Dear Mrs Irwin

I refer to your letters of 17 March 2008 to the Hon Penny Wong concerning petitions regarding Green, Dock and Natimuk Lakes. The Minister has passed your letters to me for reply. I apologise for the delay in replying.

Under the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline project agreement with the Victorian Government up to 3,000 megalitres per year of water savings are to be allocated for recreational lake use. The allocation of this water to the recreational lakes and weir pools in the region is the responsibility of the Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water Authority (GWM). The allocation of water to the lakes has been the subject of ongoing community consultation by GWM.

GWM have provided advice that in consultation with the Reservoirs Review Stakeholder Working Group they are undertaking further investigation and modelling in relation to operating scenarios for Dock and Green Lakes.

In relation to Natimuk Lake, GWM announced in May 2008 that it would not be supplying water as supplementary water supplies are not practical. However, the decommissioning of water supply channels in the Natimuk Lake catchment will aim to maximise the return of storm water run-off to the catchment.

from the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Mr Garrett, to a petition presented on 17 March by The Speaker (from 3754 citizens)