Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has urged the Minister for Water to commission a risk assessment into the potential devastating ecological effects of flooding the Murray’s lower lakes.

“In light of the revelation in today’s Question Time that no risk assessment has been commissioned by the Minister to date, we await an official response as to whether she will do so before the disastrous option of saltwater flooding is taken,” said Senator Hanson-Young.

“The Greens strongly urge the Minister to carry out such an assessment on the impact that letting seawater flood into Lakes Alexandrina and Albert would have.

“The ongoing Senate Inquiry has heard from witness after witness of the severe ecological, economic and social consequences of this option, which was put forward by the Minister’s own department.

“Seawater contains sulphate ions, the precursor to sulphuric acid, so rather than preventing acidification, it could actually make the problem worse.

“The new salinity levels of the lakes would not only kill fish and other aquatic fauna, but would encourage more algae, mosquitoes and bacteria.

“Perhaps most frightening of all is the threat of groundwater contamination by saltwater though far-reaching aquifer networks.”

Senator Hanson-Young said the Minister must defend why the option of saltwater flooding is ‘inevitable’, when the Senate Inquiry has heard that there are other viable options such as bioremediation.

“Saltwater flooding is no silver bullet in solving the crisis our lower lakes and Coorong are facing.

“Freshwater flows are what our Storm Boy country needs, and what the Greens will continue to fight for,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

For more information: Gemma Clark on 0427 604 760