The Editor,

In last week’s The Transcontinental (March 25), there was an item headed “Desal plant confidence”.

The article gave no reason to believe that either of the two proposed desalination plants mentioned have approval to go ahead, so where does “confidence” come in?

Does “Aquasol” chief executive officer Michael Fielding or “Windesal” executive director Barrie Harrop, have some information that has not yet been made public?

Even the BHP Billiton proposal for Point Lowly has not been approved yet, as far as I know.

No one could disagree that a renewable source of fresh water, independent of the Murray system, would be a good thing.

It might even be supplied by a desalination process.

The issue is that there should be no such plant anywhere in the Upper Spencer Gulf – not Pt Pirie, not Whyalla and not here!

Pt Augusta sits at the end of an inlet, over 300 kms from the open ocean.

There is nowhere to flush away the super saline water produced by desalination.

In summer time, the natural salinity levels in this top end of the Gulf rise well above the open ocean due to evaporation.

We are also one of the few places in the world (because of the length of the Gulf) to experience regular “dodge tides”.

When the tidal flow at the top end is cancelled out by the tidal flow at the lower end, there is no water movement for 12 hours or more.

How do you disperse super saline water under those conditions?

Have you thought how ever-increasing salinity will affect your environment?

You might have more to worry about than just the effect of marine parks on your fishing and recreational activities.

Greg Bannon,

Quorn.