BY ANN MARIE ANGEBRANDT
LOCAL environmentalists are cautiously optimistic about the State Government’s plan to flush the Werribee River with six billion litres of water.
The announcement was made last week as part of a project to add an extra 20 billion litres to the Yarra River to improve its health.
The water will be taken from drinking and irrigation supplies, stored, then added to river systems at various times of the year.
Alex Smart, president of the Werribee River Association, said he was anxious to see the details of how and when it would be added.
“This represents a tremendous turnaround but we’ll have to wait and see how effective it will be,” he said.
“I believe the amount they’re talking about is small, but it’s better than nothing.”
Flushing the Werribee River with an amount that would stimulate early spring or late winter flows would get the river back into shape, he said.
Mr Smart said floods in February last year helped rejuvenate the river immediately.
“It would only need to be refreshed with a few good flows for it to be helpful,” he said.
Joe Natoli of the Western Region Environment Centre said the announcement was a realisation of an urgent need for extra flows to the river.
But the project should be accompanied by government programs to encourage water-saving through recycling, conservation and community education, he added.
