What has South Gippsland Water applied to do?
South Gippsland Water has applied for a bulk entitlement amendment to allow it to extract up to 1.8 billion litres of water from the Powlett River near Wonthaggi each year. South Gippsland Water will only take from the river during the months of June to November inclusive when flows are high. Changes to our climate and increasing demand for water are putting pressure on water supplies to Wonthaggi, Inverloch and Cape Patterson. These towns were placed on Stage 4 water restrictions for seven months in 2007. In recent years South Gippsland Water has increased the area’s water supply by taking water from the Powlett River under a licence issued periodically by Southern Rural Water. The water taken is pumped up to Lance Creek Reservoir, a large storage in the upper reaches of the Powlett catchment, and then supplied to urban customers. By formalising this arrangement in its bulk water entitlement, South Gippsland Water is ensured access to this water every year and there will be less risk
