Surf Coast Times
Tuesday 4 May 2010
VOL 8. No 18
www.surfcoasttimes.com.au
FREE WEEKL WEEKLY
Enjoying the fun of the fair at the annual Bellbrae Primary School Mayfair on Sunday were Ruby and Charlotte. The fair again drew families from throughout the region, who enjoyed rides, face painting, raffles, silent auctions and live entertainment. See more PETER MARSHALL photos from the Mayfair on Page 10.
TALK TO US Council to engage with community on RACV stormwater proposal before any decision will be made
BY NATHAN HALE
SURF Coast Shire Council is set to undertake one of its biggest community consultation processes over the coming weeks. Following last week’s council meeting decision to reject an officer’s recommendation to support the RACV request to harvest stormwater from Jan Juc Creek, councillors will embark on unprecedented community consultation. In proposing an alternative motion, councillor Rose Hodge said the shire simply could not support the recommendation without first talking to the community. Hodge’s views were overwhelmingly supported by fellow councillors, who underlined the importance of listening to the community – and
gaining more information on the subject – before making a decision. The amended motion – which was passed unanimously – will see the stormwater harvesting proposal undergo a rigorous six-week community consultation process. As part of its course and facility improvements for the Torquay Golf C lub, RACV submitted a proposal to council to harvest stormwater from the shire’s drainage pipes by way of constructing diversion pipes in Jan Juc Creek Reserve. The proposed works included the harvesting of 100 megalitres of water per year – which is 47 per cent of the total urban catchment run-off in an average rainfall year. RACV planned to intercept the water from drains that discharge into the creek and use it for course irrigation.
The water would be stored in a number of on- and off-site storages, including a proposed large dam/ wetland to be located adjacent to Jan Juc Creek. A report by Alluvium Consultants – commissioned by the RACV – outlined that the harvesting of stormwater would not have a negative environmental impact and could actually improve the environmental qualities of the creek. These findings were questioned by council’s environmental and community safety department – and councillors – as well as community group, Friends of Jan Juc Creek Reserve. “We have an obligation to the community… we need to be open and transparent in our decision making process,” Hodge said. “We need to ensure the community is engaged in this very complicated process. And we need to
look at having weekend meetings and evening consultation meetings so everyone can attend.” Councillors admitted the amount of detail involved in the proposal was daunting, and that the community had not been informed sufficiently. The Surf Coast Times has found that before the development of Ocean Views Estate, 50 per cent less stormwater ran through the creek. Friends of Jan Juc Creek Reserve welcomed the decision by council, but remain opposed to any stormwater being harvested from the creek. “We started this group in 2007 to enhance and preserve the creek and the reserve – and it makes it difficult to do that when water is not entering the creek,” said the group’s Octavia Chabrier. “How can it be good for a creek that hardly has any water in it to divert stormwater away from it?”