By Kath Gannaway
IAN Martin says Powelltown residents may have lost the VCAT battle to stop the removal of underground water supplies for bottled water… but they haven’t lost the war.
Mr Martin, chairman of the Powelltown Residents’ Water Association, said the association will now look to licensing arrangements to stop Sunkoshi Pty Ltd from taking water from a privately owned property at 1590 Little Yarra Road in Powelltown.
Sunkoshi has a licence from Southern Rural Water Authority, the responsible water authority, to extract 150 megalitres of water annually.
Mr Martin said while they were disappointed with the VCAT decision they acknowledged it was made on planning grounds which had already been ratified in an earlier VCAT decision.
Mr Martin claimed, however, that the licence granted to Sunkoshi is in conflict with what the original licence intended.
“The licence stipulates it (the removal of water) is not allowed to have an impact on surface water and that they are not allowed to bore within 200 metres of wetlands,” he said.
“The hydrology report says it will, in fact, have a 10 per cent impact on Learmonth Creek.
“We will be discussing the licensing issues with the Minister (for Environment) and our local member. “It’s not the end of it as far as I am concerned,” he said.
Mr Martin said Powelltown’s fight to save its water was also attracting wider media attention in the light of the drought and widespread and more severe water restrictions.
Powelltown’s plight was highlighted in an Age article, he said, and he had been contacted by 3AW to talk about the issue.
“It’s being seen as a bit of a slap in the face that residents here and in other places are on water restrictions and they are still letting this sort of thing go ahead,” Mr Martin said.
“There are people who really need their water and are not able to get it while this type of company can buy it for next to nothing and make millions out of it.”
The Shire of Yarra Ranges also waged a case at VCAT against the granting of the permit.
James Lamour-Reid, the shire’s Director Planning, Building and Health, said the shire was disappointed with the decision.
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