This is Lake Argyle,located in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
The mighty Ord River was dammed in 1971, forming a storage reservoir to supply water to one of Australia's largest and most ambitious irrigation schemes.The lake can encompass an area of more than 2000km2,a volume of water equivalent to 54 Sydney Harbours.
It does it's job well.
But.
Thousands of litres run away to nothing every day.
Every wet season more water flows out of the Ord river and Lake Argyle, than Perth can use in a year.
With most of Australia in drought one would think that this could provide a solution.
Now,the cost must be worth it to run a water pipeline to major centres to ease the drought,and indeed get on top of a problem that is quickly becoming a national disgrace,so why won't governments explore this option?
It's been raised before and whenever anyone asks for a new dam to be built,the politicians run and hide.
This one already exists and a gas pipeline from the top of Australia to the bottom has been done,so why can't one be built for water?
Employment will be created,the outrageous price we pay for meat here at the moment will be eased and most of all,the Country will prosper.
What has happened to the visionary approach we used to have here?
Or maybe it's too simplistic an idea?
However.
We will run out one day unless we start to think.
