposed building of the Traveston Crossing Dam had environmental issues which were forcefully put by a resident population of the region, consisting not only of environmentalists, but also farmers, farm dependent people and businesses, Local Government, lower estuary fishermen, recreational organisations, many experts within the water supply institutions themselves and finally the Federal Government itself. It became the hottest of hot potatoes.

So we must ask ourselves, what do we expect of such supply now and into the future? What sacrifices of water usage are we prepared to make? And what restrictions are we prepared to make on population density within the world and more particularly within Australia?

Most Australians, it would be fair to state, would love to be able to wash their car when needed; would dearly like to water the garden when after long hours of loving care it appears so stressed as to die a dehydrated death. Within reason, these should be acceptable pay as you use rights, however if the supply is not there as happened in the past and as will be exacerbated by increasing population, then it appears that other solutions than dams and increased ground water take is necessary.

Many people are unaware of the advances in desalination procedures. For instance many still believe that a residue salt extracted from the water has then to be disposed of as a bulk residue on land. In fact the salt is returned to the sea by way of an additional amount, equivalent to the volume treated, taken in at the same time. In other words twice the amount to be treated is taken in with the amount rejected back to the sea registering 7 % salt as against the original 3.5%. The 7% residue is jetted (underwater) back into the Ocean where tests in Western Australia show that the salt content reduces back nearly to intake levels within 50 metres. The amount is but a drop in the vastness of the ocean.

Although there have been improvement to reverse osmosis equipment and operation, there will undoubtedly be further improvements to improve efficiency, particularly power usage which is another major objection to desalination. Consequently Western Australia has now two alternate energy powered desalination plants and are contemplating a third. Where initially they were looked upon as coming on stream when required (drought) they have been virtually in full time use.

Victoria has implemented an alternate powered plant at Wonthaggi and NSW is doing the same at Kurnell. Queensland has one such plant at Tugun on the Gold Coast but unfortunately it is grid powered.(not alternatively) It also was a costly plant as its location saw that the intake was via a tunnel out to sea at a safe distance from the surf zone of the resort beaches of the Gold Coast. South Australia is also in business and planning more for agriculture via the York Peninsula.

Whilst there remains the unknown as to the effects of climate change on our rainfall statistics in the future and its affect upon out river systems and underground supplies, it is to be strongly recommended that, the only place where water supply will of certainty become more plentiful, (within our vast sea volumes) be more fully exploited for water supplies now and into the future. The following proposal aims at alleviating the lack of supply for a rapidly growing Brisbane Region.

Jeff Lambert

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The Lambert Plan (PDF, 1.75 MB)