00:00These pristine waters are synonymous with Port Lincoln's postcard appeal and vibrant
00:06fishing industry.
00:07But potable water is far from abundant.
00:10That underground water source is diminishing quickly.
00:14And if we don't build a decent plant and just get on with the job, people will turn on the
00:18taps in Port Lincoln and there won't be any water.
00:21Now that is completely unacceptable.
00:25It's an issue that's been flagged and shelved for years and has now become urgent.
00:30The chosen site is the one SA Water identified as the most efficient place to build the desalination
00:35plant at Billy Lights Point in Port Lincoln South.
00:39That's caused deep concern within the community, including amongst fishers, locals and elders.
00:44This is a very shallow bay.
00:46It's landlocked.
00:47It's very poor movement of water here.
00:50So that hypersaline water, plus the toxic chemicals that are used to clean a desal plant,
00:56we all discharge into this little, small bay here, small by comparison.
01:01There's nowhere else in the developed world where you'll see a desal plant in such a situation.
01:05I'm sorry, we've heard your calls, but we've also heard the science that says the Yulee
01:11Basin is running out of water and there has to be an alternate source coming from a desal
01:16plant, which is why we're building it.
01:17Local indigenous group, the Bungalow People, have previously voiced concerns about the
01:21location of the plant being Billy Lights Point.
01:23However, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Nick Champion, has said that historical indigenous
01:28fish traps will be preserved as a condition of construction.
01:32The government's approval for the plant has come before a select committee has delivered
01:36its findings on the issue.
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