Partners announced for the Tarago Treatment Facility
Melbourne Water has announced that the joint venture partners for the new water treatment facility in the Tarago catchment will be Baulderstone Hornibrook and the United Group. Melbourne Water’s Project Manager Paul Plowman said the joint venture partners had successfully delivered similar water treatment facilities around Victoria and interstate.
Design engineers GHD are currently finalising the plant layout and landscape designs based on feedback given to Melbourne Water from nearby landowners. Mr Plowman said that while the project was awaiting final statutory approvals from the Planning Minister, Melbourne Water appreciated the efforts by the Baw Baw Shire Council and other key stakeholders to help achieve Melbourne Water’s tight timeframes. “A key feature of the plant is that by locating the facility in the right location, we have ensured that the plant can operate on gravity flows rather than rely on continuous pumping, he said. This, in turn, ensures a substantial reduction in greenhouse impacts and eliminates the potential for background noise from pumps.” Mr Plowman said the project team has liaised with nearby residents to reduce the facility’s visual impact. “Melbourne Water is committed to a continuing engagement with the nearby residents,” he said. We will invite two local people to participate in the project’s agency reference group.” Mr Plowman said the charter of the reference group was to provide on-going feedback to Melbourne Water to ensure that the development of the plant was in accordance with the planning approvals document. The site for the new water treatment plant is located at 880 Main Neerim Road, Drouin West, adjacent to the Glen Cromie Caravan Park. Further information about the water treatment facility can be obtained from Paul Plowman, Project Manager, Melbourne Water on 9235 2124, or Gillian Doig, Communications and Community Relations, 9235 7198.
Funding for Stream Frontage Management Programs
The Stream Frontage Management Program is offering funding to landowners to fence, revegetate and control weeds along river and creek frontages. Grants are also available for community groups and local government to manage land under their control on waterway frontages. Rehabilitation of stream frontage is an urgent priority, and is a task most successfully achieved in partnership with landowners, Landcare and other community groups. To address this, Melbourne Water developed the Stream Frontage Management Program. The program operates in targeted catchments such as Tarago to assist landowners to protect, improve and manage private freehold and leased stream frontages. It targets degraded rural waterway frontages across the Port Phillip and Westernport drainage basins. Participating landowners are offered funding assistance, technical advice and educational opportunities. Funding may be ongoing for several years if a project needs to be done in stages. For more information, please contact Gavin Brock, Melbourne Water (Koo Wee Rup office), 5997 1717.
Stream frontage improvements on the Tarago River.
Spring 2007
Waterways improvements in Tarago catchment
Melbourne Water has been involved in a number of waterway improvement works in the Tarago catchment including willow removal, fencing, river modelling and biological investigations. Planting programs are planned as well. Willows have been removed from three kilometres of waterway, the sites have been fenced and planting is planned in the next couple of months with further planting due next autumn. Two sites are visible from the Main Neerim Road and both show the progress of works; one site is on Ironside Creek near the junction of Main Neerim Rd and Old Jindivick Rd, and the second is on the Tarago River at the downstream side of Main Neerim Rd near the junction of Old Telegraph Road West. Over winter, a survey was undertaken along the Tarago River from the reservoir wall downstream to where it joins with the Bunyip River. The results of this survey will inform flood modelling and investigations into river processes. Biological investigations were done last summer on Muddy and Brandy creeks and on several sites on the Tarago River. These investigations found a range of fish species and Gippsland spiny crays in the Tarago River downstream of the reservoir. However, the greatest impacts on this section of the river are from exotic plants, cattle access and the destruction of channel banks and vegetation understorey.
Recommendations for improvements in the aquatic habitat of these creeks included controlling Glyceria sp. (an aquatic weed), willow infestations and managing catchment impacts such as sediment accumulation, stock access and nutrient runoff. For more information please contact Louise Kerferd, Melbourne Water, 9235 1478.
Septic tank health check and upgrade offer
Landowners in the Tarago Reservoir catchment are being invited to take advantage of a free assessment of their septic tank, beginning this month. The Tarago Catchment Management Plan Committee is offering the septic condition assessment project to gather information on septic tanks in the Tarago catchment. Landowners who volunteer to take part will receive a free condition assessment of their septic system, including recommendations for any repair works that may be required. Craige Brown, acting chair of the Tarago Catchment Management Committee, said that participation in the project was voluntary. “The assessment is free and entirely voluntary, but we hope that landowners will use this opportunity to give their septic tank a health check.” Craige said that Melbourne Water was funding all the costs associated with the assessment, and had also committed to assist the landowner with funding any repairs. “Once armed with the results of the assessment, owners can decide if they want to apply to Melbourne Water for funding towards the cost of fixing any problems,” Craige said. “Exact details of the funding will be worked out on a case-by-case basis between Melbourne Water and the individual landowner. “We’ve had a great response from landowners on other partnership projects to help improve water quality in Tarago Reservoir, and we hope the septic tank project is just as successful.” Landowners who have septic systems are being notified of the offer by letter.
Proposed planning changes to improve the catchment
Baw Baw Shire Council and Melbourne Water are working together to improve the management of all land that forms the Tarago Reservoir water supply catchment through several planning scheme amendments. The proposed planning amendments will cover all properties in the townships of Neerim and Neerim Junction as well as all other land within the revised Tarago water supply catchment area. In addition, the amendment also proposes a preferred lot layout for land located at 2570 Main Neerim Road, Neerim. A planning permit application has also been lodged which proposes to subdivide part of this property. As the planning authority, Baw Baw Shire has prepared this amendment at the request of Melbourne Water who is responsible for the management of the Tarago Reservoir and the Tarago water supply catchment. You may inspect the amendment, its explanatory report, the planning permit application, maps and draft permit conditions at: • the offices of the Baw Baw Shire Council, 61 Smith Street, Warragul; Young Street, Drouin; and the Baw Baw Technology Centre, Princes Highway, Trafalgar. • Department of Planning and Community Development, Gippsland Regional Office, 71 Hotham Street, Traralgon • Department of Planning and Community Development, Planning Information Centre, Ground Floor, 8 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne. This can be done during office hours and is free of charge. Any person who may be affected by the amendment or by the granting of the permit may make a submission to the planning authority, Baw Baw Shire Council, PO Box 304, Warragul 3820. The closing date for submissions is Friday, 9 November 2007. If you would like more information, please contact the following: Planning Issues Richard Nicol-Smith Strategic Planner Baw Baw Shire 5624 2595 Water Quality Issues Melbourne Water 9235 7070
Community Information Session
Baw Baw Shire, together with Melbourne Water, will be available on Wednesday, October 17, between 6pm to 9pm at the Neerim Junction Public Hall, 2957 Main Neerim Road, Neerim Junction to provide more detail and answer individual questions. We invite you to come by at your convenience and discuss the changes proposed under Amendment C43 of the Baw Baw Shire Planning Scheme. No formal presentation will be made at this session; however, it will give landowners and other interested parties affected by the amendment, the opportunity to discuss their specific issues with members of the Baw Baw Shire Council and Melbourne Water.
Recent Tarago fox control program a success
The fox control program undertaken in June as a joint initiative between the Tarago Catchment Sustainable Farms Project and Melbourne Water has been a huge success. Justin Jemmeson from Melbourne Water said many foxes and several wild dogs were trapped in the Tarago Reservoir during the program. This follows the Department of Primary Industries program in May this year where foxes and wild dogs were also caught in similar numbers in an area of state forest within the Tarago catchment. “We carried out trapping because baiting was not an option in this instance,” Justin said. “Dogs and cats are not permitted on the land surrounding the reservoir but we took the precaution of notifying local landholders beforehand asking them to restrain domestic pets from entering the trapping area,” he said. The program was undertaken in the Tarago Reservoir after adjoining residents noticed foxes were becoming an increasing problem in the area. Tarago Catchment Sustainable Farms Project Officer Nicole Kimm said the Tarago Catchment Sustainable Farms project had a strong focus on providing advice and support for landowners. “We have the opportunity to involve all land managers in the catchment in pest plant and animal control including Melbourne Water and the DPI,” she said. “With our integrated approach we are likely to have more success than a landholder doing it alone.” The Tarago Catchment Sustainable Farms Project is now taking funding applications for 2007. For more information or for an expression of interest form please contact Nicole Kimm on 5624 2506.
Tarago Catchment Sustainable Farms Winter Farm Management Field Day
The Tarago Catchment Sustainable Farms project is in full swing. There are currently 10 projects approved for 2007/08 and there is room for more interested people to be involved. Nicole Kimm from the Sustainable Farms project said it was a great opportunity for landholders within the Tarago catchment to access support provided for improvements to their property. Landholders should contact Nicole to find out what can be funded. The Winter Farm Management Field Day was held on August 24 at the Neerim South Scout and Guide Hall and at the property of Darren Greenland. John Gallienne was the guest speaker for the day and presented a very informative range of information on managing farm issues that occur in wintertime. John said the use of management strategies such as on-off grazing could help reduce the severity of damage and loss of production when grazing waterlogged soils over the winter-spring period. “On-off grazing is when stock only graze waterlogged pastures for part of the day before being moved to another area. This approach can be very effective in reducing pugging damage and subsequent loss of pasture regrowth. “Other strategies to reduce pasture damage include timings of grazing, allocating day and night feeds separately on a dairy farm, separating day/night feeds with back fences, graze blocks rather than strips, placement of hay and back fencing as often as possible” he said. For further information please call Nicole Kimm on 5624 2506.
Field day participants look at the structure and feel of a variety of soil types.
John Gallienne describes the different pasture types within the one paddock.
Tarago Dung Beetle Project
The Tarago Dung Beetle Project has begun with the next step of ordering dung beetle colonies for this spring. For every hundred head of cattle, there is a potential loss of 387 kg of nitrogen and 108 kg of phosphorous a year. These figures represent the nutrient loss that occurs from unburied dung. Dung burial allows these nutrients to be incorporated into the soil at the plant-root zone, where microbial activity makes them readily available to plants. Dung fouls pastures obstructing plant growth and promotes rank unpalatable growth around the edges of dung pats. Burying dung also assists in controlling pest species such as flies that live, breed and feed in the dung. The digging activity of tunnelling dung beetles results in the aeration of soil and improved water penetration. Dung burial also reduces the quantity of nutrients and other organic matter from entering our waterways.