Global warming.
Desalination has a massive continuous energy requirement, thus contributing greatly to global warming. Ironically global warming is thoughtto be a prime cause of dwindling water supplies, which is perpetuated by desalination. Justification by the use of “green energy” to run desalination plants (water factories) is misleading. Green energy should be used to offset current usage, not new inappropriate industry (when there are better alternatives).


Desalination wastes water.
Desalination provides extra water, but will promote further water wastage (our government advertises the lifting of water restrictions in Melbourne as one benefit!), rather than encouraging water savings. Thus it is self defeating.

Desalination produces truckloads of waste every day.
A 150 GL water factory as proposed produces truckloads of dry waste (salts, toxic chemicals and organic sludge) every day that must be disposed of in landfill.

Desalination pollutes our ocean.
Desalination produces huge volumes of waste every day (brine, toxic chemicals, dead aquatic life) to be discharged into our ocean. This has detrimental impacts of unknown severity on marine communities. Underwater noise pollution is a concern
to whale and dolphin species.

Desalination reduces aquatic life.
A 150 GL water factory kills millions of tiny aquatic organisms every minute by being taken in with the water to be treated. This depletes life throughout the food chain over a wide area.

Desalination plants are big, ugly and noisy industrial sites.
What price do we put on our dwindling environment? Locating one on the Bass Coast contravenes all planning guidelines and this government’s Coastal Strategy for preventing the spread of urban development along the coast

What should we demand before desalination is considered?

* Save more water by encouraging water saving devices & practices, including stronger demands on industry and via some continued water restrictions.
* Fixing inefficiencies and leakages in our state’s water infrastructure, particularly in our catchment and urban areas.
* Water tanks. Legislating all homes, government and public buildings that are able to accommodate, to have significant water tank capacity for rainwater collection and aiding this via government subsidy. Theoretically, collecting water from just 60% of Melbourne house roofs would supply the same water as the proposed Victorian desalination plant.
* Storm water collection locally and regionally. ie. get it BEFORE it enters the ocean, not after as with desalination.
* Water recycling locally (home waste treatment plants, grey water systems) and regionally.

We need a big community effort and your assistance is needed for the sake of the future of our planet.