The Save Our Gulf Coalition

Save Our Gulf Coalition

• This group was formed by concerned people who came together to protest against the desalination plant at Port Stanvac and to protect the Gulf against practices which degrade the marine environment.
• SOGC is not affiliated with any political party and does not receive funding from business or government.
• SOGC endorses the findings of the Adelaide Coastal Water Study.

This post has a long but by no means exhaustive list of the questions raised by the rush to desalination.

SOGC objectives

• To stop the construction of desalination plants in either Gulf St Vincent or Spencer Gulf or any other environmentally inappropriate location on South Australia’s coastline.

 

• To ensure the SA Government enacts a sustainable water policy including storm water harvesting and waste water recycling.

 

• To eliminate harmful storm water, waste water and industrial waste being discharged into the Gulfs.

 
Concerns
The little-known aspects of the biodiversity of the gulfs

• Amongst highest marine biodiversity in the world oceans
• 80% of species unique to this system, whereas 80% of Great Barrier Reef species are present in many other marine systems
• Flinders research re small ppts increase in salinity and effect on eggs — Dr Kirsten Benkendorff, (Ph.D., B.Sc. Hons)
• Overseas marine biologists coming frequently to dive and research marine biodiversity

 
The case of degradation of the coast and gulf by stormwater and treated effluent

• Areas of ‘sea lettuce’  (green algae) are clearly visible along Hallett Cove and Christies Beach North and the O’Sullivan Beach Marina.  This is an indication of an oversupply of nutrients in the water. This may normally happen in summer, but not in winter. Why is this happening? Is this caused by the increased discharge from the Christies Beach Waste Water Treatment Plant?
• Who is monitoring this? Who has responsibility?

 
The flow of water in an estuarine/gulf system

• 200 – 600 day cycle of water movement from south to north
• Slower in summer (slack tides)
• Sam Gaylard  EPA — system in place to cause water flows to disperse salinity — it is already known the dispersal of hypersaline brine is a problem
• Nature of dodge tide, twice per month
• Evidence of poor dispersal of hypersaline brine at Kwinana plant, south of Perth. Two hypoxia conditions this year, caused plant shutdown

The haste of construction — bringing forward the completion date by one year

• Has the doubling of the plant been matched by proper re-engineering of the works?  Whistleblowers inside say no.
• Tugun at Queensland experienced similar rushed building process, now has constant problems, state gov has not yet ‘received’ it after 2-3 years

Boron — humans and pipes

• >0.5 units a problem for humans — draws calcium from bones
• Boron capacity to descale rust from exiting pipes, causing leakage

 
Noise and vibration effects on residences nearby
 
Location of 3-storey pumping stations throughout suburbs
 
Putting water ‘problems’ into one super-expensive basket

• Creates environmental hazard for future generations to deal with
• More efficient solutions currently available
• Building a bigger ‘future’ on a stressed present, or on a proposition to degrade existing resources, is an unacceptable solution
• The case study of the Salisbury wetlands is a beacon for other actions
• The case study of the degradation of the gulf’s geology and marine systems by stormwater runoff shows that further stresses by hypersaline brine is not acceptable

 
The incapacity of EPA to do ‘real time’ monitoring all aspects of the plant operation

• Is AdelaideAqua licensed to self-monitor the desalination process and its effects on the marine environment?
• Has the EPA applied for the same computer modelling program to be used by AdelaideAqua, and suitably qualified analysts to use and interpret it?
• Which independent consultants will the EPA be using, in the absence of the ($200 000) modelling program AdelaideAqua is using?
• Has a capacity been built into the Port Stanvac desalination plant for intake sea water to come straight in and out, for the purpose of dealing with the problem of the dispersal of hypersaline brine in conditions of low tidal movement?
• Is it the case the desalination plant cannot easily shut down because it needs water to keep running through it?
• The Pt Lowly EIS is not yet submitted. It is a more specialised appraisal based on the location, particularly the layering of habitats. Is there an agreement with SA Water BHP to set the dispersal rate at 11-20:1?
• Under what conditions could EPA require a dispersal rate of 85:1 at the Pt Lowly site?
• Are appropriate monitoring devices being installed during construction to monitor and prevent materials leaking through to contaminate coastal groundwater aquifers, from the long inlet/outlet pipes?
• If so, are they attached to fixed structures to ensure failsafe subsurface flow processes?
• What are these monitoring devices?
• Where and how are they being attached or incorporated to the initial construction?
• How are these monitoring devices going to be maintained?
• Are sensors being installed during the construction phase to monitor
  — the temperature of the extruded brine
  — the chlorine levels of the extruded brine
  — the copper levels of the extruded brine
  — any other materials which can contaminate the marine system
  — if so, what are these sensors
• Where and how are they being attached or incorporated into the initial construction?
• How are these monitoring devices going to be maintained?
• What pollutants are to be analysed?
  — The pollutants from the process which are going to be stored on land
  — The pollutants which are going to be put into the sea
  — What instruments are going to be used?
• Where will the instruments be placed?
• Will the instruments be placed in the system before the desalination process begins?
• How will these instruments (each instrument) be calibrated, and how often?
• Who will do this monitoring and analysis?
• What status of independence do the agents who are managing the monitoring have in relation to the managers of the desalination plant?
• What is the source of the discharge, through a flexible plastic pipe, onto the ‘beach’ below the desalination plant?
• Has the EPA done tests on the molluscs on the rocky ledge at the base of the desal plant on the beach, which have apparently died since the presence of the discharge?
• If not, why not?
• If there is a breach of the environmental conditions placed on the plant (for example, an acid spill), what is the procedure for reporting?
• If there is a breach of the environmental conditions placed on the plant (for example, an acid spill), what is the procedure for dealing with such an event?
• Is the EPA undertaking any comparative research or aware of similar problems with other desalination plants?