We know that in dry times the water stops running, she said. I am concerned that if enough stress is placed on the Alstonville aquifer, it will collapse. In the councils involved, there is little to none understanding of the magnitude of this issue. Before the vote was completed, Cr Cadwallader said she will present another rescission motion for the next Rous County Council meeting. Cr Mustow called on his fellow councillors to support the motion. I think it s premature and short sighted to dispose of this land, he said. We need to be thinking strategically for the future, not for 10 years, but from until 2060.
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Underground wells from Alstonville and Tyagarah will be the main source of water for the Northern Rivers if the Dunoon dam is removed from the Future Water Plan 2060.
Other possible water sources Rous has been discussing could come from Newrybar and Woodburn extraction sites.
Rous County Council’s chairperson, Keith Williams, supports the idea the region’s future water supply is safe without the dam.
“The documents released by Rous last year for the Future Water Plan showed three options: two that involved a dam, and a third option which also guaranteed water security and was laid down as the groundwater strategy,” he said.