Desalination plant aimed at helping Port Lincoln's drinking water shortage feared to put mussel business at risk

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Desalination Plant News

Reliable Drinking Water,Aquifer,Regional

Pressure to secure reliable drinking water for South Australia's Eyre Peninsula is mounting as the region's main water source is quickly depleting. But a prominent aquaculture business says the only solution puts its multimillion dollar company at risk.

As dawn breaks in Port Lincoln on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula, Mark Andrews watches from the town's marina as mussel farmers bring in their catch.

"My main concern about a desalination plant that takes up 5 gigalitres of water per year — they're talking initially ... a percentage of that spat will go into the intake," he said.The company's operations manager Andy Dyer shares Mr Andrew's concerns.The prized mussel spat settles and grows on ropes left out at sea.

"What those concerns about 'are we putting an industry that is a sustainable food source at risk?'"But time is running out for SA Water to provide reliable drinking water for the Eyre Peninsula.Currently, Port Lincoln heavily relies on the Uley South Basin for its water; about 75 per cent of the region's water is drawn from the underground source.

"To ensure that the customers of today have water, but also so we can continue to support the customers of the future," Mr Seltsikas said." the studies we've done, there is less than 0.1 per cent chance of mussel spat in the bay being entrained within the intake of the desalination plant," he said.

 

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