North East Water

North East Water has engaged GHD to assess the technical suitability of potential water storage sites in the Smoko-Freeburgh area of the Ovens Valley.

The Corporation is proposing to build an off-stream storage to secure the water supply for Bright, Wandiligong and Porepunkah by reducing their reliance on summer flows in the Ovens River, which can be highly variable and increasingly unreliable during the extended drought.

Managing Director, Craig Heiner, said North East Water had asked GHD to fast-track the project, focus on the five preferred sites and eliminate unsuitable sites as quickly as possible.

"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.

Mr Heiner said GHD's first 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 have received expressions of interest from the owners of some of the potential sites who are interested in selling suitable land for the storage'," he said

"This is a public project and we intend to ensure we arrive at the best possible outcome for all parties."

Mr Heiner said GHD's brief also included later stages of the project, including final design of the storage.

"We are keen to get this project moving quickly so we can secure the water supply for the Bright community for the future," he said.

The proposed storage will store water from the high winter flows of the Ovens River and reduce the dependency on the river during summer periods when flows are much lower, thereby reducing the need for harsh summer water restrictions.

The final storage volume is currently the subject of negotiations between North East Water, the North East Catchment Management Authority and the Department of Sustainability and Environment, and will be influenced by the environmental targets for the acceptable minimum stream flows in the Ovens River.

"Ultimately the final storage volume will also depend on what is practical to construct in the narrow valley we are working with," Mr Heiner said.

For information, call Naomi Laauli, Community Engagement Coordinator on 60220534, 0439587331.