Gosford City Council to widen search for potential temporary desalination plant sites on the Central Coast

Gosford City Council last night passed a resolution to investigate other possible sites on the Central Coast that were not previously included in the final consultants report on the potential location of temporary mobile desalination plants.

The resolution was in support of a recommendation from the Board of the Joint Water Authority made last week. Previously four sites in the Gosford area had been named as the next locations due for detailed investigations to deliver an additional 10 million litres of drinking water a day.

‘The reason we wanted to widen the search for the next round of potential sites was to ensure that only the most appropriate locations in the region are being considered and that these, in turn, meet all of the stringent criteria being used to measure their overall suitability,’ explained Gosford City Mayor, Laurie Maher.

‘Obviously the use of temporary mobile desalination plants remains a last resort with the recent heavy rains allowing us to defer a decision on when the first unit at Budgewoi Beach should be installed. The Board will re-evaluate the installation timetable for this unit at its October 18 meeting.

‘Both the Board and ourselves thought it important to undertake detailed investigations of as many potential sites as possible to ensure that if we do end up having to install these units, they’re located in areas where they’ll have the least impact on the community and environment.

‘Understandably many residents who live close to the previously identified potential sites in the Gosford area have raised considerable concerns about what impact the units will have on them and their surroundings.

‘It is exactly these sorts of concerns and overall impacts that we’ll be taking in consideration to make sure we get it right in terms of where these units are located should we have to pursue temporary desalination as a last resort,’ confirmed Laurie Maher.

Pre-construction activities including the necessary approvals for the first 10 million litres of drinking water a day from temporary desalination at three sites in Wyong Shire, namely  Lakes Beach (Budgewoi Beach South), Tuggerah Beach (Magenta) and Lakes Beach, should be in place by early November 2006.

At the August Board meeting, the Joint Water Authority resolved to proceed with the installation of temporary desalination units with a production capacity of 2 million litres a day at the Budgewoi Beach South site, subject to obtaining the necessary approvals. A DA for this installation is expected to be lodged with Wyong Shire Council shortly.

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