THE proposed Wyaralong Dam in southeast Queensland has received conditional environmental approval from the Federal Government.
Environment Minister Peter Garrett said he added extra conditions onto the project, on to of the environmental protection conditions required by the Queensland Co-ordinator-General.
"In making my decision I have carefully considered the environmental impacts of the dam on those matters of national environmental significance that are listed and protected under the federal environmental legislation – the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act," Mr Garrett said.
"Based on the information and advice I have received, and with the additional approval conditions I am imposing, I am confident that this project can proceed while still ensuring adequate protection for matters protected under the Act, including nationally listed threatened or migratory species and the ecological character of the internationally important Moreton Bay Ramsar wetlands."
Mr Garrett said his conditions required the proponent to carry out monitoring of the downstream environment.
He said his responsibility under the EPBC Act was to make decisions about possible impacts on matters of national environmental significance as defined by the Act.
He said other environmental matters which may be affected by the dam were the responsibility of the Queensland Government.
Mr Garrett said he and his department had also received letters from landholders in the Wyaralong area during the assessment process, who had expressed concerns about the proposal.
“I am aware of the difficulties faced by those directly impacted by this project, and I urge the proponent and the Queensland Government to take all possible steps to avoid unnecessary disruption to the local residents and community,” he said.
Wyaralong Dam, which will link into Queensland’s SEQ water grid, was assessed under bilateral agreement between the Queensland and the Australian Governments.
Meanwhile, Queensland's planned Traveston Crossing Dam will be delayed by several years, said Premier Anna Bligh, who has also softened her stance on the introduction of recycled water.
The controversial dam, proposed for the Mary River north of Brisbane, is widely opposed by environmentalists, pasturalists and the local indigenous community.
Ms Bligh today told state parliament that the state's coordinator-general had advised the site, near Gympie, would need mitigation work before construction could proceed, in order to give it the best chance of federal environmental approval.
The project would be delayed by "several years", she said.
with AAP
