By far the most destructive emergency water strategy the Premier, Mr Iemma, has authorised is the extraction of 45 billion litres of water over 3 years from the Kangaloon Aquifer in the Southern Highlands.

Government plans to extract 45 billion litres over 3 years from the Kangaloon Aquifer, which is 15 billion litres in the first 12 months.  Sydneyuses around 1.5 billion litres a day.  Of the 15 billion litres about 5 billionwill be lost through evaporation and Sydney's leaky, decrepit water delivery network.  So this leaves a paltry 10 billion litres for the urban population’ which will last Sydney just 7 days.

Projected cost is $120 million, (This is an estimate only; Iemma won't tell us how much. Why not, if he seriously believes it is such a great idea?).  This estimate averages out at $40 million a year, so Iemma is providing Sydney with 7 days of water at nearly $6 million a day, of which 5 per cent will be used as drinking water; the rest will be flushed down the drain straight into the ocean.

The desperation behind Iemma's decision to flout State and Federal water agreements (see Fact Sheets: "The Government's water policy") to provide Sydney with less than 10 days supply of water from the Southern Highlands speaks volumes - it clearly demonstrates the Government’s panic about having the misinformation it is peddling about its water policy exposed by inquisitive journalists.

No Magic Pudding. . . .

Scientists are saying the sudden 'discovery' of aquifers by politicians is a political stunt to overcome a short term political crisis.

Professor Peter Cullen of the Wentworth Group, & head of the National Water Commission, has stated quite clearly that in response to growing signs that once reliable underground aquifers are shrinking, the sinking of new bores should be banned under a new national groundwater strategy.  He went on to say that: "For too long we've had this view in Australia that we have these vast underground seas; it's like there's a big magic pudding there.  Unfortunately there's not."

Pumping 45 billion litres of water over 3 years from an aquifer with geological characteristics of fractured sandstone, as is the case in the Upper Nepean, has never been attempted with so little scientific study.

Prior to the adverse community reaction to the desalination plant and the Shoalhaven Tallowa Dam proposal, the Iemma Government had banned new private bores because the catchment was 'overtaxed'. Then out of the blue Morris Iemma said, "We've solved the problem, we can drought proof Sydney, we've found these ‘underground lakes' in the Southern Highlands.” (Sydney Morning Herald, 8/2/2006).