By Trevor Acfield
and Paul Glenning
ROCKHAMPTON — "Super dams" being energetically promoted by the state government for central Queensland will be a massive subsidisation of the cotton, grain and coal industries. The government intends to spend up to $1 billion on the project.
The development involves building two super dams, both three times the size of Sydney Harbour, plus smaller dams and weirs on the Fitzroy River system — a total 33 dams and weirs in the catchment. The government recently announced the go-ahead for the first of the dams, the Nathan Dam on the Dawson River.
The Fitzroy River system is already in poor shape. Existing dams and weirs feed an expanding agricultural sector, particularly cotton. The catchment contains all known varieties of toxic blue-green algae.
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the department responsible for dam construction, also reports and monitors water quality and river health. The department has consistently recorded algal densities for Rockhampton's water supply source — the Fitzroy River barrage — at the highest alert level of contamination. This indicates the water is totally unacceptable for drinking or recreation.
With no other source available, the Rockhampton City Council filters water with charcoal charged filters to remove the odour and taste associated with blue-green algae, at a cost to the rate payers of over $2000 a day. Late last year, this rocketed to $20,000 a day during an algal bloom.
The state government concedes that the super dams will create more algae problems, but argues that technology is available to make the water suitable for drinking.
The high levels of algal contamination are the result of human activities and intensive agriculture. Fertiliser run-off causes blue-green algae to reach toxic levels.
Nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the Fitzroy River have recently been recorded at twice and four times the upper guideline limit set by Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council.
Sediment levels are also very high and have been recorded at three times the levels found in the Murray River. Dams and weirs will create a series of still, warm ponds, the perfect conditions for blue-green algae.
The cotton industry will be one of the main beneficiaries of the dam construction. Despite concern that agricultural chemicals are overused, the government is determined to enable the cotton industry to expand.
Recently, more than 1000 fish were killed in the Dawson River by endosulphan. Endosulphan is a highly residual chemical used by the cotton industry. It is banned in many places in the world. It may be sprayed up to 10 times a cotton season in the Emerald Irrigation Area.
The downstream effects of land use in the Fitzroy catchment are a major issue. The Queensland government, however, neglected to consider these effects in the terms of reference for the impact assessment study.
Many in the commercial and recreational fishing sectors are very concerned about the super dams. People who fish have reason for concern. They fear not enough high quality fresh water will reach the coast to enable fish to spawn.
Commercial fishing in the Fitzroy region contributes about $135 million to the economy and provides around 3500 jobs in the seafood industry.
A number of rare and threatened species will struggle to cope with poorer water quality, while losing habitat because of many weirs, barrages and dams. The list includes the Fitzroy tortoise, which is found only in the Fitzroy River system, the ornamental and dunamall snakes, the brigalow scaly foot, the squatter pigeon, the plains wanderer and the red goshawk.
A key component of the DNR's propaganda is that the dams will protect agriculture from drought. In reality, the dams will be a massive handout to the cotton, grain and coal industries and lead to the expansion of intensive agriculture in the region. The result will be even more drought-stricken producers as good water becomes rarer and rarer.
The producers who are going to use this water are variously referred to as cotton irrigators, citrus growers, peanut growers and cattle producers. The dams will perpetrate unsustainable farming practices.
In Australia, water is a precious resource and should not be used in inefficient and wasteful irrigation techniques. The high input costs required for irrigation farming exclude smaller or more marginal farming families and enterprises.
Another use for the dams will be to expand the coal industry. Coal mines and power stations demand a regular supply of water, something that the area can't provide at present. Central Queensland is a major coal producing area, with significant unused deposits. The coal industry is applying pressure for the construction of the dams.
The land the Dawson Dam will flood is good grazing country, and locals are not happy about losing their land.
No-one understands the rationale behind another planned dam, the Rollestone Dam, on the Comet River. It will also flood good grazing country. It will be a shallow dam with an average depth of 3 metres in a region with yearly evaporative losses of 2 metres.
On top of this, the dam will flood the Rollestone township, resulting in enormous social disruption.
The National Party government has made little attempt to involve and consult the broader community, resorting to an advertising campaign to sell the development. It approved the Nathan Dam prior to the adoption of the water allocation management plan, showing little respect for due process.
Although the Goss Labor government first proposed the Nathan Dam, in the lead-up to the state election, the ALP has stated it now has a number of "concerns".
Lobbying by a broad cross-section of the local community has pressured the state Labor member and shadow minister for natural resources, Robert Schwarten, to sign the "Capricornia Declaration", which outlines a number of environmental concerns, including the downstream effects of the dams.
While campaigners have no illusions in the opportunism being shown by the ALP in now questioning the dams, it may create an opportunity to strengthen the campaign to stop the dams.
The Fitzroy River campaign has the potential to be another Franklin River campaign.