Is the desal plant a white elephant?

While the focus has been on Warragamba Dam overflowing, the main water storage area for residents in Sydney’s south has also been rapidly rising.

In 2006, just before the state government authorised the Kurnell desalination plant, the Woronora Dam was at 28.9 per cent capacity.

By October last year, the level had risen to 59.5 per cent.

When the latest reading was taken on Thursday last week, it had risen to 75.4 per cent after 55 millimetres of rain fell in the preceding week.

This was the highest since June 10, 2004, when it was 75.9 per cent.

A decision to halve the output from the Kurnell desalination plant because of the high dam levels was described as ‘‘too little too late’’ by Greens MP John Kaye.

''The government should have acted in June last year when Sydney’s storage levels jumped through the 75 per cent mark,'' Mr Kaye said.

''If they had turned the plant off at that stage, Sydney households would have saved $20-30 million.

''The desalination plant was always a white elephant but images of water pouring over the spillway at Warragamba will be a constant reminder of it.''

Mr Kaye said the government had been afraid to act earlier because it was in the process of trying to lease the plant.

Is the desalination plant a ''white elephant''? Click on the comment link below the story to have your say.