Hi Everyone,
I think the combination of school holidays with four young children and this whole lake mitigation stuff has overloaded my brain. There’s so much I’m trying to get my head around with such little time to get my head around it (the lovely children DO NOT STOP TALKING or annihilating my poor mother’s house).
I had a mini crisis about what my role is here because the last thing I want to do is get in the road of discussions between our local flood mitigation group or the wonderful work other people are doing to get some action at Lake Eppalock, but my sage mother just told me to stick to my values and stay the course so that is what I’ll do. I figure it doesn’t hurt to have people hitting this from all angles and I am not limited in what I share because I report to no one (I tell myself, while cutting the crusts off my two-year-old’s plain butter sandwich). Mum did also ask if I would please stop referring to myself as a wanker so I’ll endeavour to do that.
I’ve had further discussions with a representative from Minister Jaclyn Symes office, as well as the Director of Water Resource Information and Modelling, who makes recommendations to Minister Harriet Shing. I should also note that my contact at Jaclyn Symes office has been assisted to answer my questions by Minister Shing’s staff, who despite their lack of communication are also listening and trying to help, and I do feel confident we are now being listened to and considered in ways we weren’t before our community started pushing so hard for change. This is in large part due to the work of our Flood Mitigation Group and tireless Community Page admins, as well as all of you amazing people who have shared social media posts or contacted representatives/authorities directly.
Interestingly, it has been noticed up the line that this is a very community-led push for action, rather than from our representatives. I think this speaks to how strong and united our community is, as well as our desperation for change. We will step respectfully in front of those who are not willing or able to help us.
Jesse, Director of Water Resource Information and Modelling, was really informative in how the management of water releases takes place. Obviously, while I’ll share what I know here, the information he told me needs to get out to the wider community through more official channels. My typed shorthand may be regurgitated less than clearly, and my brain is a bit of a sieve right now.
An interactive information session with GMW is in the pipeline and though it’s coming too late, it will provide an opportunity for community members to have their questions answered, as well as hopefully provide information you might find reassuring. Fingers crossed such a session will be announced in the coming days.
So, the information I have wanted has primarily been around the following questions:
Who can give the instruction to release more water during wet periods when the lake is nearing full capacity? (Since GMW seem unable to do so until it’s too late.)
What is stopping that person/office from doing it?
What is the downside to creating airspace in Lake Eppalock?
What is the genuine chance of water being released in the short term? (Do we have a fighting chance here?)
Jesse, I’m not sure if you are reading this but if I butcher these answers significantly, please get in touch and I will amend them.
But in layman’s terms this is how I understand it:
- Who can give the instruction to release more water?
GMW is bound by a part of legislation known as ‘bulk entitlements’. A bulk entitlement is a legal right to take and use water granted under the Water Act 1989. Under that bulk entitlement there is a set of rules from which GMW take their instructions, which currently restricts them from releasing more water unless a significant spill is predicted. As I understand it, the Minister for Water, Harriet Shing, does have executive power to amend bulk entitlements, however this would ordinarily need to be done through an engagement process with potentially impacted water users.
So basically, GMW cannot make the call, but Minister Shing, if given the recommendation to do so could. - Okay. Right. Why aren’t they doing it?
The primary purpose of Lake Eppalock is for water harvesting, not flood mitigation. Jesse was quick to point out that he is sympathetic to the argument of needing the right balance. That is certainly what we are arguing for. Nobody here wants to drain the lake dry, we are country people, we know the impact of drought and we know how important water is. But placing water harvesting, during wet times, above the wellbeing and safety of entire communities needs reconsidering. Quickly, if possible.
Back to the answer.
As it stands, in order to change the current position held by those managing our water, there would need to be sufficient data to indicate our community would benefit from further releases. Apparently current modelling does not support this. Yes, I would like to see the modelling, and yes, this is where I hope I made our stance very clear.
Our community needs two things right now. Physical airspace in Eppalock to give us some breathing room for future downfalls. And, physical airspace in Eppalock to give us some breathing room in our heads.
I hope I adequately shared with Jesse the distress and anxiety that is consuming our community at so many different levels.
A catastrophic rain event like the one in October might not be stopped by pre-releases (we need engineering and further regulatory changes for that) but a moderate rain event would surely be assisted by pre-releases of water. Again, it would be interesting to see actual modelling. And I would again say, if you cannot be sure pre-releases won’t help, we deserve the chance to try.
The welfare, and mental and physical safety, of a traumatised community must weigh heavily on the side of pre-releasing water, even if the current modelling doesn’t support it, because unfortunately, data and modelling hasn’t served us well until this point.
- What is the downside to creating airspace in Lake Eppalock?
It’s back to the water harvesting. We all know water is a precious commodity. The current framework/legislation/policy (I don’t know the right word) stipulates that water releases should only be made if its quite certain that water can be re-harvested through later inflows. Basically, they want to know that any water released will be topped back up. I’m not sure how one figures that out, since none of us know what the weather gods will do, but I suppose they look to BOM’s long term forecast, which currently suggests we’re heading for El Nino conditions.
Again, I would argue, the trade off for releasing some water, outweighs the need for water harvesting that will quite possibly be recouped anyway.
- What is the genuine chance of having some water released?
Well, we keep pushing. We have the Office of Minister Symes and the Office of Harriet Shing, along with other key decision makers, paying attention and considering the best course of action. I urge them to not only consider the structural and physical needs of our community, but also the emotional well-being of our community.
Media are sharing our story. We are making our voices and stories heard and the right people are listening. You are so strong and brave.
I need to go and feed my neglected children some dinner so I’ll leave it there. I hope that information is helpful and accurate as it stands right now. Things can change and I hope they do, but for now it’s something to work with because knowledge is power.
One last thing I would like to say is that I truly believe we are more effective when we raise our words, not our volume. I have a good sense of how worried, distressed, and agitated you feel. I am out of my home too. My brothers, my in-laws, my colleagues, my neighbours, my closest friends – all had their houses and businesses annihilated in October’s floods. My grandpa died after moving from the local hostel to a hospital out of town. My husband’s grandmother will never return to her home. I see destruction and frustration and anxiety everywhere. But I will hold hope in my hands as gently as I can muster and I will use it to fuel action as much as I can. We are never without hope. Find it in a loved one, find it in a pet, find it in your community, find it in yourself. You are needed here.
So much love to you all, as always,
Eliza.
podgy hodgy 