MEDIA RELEASE
The Conservation Council of South Australia, the states peak environment group, is calling on the State Government and the local member for Cheltenham, Minister Jay Weatherill, to co-operate with the Charles Sturt Council to ensure the open space of the former Cheltenham racecourse site is preserved for an innovative stormwater harvesting and aquifer recharge development.
"The Cheltenham site offers an ideal opportunity to establish a world class wetland stormwater harvesting and aquifer storage and recharge (ASR) development" said CCSA spokesperson Mr Jamnes Danenberg. "For too long we have used water wastefully and carelessly. Today its imperative we take this opportunity to help secure our long term water future" Mr Danenberg stated.
"Groundbreaking and world leading research conducted by the City of Salisbury in conjunction with the CSIRO and the European Community, has confirmed we can produce drinking quality water at half the cost per litre of a desalination plant and at a fraction of the energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. What's more, we can store it easily and safely by pumping it underground into aquifers where it wont be lost to evaporation and can be re-extracted when required" Mr Danenberg pointed out.
"An urban wetland with ASR at Cheltenham offers multiple additional benefits. Creating a wetland would have obvious advantages in terms of biodiversity, would help prevent and control flooding and would act as natural air-conditioning, helping to counteract the urban heat island effect "Mr Danenberg said.
"In addition, harvesting a proportion of Adelaide's stormwater would reduce contamination of Gulf St Vincent from excessive nitrogen levels and other gross pollutants and reduce negative impacts on the seagrass beds. A welcome side-effect for Adelaide residents would consequently be less dredging and trucking of sand up and down the coast "he added.
"Wetlands at Cheltenham would preserve much needed open space in the Western suburbs and offers an ideal opportunity to develop a smart win-win solution appropriate for Adelaide in the 21st century" Mr Danenberg said.
"Whilst Cheltenham alone will not be able to harvest all of Adelaide's stormwater, it could certainly go a long way to helping supply Adelaide, especially during our increasingly long and hot summers" he concluded.
Release Ends
For further information please contact:
CCSA Campaigner Mr Jamnes Danenberg on 0411 028 930
