Water licence will stay

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
SOUTHERN Rural Water is unlikely to review a licence given to a water bottling facility in Don Valley because they have no evidence of environmental damage.
But Don Road residents believe, with the expansion of the plant, that extracting the allowed amount of 62 million litres of water annually will affect the Don River in the long term.
SRW manager of groundwater and rivers Craig Parker said the Seamore licence is due to be renewed in 2013.
“Southern Rural Water can, and does, impose restrictions on pumping if we have evidence of any detrimental impacts to the environment or other surrounding licence holders,” he said.
“We monitor the Seamore licence on a regular basis. At the moment, we have no evidence of environmental damage.”
An application to re-start the water bottling plant was accepted by VCAT this month, with operators Seamore Pty Ltd wanting to remove water from the facility by the tanker-load rather than the previous method of pre-packaged bottles.
There were 73 objections by local residents and more than 30 residents attended a community consultation meeting to discuss their concerns.
Don Valley residents are concerned with the size and number of truck movements along Don Road, pedestrian safety, and the environmental impact of removing water that could impact the Don River.
Residents and Yarra Ranges Council were astounded that the tribunal member hearing the case didn’t seem to care about their concerns.
Don Road resident Elizabeth Jacka, who has been involved in appealing on tribunals since 1966, said she had “never experienced anything like this” VCAT hearing.
“(The adjudicator) said my submission would have to beat all records for the length for such a minor matter, and then he wouldn’t let me go through the issues on the river and I was cut off,” she said.
Ms Jacka said council wanted to limit the trucks to rigid-body tankers, but said the adjudicator told them he didn’t think 16 movements a day in an 18-metre long tanker would be a problem.
O’Shannassey Ward councillor Chris Templer said a significant amount of time was invested by everyone involved in mounting a very strong argument against the facility.
“I share the community’s disappointment with the way the decision was handed down without due consideration of the residents’ concerns,” he said.
“The fact that the community and council’s submissions have been overlooked is a real blow.”
At the pre-VCAT council meeting in July, Cr Templer said they would “push Southern Rural Water for a licence review until we get it”.
He said council would also be requesting that VicRoads immediately undertake a Road Safety Audit of Don Road.
VicRoads did not respond to the Mail’s questions before deadline.