Since February this year, POW! has been asking Council for answers to some serious questions about SDRC’s exposure to cost overruns in the Emu Swamp Dam project, and on how SDRC will determine the value of the 450 ML water allocation being sold to Granite Belt Water Limited. 

We thank Councillor Cynthia McDonald for raising these questions at Friday’s ordinary Council meeting, “so that the public understands how we [SDRC] are actually moving through this process”.

As regards cost overruns, SDRC CEO Dave Burges responded that SDRC has made it clear that “if the project requires additional funding to proceed, that funding would come from another level of government.  And that’s our current position.”  So it would appear that the project is now effectively on hold unless and until the State or Federal Government agree to cover all cost overruns (either already anticipated or which arise in the future). 

As regards the valuation of Council’s 450 ML water allocation, we certainly agree with CEO Burges that this is a very complex issue.  That’s what POW! has been saying from the outset.  But it is very reassuring to see that Council is now trying to determine what the true value might be.  A big step forward from late February this year, when SDRC said in response to POW! when it raised issues with the Waterfind report, that SDRC had “no intention at this time to pursue any further valuations”.

Let’s hope that updates and answers continue to be provided as the project proceeds.  If only Council had been this forthright in the recent “factsheet” sent out to ratepayers.

You can read our transcript of the Council meeting here.