The following letter was published by the Southern Highlands News on 2 July 2008:

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your astute coverage of the Kangaloon Borefield issue. The Iemma Government seems to want to persuade us that the borefield won’t go ahead, while tipping the wink to the Sydney Catchment Authority (SCA) to “go for it”.

I live just off Tourist Rd, and welcomed the Minister for Water’s announcement on 18^th June that the borefield was “off the agenda”.  Mr Rees’ statement said that with good rainfall, better dam levels and desal coming, the government could “halt construction of groundwater borefields”.

On the same day my MP Matt Brown, Member for Kiama sent me a personal letter saying that “water harvesting from aquifers in the Southern Highlands will not go ahead”. Mr Brown welcomed the Minister’s announcement of the “cancellation” of the Kangaloon project. Thanks, Matt, great work!

However, on the day of the Minister’s announcement, the Sydney Catchment Authority was going door-to-door in East Kangaloon delivering a letter to residents that made no reference to the cancellation of the project. In fact, the reverse seems to be the case!

The confusion about the future of the Kangaloon borefields is generated by conflicting statements from the Sydney Catchment Authority and the Minister for Water, Nathan Rees. The Save Water Alliance compares the statements, and analyses the intentions of the Sydney Catchment Authority; go to Kangaloon Borefields Confusion.

To read the Minister's original statement of 18 June 2008, go to: Rees 18/6/08.

To read the "Dear Resident" letter from Tony Collins, Sydney Catchment Authority's Program Director of the Metropolitan Water Plan, which was written on June 16th, but distributed in East Kangaloon on 18 June, go to: Residents letter.

To read the Minister's letter to the Editor of the Southern Highland News taking the paper to task for reporting on "confusion" go to: Minister to Editor.
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by Robyn Murray, Southern Highland News, 2/7/08.  

Minister Rees takes the Southern Highland News to task for reporting on "confusion" surrounding the future of the Kangaloon borefield. To read the report, go to: http://bowral.yourguide.com.au/newssearch.aspx?q=borefield&date=1
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by Robyn Murray, Southern Highland News, 2/7/08.

A letter to local residents proposing additional drilling in East Kangaloon and Rowlands Rd (off Tourist Rd) that was distributed on the same day that Minister Rees announced the shelving of the borefields has contributed further to confusion.  The Upper Nepean Groundwater Community Reference Group are also uncertain. . . .  To read the press report, go to:
http://bowral.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/-and-residents-are-still-confused/801808.aspx

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by Robyn Murray, Southern Highland News, 25/6/08.

Farmers and local residents remain confused and angry about the mixed messages they are receiving about the future of the proposed Kangaloon borefields project. To read the report, go to: http://bowral.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/news-features/boring-plans-baffling/796401.aspx
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by Robyn Murray, Southern Highland News, 20/6/2008.

The newspaper report on the Save Water Alliance's response to the Minister's announcement that the Kangaloon Borefield project would be "shelved".

Click on: http://bowral.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/news-features/aquifer-on-ice/793873.aspx
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The text of a letter to the Editor of the Southern Highland News (8 August 2007) by Jonathan Bell OAM, from Glenquarry. Mr Bell was a member of the delegations which presented submissions to the Commonwealth Department of Environment & Water Resources, together with the independent hydrologist, Mr Ray Evans and others. These submissions resulted in the Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, declaring the Kangaloon Borefield Project a Controlled Action under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

To see Mr Turnbull's statement, click on Turnbull Declaration. 

To read Mr Bell's excellent Letter to the Editor, click onto: Jonathan Bell letter.
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Further to two Southern Highland News reports on the Kangaloon aquifer, the News published a report on August 8th ("Aquifer Angst Divides") in which Councilor Larry Whipper clarified his previous statement to the paper on August 3rd (headlined "Study Shows Kangloon Aquifer Refills Quickly; Pumping 'Safe'").

In the original report on August 3rd,  the News quoted Councilor Whipper:

Cr Whipper said that although the results of the test pumping were not conclusive at this stage, it appeared that the deep underground water being accessed by the test pumping was not connected to the higher level groundwater used by local farmers.

Preliminary tests had also firmed up the SCA's original estimate that the aquifer held about 450 billion litres of water, he said.

To see the Southern Highland News report (8 August 2007) by Robyn Murray which carries Councilor Whipper's correction, click on:  Aquifer Angst Divides  or go to: http://www.bowral.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?story_id=1033796
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Responding to a report in the Southern Highland News on August 3 ( "Study Shows . . . . Pumping Safe") Save Water Alliance spokesman Bernard Eddy questioned the claims made by the Catchment Authority, as presented by Councillor Larry Whipper in that report.

To see the Southern Highland News report  by Robyn Murray (August 6, 2007) click on: "Alliance Disputes Aquifer Findings"  or click onto: http://www.bowral.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?story_id=1032641
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The Upper Nepean Groundwater Community Reference Group held its first meeting with new Chairman Rodney Cavalier on Monday July 30th.  It appears that the Sydney Catchment Authority, which has avoided organised public scrutiny of their Kangaloon Borefield project by avoiding holding CRG meetings, has attempted to mislead the CRG about the results of the "one month's test pumping" in February & March.

A report in the Southern Highlands News (3/8/07) by Robyn Murray suggests that the Catchment Authority is attempting to make a case, through the Community Reference Group, that it is "safe" to exploit the aquifer. The SCA is quoted as claiming that the aquifer is recovering more quickly from the "trial pumping" than expected.  This seems to ignore the fact that the pumping took place following a most significant "rainfall event" in February, and the recharge period also coincided with another massive "rainfall event" in June.  What would happen to the aquifer in a drought, when the SCA wants to pump water to relieve Sydney shortages? The Save Water Alliance does not accept that this "test" answers that question.

To see the SHNews press report, click on "Study Shows. . . Pumping 'Safe'".

The Save Water Alliance has taken issue with the SHNews press report, as a subsequent report on Monday 6 August reveals. Click on:  http://www.bowral.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?story_id=1032641
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by Robyn Murray, Southern Highlands News, 20 July 2007.  

 To read the article, click on Press Report.
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Southern Highlands News, 18 June, 2007.

The Sydney Catchment Authority (SCA) appears to have over-estimated the amount of water in the Kangaloon aquifer, according to an independent hydrogeologist's review of trial pumping results.

The Save Water Alliance commissioned Ray Evans to assess the results of the trial pumping, and especially the effect on the ecologically-sensitive Butler's Swamp.

Commenting on the results of the first month of the trial, Mr Evans found groundwater levels had already fallen more than had been predicted in six months, indicating that the storage had been depleted.

The seven production bores pumped a total of about 120 megalitres in the first month of the trial.

To read Ray Evan's Report on the results of the pumping trial, go to: Evans on Pumping Trial.

For online report, go to:  http://www.bowral.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?story_id=597309
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by Robyn Murray, Southern Highlands News,  20 June 2007.

To view this highly relevant story, and the photograph of a flooding Nepean River into which the SCA continued to pump groundwater from the Kangaloon Aquifer, go to Criminal Waste
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by Tyron Butson, Southern Highlands News, 2 March 2007. 

Community groups {represented by the Save Water Alliance} have condemned Sydney Catchment Authority (SCA), claiming they are conducting a smear campaign to discredit them by blaming the Kangaloon aquifer vandalism on them.

To read notes, go to: more .
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by Tyrone Butson, Southern Highlands News,  27/2/2007.

To read the account online:  Aquifer sabotage
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by Julie-Anne Adamski, Southern Highlands News, 26/2/2007.

Sydney will begin using water from the Kangaloon aquifer today, despite the protests of more than 300 people who attended a public meeting in Bowral on Saturday. To read more, go to: http://www.bowral.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=general&story_id=560475&category=general
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by Robyn Murray, Southern Highlands News 30/1/2007.

Wingecarribee Shire Council is set to back down on its refusal to pay its Sydney Catchment Authority water bill in protest at the State Government's Kangaloon borefield plan. Go to:  Water: Council may pay   or.  .  .  .

Southern Highlands News, 5/1/2007

Go to "Gallery" at bottom left, and select "Media File"

by Tyrone Butson, Southern Highlands News, 5/1/2007

Go to:  "Gallery" menu, at bottom left, and select Media file

by Robyn Murray, Southern Highlands News, 2/1/2007.

Go to: Aquifer opponent questions claims

by Robyn Murray, Southern Highlands News, 9/1/2007

Go to:   Borefield may kill rare species

by Robyn Murray, Southern Highlands News, 16/1/2007.

Go to:  Pumping to start later this month

by Robyn Murray, Southern Highalnds News 23 Jan 2007.

Upper Nepean Catchment Community Reference Group member Larry Whipper has made a last-minute plea to Minister for Environment and Heritage (DEH) Ian Campbell to intervene in the State Government's Kangaloon aquifer plan.  

Cr Whipper said discussions with a DEH officer last week had given him the impression that the Federal Government was preparing allow the Sydney Catchment Authority (SCA) free rein to extract groundwater from Kangaloon.

The SCA is seeking Federal Government approval for the borefield under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC)

December Edition:

Page 2 reports on proposed public protests over the premature pumping of water from the Kangaloon Aquifer, with photographs.   http://www.yourtimes.com.au/

Page 4 reproduces a legal letter to Your Times Monthly  from Sydney catchment Authority, warning Editor Anthony Hoy about encouraging the public to enter SWA property. The editorial response from Mr Hoy is defiantly scathing of the SCA and the Government's borefield tactics,  and he refuses to be intimidated by  legal letters threatening action.

Mr Hoy concludes "If we need to jump the fences, we will. And so will a concerned public.  Bring it on". http://www.yourtimes.com.au/

Borefields Petition  The December edition also includes an excellent full page copy of a petition asking for a 5 year moratorium on pumping the Kangaloon Aquifer until scientific study is complete. http://www.yourtimes.com.au/