Desalination plant could harm SA's marine environment

The Wilderness Society (SA) Inc
Media Release
13th April 2007

The proposed desalination plant at Port Bonython is poorly considered and has the potential to irreparably damage the Spencer Gulf marine environment.

The Conservation Council SA, The Wilderness Society, the Australian Conservation Foundation, and some of the state’s top marine ecologists have raised concerns regarding the proposal and comments claiming that it makes sense environmentally.

“At a minimum, we are talking about discharging 8000 tonnes of salt per day, everyday, for the foreseeable future directly into an area noted for its ecological and fisheries importance” said Flinders University Marine Biologist Dr. Toby Bolton.

“SA faces serious risks to the fragile Upper Spencer Gulf from this attempt to lock in a site largely chosen to minimise capital costs to BHP Billiton rather than to provide any credible environmental protection” said David Noonan, Australian Conservation Foundation nuclear free campaigner.

Every year huge numbers of giant Australian cuttlefish aggregate to breed at Port Bonython, an event not known to occur anywhere else in the world. Associate Professor Bronwyn Gillanders from the University of Adelaide said their unique and short-lived nature (1-2 years) means that a single bad reproductive year could devastate the population. “Anything that affects their reproductive success, such as the potential impacts of a desalination plant, could lead to a decrease in numbers similar to that which affected the population when it was fished commercially”.

“The Southern Australian marine environment is globally unique with nearly 90% of species found no where else on Earth. We must be sure that such a proposal will not change this fact” said Wilderness Society Campaigner Heidi Bartram.