Member for Farrer David Farley has called for the Murray Darling Basin Plan to be replaced with a collaborative Water Accord. He says the accord would involve governments, irrigators, Indigenous groups and regional businesses, and would give regional communities greater ownership of water decisions. Farley says productive water supports regional supply chains and economic stability. The proposal also calls for new water infrastructure, funded across generations, to support an additional 2,000 gigalitres across the Basin. Farley linked the proposal to national debt above $1.1 trillion and annual interest payments of around $58 billion, according to Treasury budget figures.
The Water Corporation has planned four projects across Yanchep to upgrade existing water and wastewater systems. They include new infrastructure along Marmion Avenue, upgrades to wastewater networks with new pipeline links, a new water main to lift supply, and wastewater works in the Yanchep Junction development and along Botanical Boulevard. The Marmion Avenue work is expected to begin soon and finish in early 2028, while the Yanchep Junction project is scheduled for early 2027 and should take about 15 months. Start and finish dates for the other two projects have not been announced.
Thousands of households are being warned that artificial smoke may billow from lawns and roof vents over coming weeks. Unitywater crews are pumping non-toxic vapour through wastewater pipes to find illegal connections, leaks and defects. Residents in targeted suburbs around Moreton Bay will receive letters two weeks before testing. Property owners found with defects will need a licensed plumber to make repairs, with fines of up to $32,000 possible for illegal plumbing work. Other utilities across the country, including Sydney Water, are running similar testing programs.
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A critically endangered snail has been found in western NSW, with colonies identified in weirs on the Darling and Barwon rivers. Ecologists say human-made water infrastructure, once a threat, has become a habitat for the molluscs. Aboriginal rangers confirmed the discovery, with signs of breeding raising hopes for the species' survival. The NSW government is working on a research project to translocate and repopulate the snail.
