Mr WOOD - 2005-03-23
As you know, it has been a dry Wet - if you can call it that - in the north, even with the rain from Cyclone Ingrid. If aquifers in the Darwin rural area are not filled, it is possible that some rural residents may not have sufficient water in their bores by the end of the oncoming Dry Season. Will you instigate an independent review of the effect of Power and Water’s production bores and proposed bores on domestic bores in the rural area? If this shows that there is an effect on rural domestic bores, will your government either cut back or cease pumping from the production bores so that rural people have sufficient water for the Dry?
On a related matter, what is your government doing about proposed new water storage dams, or are you using production bores to put off building such dams?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is actually in my portfolio area of Lands and Planning, because water falls under that, although I take what the member for Nelson has said about Power and Water production bores in the area. Essentially, the question the member for Nelson has asked is about the dry Wet that we have had a this year. This is the northern part of the Northern Territory. Some people would disagree, after Cyclone Ingrid, particularly those residents of Croker Island.
I am advised that the levels of the aquifers were checked towards the end of February. In a usual Wet Season, they rise between 8 m and 10 m. Up to that time at the end of February, they had risen about 7 m. That was prior to Cyclone Ingrid. I am advised that it is quite likely the levels of those aquifers will come up to the levels that would be required to sustain water production through the Dry Season, if it is a normal Dry Season.
The member for Nelson has asked an interesting question about private bores in that area. I would have much rather had a question about water and disposal of sewage effluent in Alice Springs, and the mighty job we are doing at AZRI - $6.2m through Power and Water. That is a great project for aquifer recharge. However, that might have to wait for another day.
Basically, there are 4500 private bores in the rural area. For the information of the member for Nelson, it is estimated that private unlicensed bores extract 5500 ML per year, compared to 3500 ML per year extracted by Power and Water bores, so private extraction is quite a lot more than Power and Water bores. Licensed irrigators take some 13 000 ML per year.
In closing, I believe that some of the CLP candidates in the rural area have been running around saying that the government is going to put water charges on bores. Nothing could be further from the truth, and I welcome the opportunity from the member for Nelson to lay that on the record.
On a related matter, what is your government doing about proposed new water storage dams, or are you using production bores to put off building such dams?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is actually in my portfolio area of Lands and Planning, because water falls under that, although I take what the member for Nelson has said about Power and Water production bores in the area. Essentially, the question the member for Nelson has asked is about the dry Wet that we have had a this year. This is the northern part of the Northern Territory. Some people would disagree, after Cyclone Ingrid, particularly those residents of Croker Island.
I am advised that the levels of the aquifers were checked towards the end of February. In a usual Wet Season, they rise between 8 m and 10 m. Up to that time at the end of February, they had risen about 7 m. That was prior to Cyclone Ingrid. I am advised that it is quite likely the levels of those aquifers will come up to the levels that would be required to sustain water production through the Dry Season, if it is a normal Dry Season.
The member for Nelson has asked an interesting question about private bores in that area. I would have much rather had a question about water and disposal of sewage effluent in Alice Springs, and the mighty job we are doing at AZRI - $6.2m through Power and Water. That is a great project for aquifer recharge. However, that might have to wait for another day.
Basically, there are 4500 private bores in the rural area. For the information of the member for Nelson, it is estimated that private unlicensed bores extract 5500 ML per year, compared to 3500 ML per year extracted by Power and Water bores, so private extraction is quite a lot more than Power and Water bores. Licensed irrigators take some 13 000 ML per year.
In closing, I believe that some of the CLP candidates in the rural area have been running around saying that the government is going to put water charges on bores. Nothing could be further from the truth, and I welcome the opportunity from the member for Nelson to lay that on the record.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016