A GROUP of Lake Meran residents have accused Gannawarra Shire Council and the North Central Catchment Management Authority of trying to end their livelihood’s reliance on the waterway.
The residents claim their rejection of the Meran Lakes Complex Environmental Water Management Plan 2016-2026 has been ignored by the catchment authority, who the group also claim used faulty data.
The claims come after the group, many of whom contributed to the plan through a community consultation process, rejected the final plan on the basis of the planned water levels for the lake.
The residents claimed that the planned lowered levels would devalue irrigation licences, render some recreational aspects of the lake – such as the 72-year-old diving tower – useless for long periods of time, and create negative environmental outcomes.
These concerns intensified after the group submitted a formal request to council to chair a forum between the community and NCCMA late last year, to which the group claims it still has not had a response to.
Local irrigator and Lake Meran Public Purposes Committee member, Stephen English said that council’s silence was suspicious, calling a conflict of interest in local representative, Cr Charlie Gillingham’s position as a councillor and a NCCMA board member.
“No formal response has been received. Cr Gillingham hasn’t bothered to come and speak to us,” he said.
Cr Gillingham said there was no conflict of interest as the plan was signed off by the NCCMA before he was elected as council’s Avoca Ward representative in October 2016.
“The NCCMA board made the decision to adopt the plan before I became a councillor,” he said.
“If I [believed there was a conflict] I would have had to declare the conflict, both at the NCCMA and in the shire, and leave the room when discussing or voting on it.”
Gannawarra mayor, Cr Brian Gibson confirmed council was yet to issue a response on the issues as it was still assessing the situation. However, he was “disappointed there had been personal attacks on councilors”.
“We haven’t contacted [Mr English] because we are still evaluating how we are going to tackle the situation – it’s a serious issue now,” he said.
“We can’t be an impartial mediator. We can chair it (the meeting) but our ratepayers are there. [For] an independent mediator you need to look outside of council.”
Council intends to approach Water Minister Lisa Neville to discuss the possibility of the State Government taking the lead on a forum with all parties involved.
“We’re not on the front page saying that we will save Lake Meran because ultimately we aren’t in charge of it. However, we will do our dead set best,” Cr Gibson said.
Fellow Lake Meran Public Purposes Committee member, Ron Kelly said that because council had no authority over the lake, the group should instead focus on their letter writing campaign to Ms Neville.
“That’s about the only good way of approaching it. They [some other lake users] aren’t all looking at the big picture – we do have some water but they seem to want more,” he said.
“But I can see that there are positives in what we’ve got so far out of NCCMA – ie. this five-year plan that doesn’t allow the lake to go dry. That’s not going to happen.”
