| The draft Groundwater Management Plan for the Kooweerup Water Supply Protection Area is available for public comment.
The consultative committee which produced the plan, supported by Southern Rural Water and chaired by local farmer Ron Chatfield, is now seeking the views of as many local people as possible.
Cardinia Shire Council, South East Water and the Department of Sustainability and Environment have also contributed to the draft.
“The aim of the plan is to ensure access to groundwater in the long-term for all users, as well as the environment,” said Committee Chairperson, Ron Chatfield. “We need to think further ahead than tomorrow or next year.”
The draft plan provides relevant background information about local hydrogeology, groundwater levels, salinity and usage. It outlines the potential risks to groundwater in the area and proposed management actions, including the establishment of zones and rules for permanent trading. It also provides for protection of water quality by managing use near the coast, reducing the likelihood of seawater intrusion to the aquifers.
The plan also formalises obligations on Southern Rural Water to monitor, review and report on the condition of the groundwater.
The draft plan establishes priorities for a technical work program. The results from these studies will inform a review of the plan in five years.
Copies of the draft plan are available from Southern Rural Water’s website at www.srw.com.au, its Kooweerup office at 342 Rossiter Road, the Pakenham library and the Casey-Cardinia mobile library.
Public meetings to discuss the draft plan will be held at the Kooweerup Historical Society Hall on Thursday 15 April at 2pm and 7pm.
Written submissions on the draft plan will be accepted up to Friday 23 April and should be sent to the Kooweerup Chairperson, C/O- Southern Rural Water, PO Box 153, Maffra, 3860. When the plan is finalised, it will be submitted to the Minister for Water for approval.
For more information about the plan, please contact Elissa McNamara on
1300 139 510.
ENDS.
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For media enquiries please contact Janet Granger-Wilcox on 0434 316 500 or 9259 5005.
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