| The draft Groundwater Management Plan for the Warrion Water Supply Protection Area is available for public comment.
The consultative committee, supported by Southern Rural Water and chaired by local farmer Doug Chant, produced the draft plan and now seeks the views of as many local people as possible.
The Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, Colac-Otway Shire, and the Department of Sustainability and Environment have also contributed to the draft.
“The draft Warrion Groundwater Management Plan is a testament to the efforts of the consultative committee and wider community – this has been a long time in the making. It provides the basis for the sustainable management of groundwater in the region ensuring all water users including the environment have adequate access to the resource in the future,” said Committee Chairperson, Doug Chant.
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. It also provides for protection of water quality by monitoring groundwater levels and use near Lake Corangamite, reducing the likelihood of saline intrusion to the aquifers.
The plan also formalises Southern Rural Water’s obligations 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 Colac office at 13 Johnstone’s Lane, Colac, and the Colac Library.
Public meetings to discuss the draft plan will be held on Wednesday 28 April at the Ti Tree Hotel, 660 Coragulac-Beeac Rd at 2pm and 7pm.
Written submissions on the draft plan will be accepted up to Friday 7 May and should be sent to the Warrion 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 Penny Winbanks on 1300 139 510.
ENDS.
MEDIA PLEASE NOTE:
For media enquiries please contact Janet Granger-Wilcox on 0434 316 500 or 9259 5005.
| |
| |