Sydney dam levels are continuing to rise, prompting a call from the Greens for the city’s desalination plant to be placed in stand-by mode.
The New South Wales Government announced last week it had negotiated with the operator of the plant to wind back production because dam levels had reached 80 per cent.
They are now at 80.5 per cent.
The desalination plant is operated and maintained by Veolia Water.
Greens MP John Kaye says winding back production is not enough with such healthy supplies of water on hand.
“Sydney householders are paying for water that is being produced that is simply not needed,” Dr Kaye said.
“Mothballing a desalination plant has been done in California, it has been done recently in Queensland.
“Where a water authority or a state government has made a major error, such as they did at the Kurnell plant, it is time to accept that an error has been made.
“It is time to not put good money after bad. Turn that plant off.”
The Queensland shutdown saved taxpayers there $10 million a year, but NSW Finance Minister Greg Pearce has ruled out following suit in Sydney.
