A Drop In The Lake, A Deluge In The City

THE SUNDAY AGE

Saturday April 8, 1995

Suzanne Brown

LAKE EILDON has reached its lowest level in more than a decade, more than 20 metres below capacity. At Bonnie Doon, one of the worst- affected areas, the lake bed is an exposed patchwork of cracked earth marked with large pools of knee-deep mud. Residents are obliged to drink bottled water because of the deteriorating quality of the town supply.

Despite heavy rain last week, the lake's level is continuing to fall. The superintendent of Goulburn-Murray Water said: ``We've had about 28 millimetres of rain in the last 48 hours but it hasn't made any difference." He said the rain had not fallen in the irrigation district that relied on Lake Eildon.

The water shortage is also heightening tensions between irrigation farmers and the local tourism industry. Farmers say they are trapped in a major drought and have warned that Eildon may not fill in time for the next irrigation season, beginning in August.

Tourist operators have accused water authorities of placing traditional irrigation customers ahead of their clients' interest.

Originally built for irrigation, Lake Eildon has become a lucrative tourist destination at Easter the population grows from about 800 to 8000 when people flock to hire houseboats, waterski and fish. The Shire of Murrindindi estimates that 400,000 people a year visit Eildon.

Although water levels are down, many people are still houseboating and waterskiing on the main body of the lake near the Eildon boat- harbor. Some caravan parks and houseboat-hire businesses are booked out for Easter, others have only one-fifth of their usual bookings for this time of the year, depending on their lakeside location.

The chairman of the Victorian Farmers Federation water resources committee, Mr Max Fehring, said the state was experiencing a major drought and Eildon was particlarly vulnerable.

``The boat owners have little to complain about . . . I think that people's needs and other needs of the state are greater than theirs at this point in time."

The manager of the Lakeside Leisure Resort in Bonnie Doon, Mr Greg Smith, said that because of high rainfall in the previous four years there had been little demand for water from farmers. He said Goulburn- Murray Water was using sales during the drought to bolster its revenues.

``I think it's quite scandalous, actually, that Goulburn-Murray Water can pull out over 50 per cent of the water in one irrigation season," Mr Smith said.

``What happens next year if we don't have a good winter rain? There has been no real conserving."

Goulburn-Murray Water's production manager, Mr Gary Smith, said: ``Where we have any flexibility we do take into account recreation wherever we can," he said. ``But the prime purpose of Eildon is that it was built for water supply in the Goulburn Valley and beyond. The reality is obvious: I mean those water users (irrigators) are the ones who are funding the lion's share of the operation and maintenance of Eildon.

``Now, if the tourist operators believe that is inappropriate or that there should be some changes, that's really something they would need to bring forward."

© 1995 THE SUNDAY AGE

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