Tony Harrison heads to Albany’s markets with petition to urge Water Corp to recycle desalination plant brine

Environmental campaigner Tony Harrison is heading to Albany’s weekend markets to gather signatures for a petition he hopes will persuade the Water Corporation to recycle brine produced at a possible desalination plant. The corporation has a community consultancy group comprised of local people which meets regularly to discuss how to tackle likely future water shortages. However, Mr Harrison believes the corporation is set on a desalination plant, either at Sandpatch or Nanarup and is concerned brine pumped into the ocean at either spot will affect both the environment and the public’s enjoyment of nearby beaches. “I’m not going to sit by and let Water Corp. pump toxic brine into the ocean,” he said. “The wind, waves and current are going to bring the brine straight back to Nanarup and Mutton Bird beaches, exactly where the public is having a great time. “The increased salinity is going to sting the eyes of anyone going into the water to swim or surf. “It will also destroy the oxygen in the ocean’s eco system — it’s poison.” He suggested the corporation could recycle the brine for salt production or for use in gold and aluminium processing. “It has a lot of uses with a variety of commodities,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where they put the unit, the brine must be recycled.” The Water Corp. identified Nanarup and Sandpatch as possible sites for the plant because they are close to Albany and existing infrastructure. A spokesman told the Advertiser in July that a new groundwater source was being investigated but that with no alternative water source available, a seawater desalination plant would be a necessary addition to the landscape. WA Premier Roger Cook ruled out a desalination plant in King George Sound earlier this year after a backlash from local environmental and community groups. A Water Corp. spokesman said options for zero-liquid discharge had been looked into. “Options for zero-liquid discharge from a future desalination plant in Albany have been investigated and deemed unfeasible for many reasons, not least due to the significant environmental impact associated with brine disposal on land,” they said. It would require extensive land clearing for building evaporation ponds and drying out brine using industrial scale ovens would be expensive and result in “unacceptably high” greenhouse gas emissions. The brine would be returned to the ocean through a pipeline with a diffuser at the end which helps mix and dilute the sea water, they added. “Water Corporation has a proven record of operating WA’s existing desalination plants sustainably and in line with all environmental conditions in place to protect marine ecosystems,” they said. Mr Harrison will be seeking signatures for his petition at the Albany Farmers Market on Saturday, September 13 and the Boatshed Markets the following day.