Tuesday, 1 August 2023

Water policy

Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (20:10): (339) My adjournment is for the Minister for Water, as water storages across the region are close to full capacity and broken levee banks require urgent repairs. The minister has a responsibility to manage our waterways and fix levee banks to help protect valuable agricultural land, private and public assets, infrastructure and homes from further floods. I recently visited Kerang and also met with local residents in Benjeroop to discuss the impacts of the floods and works still required. Locals told me that in March this year rivers in the region were low enough to walk through, yet our water storage levels have continued to build up. Goulburn–Murray Water manages 24 water storages across Northern Victoria. Lake Eildon is at 95 per cent. Cairn Curran Reservoir is at 97 per cent. Lake Eppalock is already 100 per cent full, with more rain predicted over the next few months. Water releases were only recently increased once the catchment was over 99 per cent full, from 150 megalitres a day to 800 megalitres per day, when the valve has the capacity to release up to 1600 megalitres a day.

Goulburn–Murray Water follows operating procedures, and the primary purpose of Lake Eppalock is for harvesting water. Current legislation requires them to maintain the water storages for entitlement holders. Those operating rules need to be reviewed by the minister. The rules need to be updated to take into account catchment area, forecast rainfall, current storage levels, entitlement holders and the impact of water releases on areas downstream.

I understand the minister has directed the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action to undertake an assessment to review operating procedures in relation to Lake Eppalock and Lake Eildon by the end of this year, but our water catchments are either full or close to full and October is usually our wettest month. Understandably local residents are getting nervous. They are working hard to rebuild and do not want a repeat of the devastating floods of last year. The minister needs to listen to local communities and take action now. Levee banks still look like Swiss cheese following last year’s floods and require urgent repair works. There are 4000 kilometres of undefined and unregulated levee banks across Victoria, and half of them are in Gannawarra and Loddon shires. Add in 1000 kilometres of roads already impacted by the 2022 floods, and the local shires are still battling to keep their heads above water.

While the flood inquiry is due to provide recommendations next year to help Victoria prepare for future floods, I ask the minister to listen to the feedback of local communities and take urgent action to review the operating rules of our water storages and repair broken levee banks across the region.