North East Water

A 165-megalitre storage turkey nest storage at Wallan. This is similar to what is being proposed for Bright. Photos courtesy of Goulburn-Valley Water.

North East Water is considering five potential sites for an off-stream storage to secure the water supply to Bright, Wandiligong and Porepunkah.

The Corporation will shortly employ a consultant to assess the technical suitability of the sites, all of which are on private or crown land in the Smoko-Freeburgh area.

Managing Director, Craig Heiner, said the storage project would increase the reliability of supply for the towns, and reduce their dependence on summer flows in the Ovens River, which could be highly variable and were becoming increasingly unreliable during the extended drought.

"This is an important project for Bright because it will enable us to store water from the river during winter when flows are higher, and reduce the need to draw from the river in summer when flows are low," he said.

"It will be a real positive for the town because it will reduce the frequency of harsh water restrictions, and will cater for the area?s continuing growth."

In August, North East Water advertised for expressions of interest in selling suitable land for the storage.  This process received a number of positive responses and has also identified other potential sites.

Mr Heiner said landholders in the area had been notified by letter that their properties were being assessed for their technical suitability for the construction of the storage

But he said a decision on the site was still some way off.

"We understand that this process may be causing anxiety for some members of the community, and we intend to move through this period of uncertainty as quickly as possible," he said.

"We will be asking the consultant to eliminate the unsuitable sites as a matter of urgency."

Mr Heiner said the consultant's technical report would consider the sites from a technical viewpoint, but North East Water?s triple bottom line business assessment would consider the social, environmental and financial aspects of each option.

"We are approaching this from a holistic perspective, and we intend to involve the North East Catchment Management Authority in assessing the environmental aspects," he said.

"This is a public project, and therefore we want to get the best outcome for all of the community."

Anyone requiring further information on this project can contact North East Water?s Community Engagement Coordinator, Naomi Laauli on (02) 6022 0534.