| The draft Groundwater Management Plan for the Yarram Water Supply Protection Area is available for public comment.
The consultative committee, supported by Southern Rural Water and chaired by local farmer Bill Bodman, produced the draft plan and now seeks the views of as many local people as possible.
The West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, Gippsland Coastal Board, South Gippsland Water, Wellington Shire, and the Department of Sustainability and Environment have also contributed to the draft.
“The draft Yarram 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 describes what we are going to do to manage our groundwater resource sustainably,” said Committee Chairperson, Bill Bodman.
The draft plan provides relevant background information about local hydrogeology, groundwater levels and usage. It outlines the potential risks to groundwater in the area such as bore interference, saline intrusion and reduction in baseflow to local streams, and prescribes a monitoring program to track changes. The plan includes trading zones that guide movement of entitlements away from areas of higher risk.
The plan also formalises Southern Rural Water’s obligations to monitor, review and report on the condition of the groundwater.
Copies of the draft plan are available here , at SRW's Maffra office at 88 Johnson Street, Maffra, and the Yarram Library.
Public meetings to discuss the Draft Plan will be held at the Yarram Country Club Commercial Road Yarram on Monday 7 June at 12 noon and Tuesday 8 June at 7pm.
Written submissions on the draft plan will be accepted from Monday 24 May up to Friday 25 June and should be sent to the Yarram 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 Terry Flynn 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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