As Community Runs Dry, Locals Fight New Water Source

A “critically important” desalination plant is touted as the only viable option to prevent South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula from running out of water. It might seem counterintuitive, but locals are mounting a fierce fight against the project. The $313 million (US$201 million) plant at Billy Lights Point on the outskirts of Port Lincoln needs to be up and running before 2026, warns SA Water, or else the community’s dwindling bore water reserves will be permanently damaged. While the agency has known about the issue for decades, critics say it is only addressing it at the last minute as an excuse to bulldoze local concerns and force through the cheapest option....