I would like to thank you for giving a fair and very balanced view on a number of contentious matters by publishing my previous two letters some months ago. The first letter being in association with the excellent article by Thomas Cardwell on Coal Fire Power Stations, which completely debunked the allegation that Coal Fired Power stations are the big problem to our environment, that uninformed people would have us believe. Also for publishing my letter, together with the excellent speech made by Dr David Evans, an eminent and well respect scientist in regard to Climate Change, who completely debunks the need for a Carbon tax, or a Carbon Emissions scheme to be implemented by an Australian Federal Government now, or in the future.
As a very concerned citizen and ratepayer in the Tweed Shire, I now write to you about the future water security of the Tweed, which I consider to be a very serious and pressing matter. I could not believe the stupidity of the present Mayor Barry Longland and the two other Tweed Shire Councillors who voted against the building of the Byrrill Creek dam. It is obvious they have sided with the noisy minority, who have rallied against the building of the Byrrill Creek dam. As such they stand condemned, not only now, but in the future, when the water security for the Tweed has diminished to such a state that the Tweed residents in the future will be unfairly punished with water restrictions, that were brought about by these inept actions of Longland and co.
Do elected members of Government (in this case some members of the Tweed Shire Council) never learn from history and especially with water security? I say this as it is not so many months ago our near neighbours in south eastern Queensland (namely Brisbane, Ipswich and the Gold Coast) were in a dire predicament with their water supply, being subjected to level six water restrictions for not only many months, but a number of years. At the time of the water restrictions, had each resident rationed to only twenty litres per day for their complete water usage.
Of course this should never have happened and it would not have happened had the Wolfdene dam been built, which would have drought proofed south eastern Queensland (namely Brisbane, Ipswich and the Gold Coast) as planned by the Queensland Conservative Government prior to their defeat in 1989. Unfortunately, with the election of the Goss Queensland Labor Government came the inept, stupid, non-visionary and short sighted decision to veto the building of the Wolfdene dam, which I have been informed, was construed by Kevin Rudd, the then Chief of Staff to Wayne Goss.
I would hate to see this happen to the Tweed residents, so that our WATER SECURITY was put in danger by non-visionary and short sighted decisions. Why put all of our eggs in the one basket. I believe the building of the Byrrill Creek dam would not only complement our water supply with that of the Clarrie Hall dam, a water supply that will be sorely tested in the coming years as the Tweed population explodes, but I believe would also have great flood mitigation properties. I again hark back to history, which unfortunately is probably not known to many of the blow INS (and I say blow INS of the last 30-odd years or so) opposing the building of the Byrrill creek dam, who have no or little knowledge of the history of our beautiful Tweed River.
As such I would like to point out some pertinent facts to your readers, members of the Shire Council who voted against the building of the Byrrill Creek dam and the noisy minority, who so vocally opposed to the building of the Byrrill Creek dam. On the surface the Tweed River still looks the same beautiful river, as I am sure it looked to my great, great-grandparents and their friends, but I know it is surely a far cry from this. Once the depth of the Tweed River was such that large passenger and cargo carrying steamships traversed the Tweed River to Tumbulgum, which was once the hub of the Tweed District prior to the development of Murwillumbah. Unfortunately through flooding, lack of foresight, dredging and neglect over years, many parts of the Tweed River are so badly silted up that, in many places, one can nearly walk across parts of the Tweed River, the same beautiful Tweed River where the steam ships could once safely travel.
As a small boy I lived with my parents at Tumbulgum, so I clearly remember the horrendous flooding of the Tweed River in 1954, as if it was just yesterday, with the river rising so very quickly, catching many people unawares. Not that it would have made much difference, as there was little or no chance for businesses, or farmers to take any appropriate action. Such was the speed and the height of the flood waters that buildings, properties and farms were quickly inundated with water. Many businesses lost stock destroyed by the flood waters, large numbers of cattle and stock drowned, with buildings, property and infrastructure severely damaged.
You may ask why that is such a problem. The answer is very clear to anyone who lived on the Tweed and remembers the 1954 flood. In 1954 the Tweed River was much deeper and not so silted up, parts of the Tweed have been built up and built on, where flood waters could once spread out, which they can no longer do. So if the Tweed River was to ever flood as did in 1954, I would hate to see the consequences caused by lack of action and short sightedness, which could help to prevent this happening again.
As for the walls of the Clarrie Hall dam being raised, what a crazy and ill-conceived idea this is. An idea not properly thought out when planning for our future water security, but happily done to appease the noisy minority. I have been informed, to raise the wall of the Clarrie Hall dam, that the water level of the Clarrie Hall dam would have to be lowered to TWENTY per cent or less. I have also been told there is also a doubt as to the safety of the wall of the Clarrie Hall dam should it be raised. Whether that is true, or not, I cannot say, but I do know if the water levels were reduced to 20 per cent and we faced a long drought, the WATER SECURITY of the Tweed would be in REAL JEOPARDY.
I would like to congratulate the three Councillors Skinner, Polglase and Youngblutt for having the good sense and intestinal fortitude in supporting the building of the Byrrill Creek dam, but our greatest tributes should be paid to the Tweed Shire Councillors of the past, who had the foresight, vision and courage to purchase, on behalf of the Tweed Shire Council, the land at Byrrill Creek, so a future Byrrill Creek dam could be built for the WATER SECURITY of residents and rate-payers in the Tweed. In concluding I hope the silent majority at the next council elections will severely punish those councillors who put the water security of the Tweed in jeopardy, when they recently cast their vote against the building of the Byrrill Creek dam.
Alan Frederick Martin.
Banora Point
