Under the pump

By Melissa Grant
CARDINIA mother Cat-herine Manning is seeking a meeting with Planning Minister Justin Madden after discovering the State Government plans to build a booster pump station near the town’s primary school.
Mrs Manning is outraged that Spring Street will build the station for the Wonthaggi desalination plant so close to the centre of the small rural township, despite contrary advice.
A panel appointed to oversee the Environmental Effects Statement (EES) for the project strongly suggested that an alternative location be found for the booster pump station, a recommendation the State Government has rejected.
“They haven’t listened to the views of the community and the views of the panel,” Mrs Manning said.
“What’s the point of the panel? It’s like ‘mock’ democracy.” Mrs Manning initially felt confident that the State Government would build the booster pump station much further than 500 metres away from Cardinia Primary School but has since discovered Planning Minister Justin Madden ruled otherwise.
“It was very well hidden that he hadn’t taken up this recommendation,” she said.
“We were told we’d have a fair hearing through the panel process. It’s really disappointed me because I put forward a fair and reasonable presentation, and for them to not take the advice of the panel I think it’s outrageous.”
Cardinia Primary School principal Allan Armstrong said the State Government was yet to contact the school about the proposal.
“We would like to know what it is and the implications of it,” he said.
Although Mr Armstrong knew little about the booster pump station, he was concerned about the impact of its traffic.
“Cardinia Road is already a very busy road and they’ll be adding trucks and construction vehicles on to that during the construction,” he said.
According to the EES, the pump station is needed to provide additional pressure in the pipeline to deliver the required flow of treated water to Cardinia Reservoir.
It will be housed in a building about 94 metres long, 12 metres wide and seven metres high and built in a two-and-a-half hectare paddock near the town centre.
Mrs Manning said the Cardinia township was simply not a suitable location for such infrastructure.
“It’ the fact that it changes the whole face of the Cardinia township in that it becomes industrial,” she said.
“How are they going to handle that many trucks coming and going (from the station)? How is the primary school going to manage the noise level?”
Mrs Manning implored the State Government to reconsider Mr Madden’s decision.
“There’s a simple solution, there’s no reason they can’t move it, it doesn’t have to go there,” she said.
A spokeswoman for Mr Madden said: “The assessment determined that the booster pump station would not have any significant impacts on amenity (air, noise etc), and that protection of residences could be achieved by implementing the performance requirements.”