The First Nations Barngarla people have threatened legal action to stop a 313-million-dollar desalination plant being built near Port Lincoln. The traditional owners claim it will damage heritage sites, while the State Government says time is running out to solve the region's water woes.
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00:00 This is the proposed site for a new Port Lincoln desalination plant, but it's an area bungalow
00:08 elders say is too important to lose.
00:10 I just want to say how important this area is to us, historically, culturally, the significance
00:17 of this place has such great meaning to us.
00:20 The desalination plant would service the entire Eyre Peninsula, which is fast running out
00:25 of water.
00:26 SA Water has been dealing with the issue since 2007, but it's now an urgent problem, with
00:33 the current underground water likely to run dry by next year.
00:37 But the Bungalow people say their concerns for their heritage have been ignored.
00:41 All I'm saying is talk to us more, because this place, we do not want this desalination
00:46 plant here.
00:48 The Bungalow people have a successful history in fighting government, last year winning
00:52 a federal court case to overturn a decision to put a low-level nuclear waste facility
00:57 near the Eyre Peninsula town of Kimber.
01:00 But the Premier insists his government is prepared to listen.
01:02 I'm not aware of any accusation from Bungalow towards me not being willing, as a Premier
01:08 or other senior leaders within the political arm of government, not being willing to engage
01:13 with the Bungalow people.
01:15 The Bungalow are not the only opponents to the plant's location, with the project attracting
01:20 public protests and rallies.
01:22 The aquaculture industry has been at the forefront, saying a desal plant spells disaster for mussel
01:27 and finfish farms and could impact 200 jobs.
01:31 This is an industrial site, it's going to discharge hyper-saline water and chemicals
01:35 into the bay.
01:36 It's a low, shallow bay with very poor water exchange, and it's not the site for a desal
01:42 plant.
01:43 The aquaculture industry says it would consider joining the Bungalow people's legal action.
01:47 [BLANK_AUDIO]