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Water relief for city, a trickle for GippslandThe Member for Eastern Victoria, Philip Davis, has described as a devastating blow for Gippsland the State Government’s decision to return just 15% of the annual 20 billion litre environmental flow being diverted from the Thomson River to Melbourne. By Kevin Balshaw - 22nd March 2010 - Back to News The Member for Eastern Victoria, Philip Davis, has described as a devastating blow for Gippsland the State Government’s decision to return just 15% of the annual 20 billion litre environmental flow being diverted from the Thomson River to Melbourne.
"The Labor Government’s heartland in the city gets substantial relief from water restrictions as a state election looms, while Gippsland is to get back only a trickle of the water diversion that is helping underpin the easing of restrictions in the city," Mr Davis said.
"The Government announced the removal of the environmental flow in the Thomson River in a line at the bottom of a press release last year.
"Now, in a line in a release proclaiming that it is saving Melburnians from stringent water restrictions, the Government says a mere three billion of the 20 billion litres a year being diverted from the Thomson and Gippsland Lakes will be returned.
"Pointedly, it does not say when this will happen. I also hold the gravest concern that the Premier’s announcement was framed in terms of such finality that Gippsland will never see the rest of the flow returned in the time of this government."
Mr Davis plans to raise the issue as a matter of urgency in State Parliament.
He said he would also question the Government to establish the source of five billion litres of irrigation water it has promised to release for farmers at Werribee and Bacchus Marsh.
"In the absence of a full explanation, my concern is that this water will be taken from the drought reserve held in the Thomson Dam for the Macalister irrigation district," Mr Davis said.
"The Government’s promise on the irrigation water coincidentally follows closely on a proposal by Southern Rural Water to allow Bacchus Marsh farmers access to the drought reserve, which was determined without consultation with Macalister district farmers."
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: kevin.balshaw@parliament.vic.gov.au
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