NATIONALS DEMAND GUARANTEE ON TANJIL

The Nationals Spokesman for the Environment, Peter Hall has called on the Bracks Government to guarantee the long term health of the Tanjil River.

Mr Hall said the Central Region Sustainable Water Strategy, released by the government yesterday, outlines a plan that could see a section of the Tanjil River deprived of water.

"I am very concerned the government has announced a plan to pipe fresh water from Blue Rock Dam to Melbourne without making mention of what steps it will take to ensure the Tanjil River remains healthy," said Mr Hall.

"The Central Region Sustainable Water Strategy confirms the government will pursue a plan to pipe treated effluent from Melbourne to the Latrobe Valley to supply local electricity generators and other industrial users.

"At the same time, the plan proposes an interconnection between Blue Rock Dam and Melbourne to take additional fresh water from Gippsland to Melbourne.

"Irrespective of where you stand on the merits of this plan you have to be concerned about its outcomes for the Tanjil River, for as it stands, it will result in the loss of a large volume of water currently sent down the Tanjil," said Mr Hall.

"The crux of the issue is this: treated sewage from Melbourne will replace some of the water currently released from Blue Rock to supply industry. This water now flows down the Tanjil to Lake Narracan, where it's used by generators.

"When Melbourne starts taking water from Blue Rock, little will be left to flow down the Tanjil, meaning the river's health will be degraded over some 25kms between Blue Rock Dam and Lake Narracan."

Mr Hall said he was concerned the government hadn't thought the detail of the plan through.

"This is a government that seizes any opportunity to boast about improving river health, yet its own water strategy amounts to a plan that would see a West Gippsland river deprived of flows," said Mr Hall.

"It strikes me that the government has gone for the big picture sell on this proposal and neglected to check out the details of the plan.

"It makes mention of a seven year, 10,000ML environmental flow for the Latrobe River derived from Blue Rock, however this is unallocated water that would ordinarily flow down the Tanjil anyway, along with water for the industrial users.

"In fact, this so-called environmental flow is only some seven percent of the mean annual flow through Blue Rock Dam and down the Tanjil.

"I'd hate to think this so-called 'environmental flow' is just a cute stunt to hide the fact the government knows full well its proposal would endanger a 25km stretch of the Tanjil River.

"I call on the government to guarantee that if its Eastern Region Recycling plan goes ahead, the average flows of the Tanjil are maintained and not degraded as more of Gippsland's water is sent to Melbourne."