"History will be kind to us, because we will write it"
ACTEW Water have announced they’re closing the diversion on the Cotter Dam construction site which means the new dam will start to fill and the old wall is going under.
ACTEW Water’s new Enlarged Cotter Dam will begin impounding water from today.
While this milestone will be welcomed by our previously drought-threatened community, it will mean the old Cotter Dam which has served the city well for the last hundred years, slowly slipping under water.
Closing the 3.4m high river diversion construction gate will allow the mighty dam wall to start doing its job, storing raw water to protect the Canberra community from the threat of severe and prolonged water restrictions such as those that have affected our city and our economy for much of the last decade.
Mark Sullivan, ACTEW Water’s Managing Director believes today’s announcement will be greatly welcomed by the community:
“We are delighted to deliver this major milestone for our customers across Canberra and I am sure they will breathe a collective sigh of relief that they will never return to the threat of such restrictions which blighted our community over the last 10 years. Closing this gate is more symbolic than just a construction milestone, no more will our unpredictable climate dry and parch our city and menace our lives and our economy.”
The gate alone weighs more than 5 tonnes, but with gate guides and hoist assembly that weight is nearer 10 tonnes (about the same as a city bus). Closing the gate will allow the reservoir behind the 80 metre high dam wall to begin doing its job in earnest and take storage from 4 Gigalitres under the old dam, to 78 Gigalitres under the new structure.
[Photo of construction site overspill by Androo]
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This is great news but I am mystified by the claim that lack of water is a menace to our economy. I am not aware of any industry in Canberra that was affected adversely by the water restrictions imposed during the recent drought.
Most people I know in Canberra drink bottled water which is a shame as Actew’s brew is the world’s best even though bottled water is probably now cheaper.
Also, I think a “city bus” weighs in at about 25 tonnes (fully loaded). Mark Sullivan was probably referring to the last Canberra bus he travelled on which was when he was going to school about 40 years ago.
Swimming pool installers?
It took too long and cost too much, but good to see a result at last.
And the total project cost was? And how much over budget?
Details.
“never return to the threat of such restrictions” “no more will our unpredictable climate dry and parch our city and menace our lives and our economy.”
Never is a loooooong time, dude. Need to wind back your hyperbole setting.
Good news, though.
Bet they want to get it shut before that big weather system comes over from South Australia later today…
dungfungus said :
Why, oh why? We have such excellent tap water here, it mystifies me that there are so many ridiculous wankers in this city. It’s so much more environmentally unfriendly to buy all these plastic bottles, especially when 90% of the time they’re paying for tap water (not even local tap-water). It’s things like this that make me think we have too much money and too little sense.
johnboy said :
Fair comment.
DrKoresh said :
At last I have found some common ground with the mad doctor.
DrKoresh said :
I’ll agree with you on this point.
I read an article in Dissent magazine (quite a few years ago now) that pointed to one pusher of bottled water’s exploitation of indiginous water resources. i.e. they pay them not much and reap huge profits. I think they turn their blue caps pink at a certain time of year, every year.
I’m sure dentists appreciate the upsurge in business afforded them buy the morons eschewing tap water.
Alderney said :
Have had this conversation with several dentists; their view is that bottled water is just plain brainless, especially in Cbr where tap water is as good as H2O gets.
And I doubt that many dentists (/medicos of any stripe) in this town need the extra business.
dungfungus said :
Yes, I had to slap myself to make sure I was not dreaming!
dungfungus said :
shirty_bear said :
I’m glad you guys have such high tolerance…
Jivrashia said :
For what, can you elucidate? Do have some psychosomatic reaction to tap-water? A tin-foil fear of fluoride?
DrKoresh said :
The water is hard’ tasting due to the 2003 bushfire.
Brewers (e.g. beer) will definitely not choose to use Canberra tap water unless it is well filtered.
If you want to know the actual difference then ask a friend who lives out on a large property for a bottle from their rain water tank. I guarantee that it will taste ‘sweet’.
Jivrashia said :
With a soupçon of dead possum.
DrKoresh said :
Hear, hear!
Jivrashia said :
If the bushfire of over a decade ago were an issue, I’m sure all that charcoal would have assisted to filter out any nasties you’re possibly alluding to. Also, you’re referring to commercial brewers then? All home brewers I know don’t seem to have any issues with tap water, I don’t know a single person who filters their water prior to brewing. I’ll also concede that I haven’t recently tasted pure rainwater from a rural property as most have a slight oxidisation/’rustic’ quality due to older guttering on said properties.
Very happy to hear from local brewers who do filter their water, especially if I get to ‘sample’ said brews.
Jivrashia said :
The water is clarified to within a certain range during treatment. The bush fires only affected the raw water quality. Certainly last time I tested, the water was no where near being hard. The changes you may notice from the tap are as the chlorine levels change in the tanks, and the stronger treatment at Googong does make for a stronger flavour. But these have always, and will always be an issue.
Charcoal doesn’t work that way. The bushfires increased turbidity and resulted in higher iron and manganese levels in the Cotter catchment. Manganese in particular can affect the taste of water. However the treatment plant was upgraded to cope with it.
c_c™ said :
Fair call, I was only angling for some free booze… Alas.
Ah, well on that we can all agree.
beejay76 said :
Agree that saying we’ll never have water restrictions again is a silly comment – especially since they introduced permanent water restrictions and the population and suburbs are still growing.
Now that the dams have been near full for more than two years wonder if ACTEW and the gov will reconsider the Tennant dam proposal (which ACTEW trashed because “climate change” would mean not enough rain would fall to fill it)?
Regardless of the cost etc and delays (I’m pretty sure this thing was long overdue? Happy to be corrected), I for one am glad it’s done. A lot of the work, in my understanding, was done around the clock so pat on the back for the guys and girls who worked those hours.
Very kind to think I was at school only 40 years ago but will stand corrected on the the bus. We regularly fill those plastic bottles and it costs less than half a cent to do so with the worlds best brew. Reasonable value.
poetix said :
Adelaide water tastes like a thousand salty cats pissed in the reservoir.
MarkS said :
Your a good sport Mark.
I also refill plastic bottles with Actew water for consumption while travelling out of Canberra or hiking. It is absurd that most Canberra people (reputed to be the highest educated in Australia) still prefer to pay for bottled water that says more about the vanity of the user than the quality of the water.
My reference to “bottled water being cheaper that Actew water” was the impending announcement from Actew about how much extra we are to be charged to claw back your organisations $200million plus revenue shortfall (loss?).
If the water content of a bottle of Actew water only costs less than half a cent then why aren’t you guys in the bottled water business? This could develop into Canberra’s biggest export industry. It could also take care of “your” revenue shortfall which has to be paid by “us”.
BTW, I have just registered the business name “World’s Best Brew” so you will have to pay me a fee
for every bottle full you sell.
Thumper said :
A lot of those salty cats live in the Canberra and their urine goes down the Murrumbidge with ours.
Jivrashia said :
This is wrong.
The bushfires affected the pH levels of the water, which in turn affected the fermentation (fermentations stopped early, and it was impossible to, er, get decent head). There were not effects in terms of hygeine though (i.e. no infections or off flavours).
Everything went back to normal within 4 months of the bushfires.
If you’re having brew problems I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems and ACTEW aint one.
Deref said :
Just the convenience. If I’m wandering about or going camping there are not always convenient sources of clean town water. At home of course I only drink eau de tap.