Desalination: The Best Option?
Raymond Fraser - 8/11/12
A)
Melbourne is deciding to build a $3,500,000,000 desalination plant to combat our lack of water, making over 410 megalitres every day, adding 1/3 to Melbourne's water supply. It will be located in Wonthaggi. It will eat up a huge 90 megawatts a year, although the government claims this will be offset.
B)
This could benefit the economy by lowering the price of water, since we have more of it. Its construction alone is providing thousands of jobs and money to people and stimiulating the economy, once it is built, hundreds more jobs will be availiable. Also, during its consruction, workers will be spending lots of money at the local shops etc., boosting the economy of Wonthaggi.
C)
This desalintaion plant could affect the environment by increasing the salt density by a huge amount in the area around Wonthaggi, this will render the area not suitable for most of the fish currently living there. The energy it uses also poses a problem, but the gocernment plans to counter this by planning a major environmental regeneration project, which involves restoring degraded farmland. This will help around 4 million native plants and 150,000 trees, also giving animals new kinds of habitats.
D)
This decision would have been made by ministers of water, energy, and Melbourne council. Aquasquare is the company responsible for building the plant, and also the ones responsible for leaving it years behind in construction.