Eyre Peninsula runs risk of running out of water as debate over location of desalination plant continues

Water supply to the Eyre Peninsula could dry up in a few years, but attempts to solve the crisis with a desalination plant have become bogged down in bickering.

The location for a 5.3 gigalitre desalination plant to provide water to the Eyre Peninsula remains contentious with community groups concerned about the scale and cost of the proposed site.

Following strong opposition to a planned desalination plant at Billy Lights Point in Port Lincoln earlier this year, a committee was created to find an alternative site.

The Desal Plant Selection Committee considered 20 potential sites around the coastline of the Eyre Peninsula, before proposing a location at Sleaford West as the preferred site in September.

Hands Off Boston Bay spokesperson Mark Andrews said he believed Cape Hardy was a more viable site for a desalination plant than the current proposed site at Sleaford West, or the previous location at Billy Lights Point.

“We know any desal plant in Boston Bay is going to be disruptive to the local fishing, aquaculture and tourism industries which are worth over $600m a year, but also to marine life and aquaculture zones which PIRSA spent over a decade carving out,” Mr Andrews said.

Desal Plant Site Selection committee chair Peter Treloar consulting with Mark Andrews from Hands Off Boston Bay. Picture: Supplied.

“We know any desal plant in Boston Bay is going to be disruptive to the local fishing, aquaculture and tourism industries which are worth over $600m a year, but also to marine life and aquaculture zones which PIRSA spent over a decade carving out,” Mr Andrews said.

“But beyond those significant problems, the project is not scalable.

“So after industry, environmental, legal and social licence battles, we end up with a desal plant not fit for purpose and have to look at building another plant to meet growing demand for water.

“We’re saying to the government - why not look at building a plant at a greenfield site like Cape Hardy where these issues don’t exist and where it can scale up to support growing industries?”

Desal Plant Site Selection committee chair Peter Treloar said that the proposed site at Cape Hardy was one of 20 sites discussed earlier in the year.

Port Lincoln fisheries groups have been vocal about the effect a desalination plant could have on their industry. Picture: supplied

“Cape Hardy was one initially considered but it was knocked out very early in our deliberations primarily because of the distance to the existing water network,” Mr Treloar said.

“My understanding is that the cost of installing piping to transport water is sitting at around $3.2 million a kilometre, any extra distance adds significantly to the cost of the build.

“It’s imperative that we find a solution where we can give water security to the residents and businesses of Eyre Peninsula in the very near future because our underground water supply is under significant pressure.”

Flinders MP Sam Telfer stressed the importance of a timely solution to the Eyre Peninsula’s future water requirements when considering the location of a future site.

“The committee have done a significant piece of research and deliberation before making their recommendation of a site at Sleaford as their preference,” Mr Telfer said.

“Eyre Peninsula is at risk of running out of water within just a few years, so the government and SA Water need to act to ensure timely action on provision of a sustainable water source for the EP.”

Current usage of SA water on the Eyre Peninsula is about 7.3 gigalitres, with around 1.7 gigalitres coming from the Murray and the remainder from the southern basins.