Environment Victoria has released a report showing how Melbourne can tackle its urgent water problems, while helping its struggling rivers and avoiding the need for the economically and environmentally risky desalination plant and Sugarloaf pipeline.
The report, Water Security, Healthy Rivers: Environment Victoria’s Vision for Melbourne, outlines 10 key actions that could turn Melbourne into a ‘water sensitive city’ living within its means.
Read more
Beating the big dry: new vision to solve Melbourne's water woes – Environment Victoria
UYDEC's Submission to the NRSWS discussion paper
Submissions are being invited on the Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy go to for a copy of the discussion paper:
You might be asking yourself - how is this relevant to the Upper Yarra & Dandenongs Region - well one of the aspects that you would expect a Northern Region water strategy to include would be the Food Bowl Modernisation Project and the Sugarloaf Pipeline Interconnector project. But it doesn't! The strategy has put these aspects of the water management aside and is attempting to deal with the rest in isolation. UYDEC strongly advocates that the Government includes these projects within the plan and asks how can you develop a plan for the Sustainable management of water resources without taking these major projects into account. These projects will all have an impact on the water resource outlook for the region which is supposedly a key area to be examined by the development of the strategy. Exclusion of these projects does not assure us that full range of possibilities for water savings and environmental benefits assessed. Which further increase our reservations about the infrastructure projects as being in the best interests of Victoria's environment.
By Melissa Meehan, Mountain View Mail, 1st April 2008
CONSTRUCTION of the north-south Sugarloaf pipeline has been delayed until at least the middle of the year because of environmental assessments.
Federal member for Murray and Shadow Minister for the Environment, Dr Sharmain Stone said that the delay comes as no surprise considering the “quick and totally inadequate” 1700 pages of the Project Impact Assessment (PIA).
Local Federal member Fran Bailey has congratulated local communities who had fought against the project, following the announcement that the State Government’s north-south pipeline project would be delayed.
“Without the sustained opposition from our local Plug the Pipe Group and those affected by this pipeline project, this delay would never have occurred,” Ms Bailey said.
“Let us hope that now, in light of the serious concerns I raised in Parliament regarding the Project Impact Assessment (PIA) report, and this week’s disclosure of serious water pollution issues, that the Federal Environment Minister and the State Government give up their mission to build this ill-conceived pipeline.”
Ms Bailey said local residents had never faltered in their opposition to the pipeline.
“From day one, I have worked with an enormous number of residents from all walks of life, who will be affected by this project and they have all had that same determination, that they will not stand by and watch while their precious water is stolen for Melbourne’s use, or that their land will be taken away and livelihoods put in jeopardy,” Ms Bailey said.
The 3775 Pipeline Group spokesperson Malcolm Calder did not share the same response as Ms Bailey upon hearing the announcement.
“The announcement is not really that significant, the timetable released in November last year did not take into account the time it takes to do the necessary reports,” Mr Calder said.
“It will only delay the project for a few weeks.”
Water Minister Tim Holding was unable to be contacted by the Mail at time of print.