Toowoomba Regional Council points out hole in Inland Rail plan
The Toowoomba Regional Council identified a raft of shortfalls in the Inland Rail environmental impact statement, including what the councillors saw as insufficient protections for our water supply.
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Water, lizards and the night sky are among the list of natural resources the Toowoomba Regional Council wants protected during and after construction of the Inland Rail Project.
They were highlighted at a special meeting yesterday where the council signed off on its response to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Border to Gowrie section of the project.
The councillors were of the view that the draft EIS did not provide sufficient detail or evidence of significant environmental impacts of the project, nor the likely success of the proposed mitigation measures.
Water featured heavily in the council’s response.
Councillor Rebecca Vonhoff sought to protect the region’s drinking water from being used in construction.
She was concerned the council would be blamed for construction delays while emerging water use agreements were being finalised.
Councillor Nancy Sommerfield took it one step further, stating that all water supplies should be covered, including non-potable water.
As a result, the official response will include a provision compelling the Australian Rail Track Corporation to identify how it will source all the water it needs during construction.
A provision was added to ensure all rail crossings were fit for oversized freight and agricultural equipment.
Councillor Carol Taylor wanted special mention of the investment brought to the region by the University of Southern Queensland’s observatory at Mt Kent, in highlighting the need to reduce light pollution.
Councillor Tim McMahon wanted the EIS to include a detailed list of threatened animal and plant life in the area and the measures the ARTC would take to protect them.
“Our region is home to farmland that must stay fallow because of the lizard population,” he said.
“If our farmers have those hindrances, I would hope the railways follow similar lines.”
Provisions to source local labour, supplies and accommodation were also included in the response.
The council voted unanimously to approve its amended response.
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