Val Schier - The Cleaner Seas Project

Monday, 20 July 2009 20:50

Ratepayers have been paying a Cleaner Seas levy for a number of years now but the $18 million raised is only making a minor contribution towards the $188M overall cost of the project: an upgrade of 4 wastewater treatment plants in the Cairns area.

It's all about improving the quality of wastewater that goes out to the Barrier Reef; high nutrient levels can reduce the growth of coral.

The upgrades are also producing re-cycled water that can be used around the home. Purple pipes are already bringing some of this water to the Smithfield area. This water will reduce the demand for potable water that is so costly to store, treat and transport to users.

I sometimes think about all the other things that Council might be doing with $188M, but we didn't have an option once the state government legislated around Coastal Management. All the coastal Councils in Queensland are having to bear the burden of these sewage treatment plant upgrades and, like Cairns Council, they are all struggling to find the $$s to upgrade or build new facilities.

The Mossman sewage plant upgrade is expected to cost $40M and the Council is going to have to fund this without the 40% subsidy that the State government ceased just a couple of weeks ago.