SA minister slaps down Murray Darling Basin inspector general Mick Keelty over Lock Zero
Former top cop turned Murray-Darling inspector Mick Keelty has been told in no uncertain terms South Australia does not share his interest in flooding the Lower Lakes with salt water.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Keelty flags revival of controversial Lock Zero plan
- Are you getting the most from your Advertiser subscription?
Water Minister David Spiers has rejected federal water watchdog Mick Keelty’s plan to revisit the controversial Lock Zero proposal, which would flood the Lower Lakes with salt water.
The Murray-Darling Basin Authority has also urged caution, saying the lock at Wellington would cause “drastic changes” to the lakes’ ecology and would “severely impact” South Australians who relied on it for their livelihoods.
Mr Speirs said: “As I have said many times before, the South Australian Government will not be removing the barrages or installing a ‘Lock Zero.”
“This was extensively studied during the Millennium Drought and I can categorically rule this out.”
Mr Keelty flagged his plan to “look at” a Lock Zero while meeting Riverland locals in Renmark on Thursday.
The former Australian Federal Police commissioner, last year appointed Murray-Darling Basin Inspector-General, said the proposal was already on his radar, after locals asked for it to be considered amid concerns about water availability in the drought.
Mr Speirs said a science review of the Lower Lakes by the CSIRO and MDBA was already underway, and should “put to bed for good some of the conspiracy theories that are being perpetuated”.
In a united front against the proposal, Opposition water spokesman Susan Close said the lock had “no merit”.
“Mr Keelty is entitled to look at what he wants, but this eastern states proposal cannot be taken seriously,” she said.
“It would destroy the Coorong and the Lower Lakes and risk the health of the whole river.”
The MDBA warned in December there would be serious social, environmental and economic impacts to the wetland if the lock went ahead.
In response to questions from Nationals senator Samantha McMahon, the MDBA also said it was “unclear” if the lock would do anything to change water availability.
It could have “limited” environmental benefits, such as preventing acid sulfate soils in the lakes in severe droughts but flooding them with salt water would cause “drastic changes to the ecology and severely impact on all who rely on the lakes for their livelihood”.
The MDBA also noted: “A key requirement of Lock Zero would be to ensure freshwater at upstream pumping stations that supply water to Adelaide and surrounding townships.”
The lock would not reduce the need for freshwater flows to flush salt from the Basin, it said.
