Community
14 February, 2024
Rainwater tanks ‘are crucial’
RAINWATER tanks are back on the agenda in the 2024 local body elections campaign.
If elected in March, Community First mayoral candidate Denis Walls said he would push subsidised rainwater tanks for Cairns’ residents.
“This has got to be part of dealing with our water problems into the future,” he said.
“We have heard a great deal recently about the threat to our water supply caused by the floods in the wake of Cyclone Jasper.
“It has been used as the justification by Cairns Regional Council, shortly before an election, to pass a motion supporting a half billion-dollar investment in the stage 1 Mulgrave water project.”
Mr Walls said Community First had questioned this and sought professional opinion from local engineering hydrologist Andy Marr.
Mr Marr said the council had rejected rainwater tanks because they were not considered “effective for Cairns ... as the extended dry season ... means they would contribute very little to reducing mains water use”.
“They are wrong. The (my) model results show that rainwater tanks can, in fact, make a significant contribution to water supply in Cairns,” he said.
