"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
...

"Proposals such as the
Bradfield scheme have involved a number of rivers in Queensland and New
South
Wales, especially the Clarence (Cameron McNamara 1982; NSWDWR 1988). There
is
no doubt that such proposals are feasible in engineering terms; equally,
there
is no doubt that they are not economically viable or environmentally
feasible.
As with other irrigation-related schemes, they are predicated on the
assumption that water costs would be subsidised by government. "

Hmm... water prices have risen a fair bit since the 1980s, same with oil. It
may not have made economic sense to build such a scheme in 1982. But with
the price of water increasing exponentially since the 80s, such an
engineering scheme would be economically viable today.