Take a fresh look at Mokoan: Sykes
Victoria’s new Water Minister has been urged to ‘take a fresh look’ at Lake Mokoan by The Nationals Member for Benalla Bill Sykes.
Dr Sykes said the appointment of Tim Holding should act as a circuit-breaker to the bitterly contested dispute between the State Government and the local community.
“Up to now the State Government has played games with the Benalla and district community and grossly distorted the facts regarding the proposal to decommission Lake Mokoan,” Dr Sykes said.
“One example of this is the calculation of the existing security of water supplied to irrigators from the Broken system including Lake Mokoan.
“The government’s computer models grossly underestimated the security of water supplied from Lake Mokoan. The reason for this is the assumption built into the model that water supplies from Mokoan would be restricted 95 years in every 100 as a result of blue green algae.
“By understating the reliability of the Lake Mokoan system in this way the government was able to maintain a pretence that irrigators would receive a comparable alternative supply following decommissioning.
“Irrigators on the Broken system have consistently challenged the Government’s claim that the security of their water supplies could be maintained following decommissioning of Lake Mokoan.”
Dr Sykes said the irrigators’ case had been greatly strengthened by an answer he received earlier this month to a question that he had asked in State Parliament to the former Minister for Water John Thwaites
“In his answer Mr Thwaites conceded that not once in the last six years has blue green algae affected the availability of water to Broken system irrigators,” Dr Sykes said.
“He effectively debunked the assumption in the computer models that the lake will be closed 95 years in 100. This is significant because with a more realistic blue green algae assumption the computer models show water supplies from Lake Mokoan are very secure and if the lake is decommissioned this security cannot be maintained.”
Dr Sykes said that he had written and spoken with the new Minister for Water, Tim Holding requesting that he meet with the irrigators and allow them to present their alternative proposal.
Dr Sykes said the new Minister should visit the region and take a closer look at the issues surrounding security of supply.
“The only practical way of achieving water savings and maintaining security of supply to existing irrigators is to create a smaller storage in the bed of the existing lake,” Dr Sykes said.
“This is the basis of an alternative proposal put to the government by irrigators some time ago.
“The irrigators’ alternative proposal presents an opportunity to save water for the environment, maintain water supplies to irrigators and provide a level of flood protection to the Benalla community.”
Dr Sykes said he was cautiously optimistic that with a new Premier and a new Minister for Water the Government would adopt a new approach to the Lake Mokoan issue.
Dr Sykes said the appointment of Tim Holding should act as a circuit-breaker to the bitterly contested dispute between the State Government and the local community.
“Up to now the State Government has played games with the Benalla and district community and grossly distorted the facts regarding the proposal to decommission Lake Mokoan,” Dr Sykes said.
“One example of this is the calculation of the existing security of water supplied to irrigators from the Broken system including Lake Mokoan.
“The government’s computer models grossly underestimated the security of water supplied from Lake Mokoan. The reason for this is the assumption built into the model that water supplies from Mokoan would be restricted 95 years in every 100 as a result of blue green algae.
“By understating the reliability of the Lake Mokoan system in this way the government was able to maintain a pretence that irrigators would receive a comparable alternative supply following decommissioning.
“Irrigators on the Broken system have consistently challenged the Government’s claim that the security of their water supplies could be maintained following decommissioning of Lake Mokoan.”
Dr Sykes said the irrigators’ case had been greatly strengthened by an answer he received earlier this month to a question that he had asked in State Parliament to the former Minister for Water John Thwaites
“In his answer Mr Thwaites conceded that not once in the last six years has blue green algae affected the availability of water to Broken system irrigators,” Dr Sykes said.
“He effectively debunked the assumption in the computer models that the lake will be closed 95 years in 100. This is significant because with a more realistic blue green algae assumption the computer models show water supplies from Lake Mokoan are very secure and if the lake is decommissioned this security cannot be maintained.”
Dr Sykes said that he had written and spoken with the new Minister for Water, Tim Holding requesting that he meet with the irrigators and allow them to present their alternative proposal.
Dr Sykes said the new Minister should visit the region and take a closer look at the issues surrounding security of supply.
“The only practical way of achieving water savings and maintaining security of supply to existing irrigators is to create a smaller storage in the bed of the existing lake,” Dr Sykes said.
“This is the basis of an alternative proposal put to the government by irrigators some time ago.
“The irrigators’ alternative proposal presents an opportunity to save water for the environment, maintain water supplies to irrigators and provide a level of flood protection to the Benalla community.”
Dr Sykes said he was cautiously optimistic that with a new Premier and a new Minister for Water the Government would adopt a new approach to the Lake Mokoan issue.
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posted by Greg Naylor at
7:19 PM
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