It seems our elected councillors are at odds with non-elected Council staff over the future of Mullum’s water supply.
My concern is that there is no consideration in the current arrangements for environmental flow in the Wilsons Creek/River below Lavertys Gap weir. This obviously didn’t seem like a big issue when the agreement was drawn up several decades ago and the population of the area was a fraction of what it is today.
However, our population is growing and every new house has flush toilets, showers and gardens to water. Might these houses be required to at least have water tanks as every roof is a perfect water catchment?
In the last drought (2019–20) the area downstream of the weir was almost stagnant. This is a vital habitat for platypus and many other native species. Local residents also rely on the creek to water food gardens.
It is crucial that we consider the long-term health of this important waterway and the survival of both native and human inhabitants.
We need to act now for the future and put in place a requirement for realistic environmental flow.
Please speak up for the river by contacting Council: [email protected]
With El Nino on the horizon by the end of the year, those of us living in the hinter land don’t need reminding of the 2019-2020 fires that raged for 5 months in Night Cap National Park and furthur east in Wanganui and Upper Wilson Creek. Then Coopers Creek was reduced to stagnant pools of water with some house holds totally dependent on for their domestic consumption.
Water was the most valueable resource and my reassurance came from my 3 water tanks with water collected from my small cabin roof. Every drop from the kitchen was used to keep a couple of silverbeet and spinach plants alive.
The huge contrasts we have seen over the last 3 years could not be predicted but with the reality of the massive floods 13 months ago, where water and more water was everywhere, should make us more prepared for the year or two ahead knowing our near past history.
Already Coopers Creek has a low flow and there are no visible evidence of life.