By PAUL MILLAR
CONTINGENCY plans for the Anglesea River after Alcoa stops pumping water into it in April have yet to be determined.
Alcoa has committed to continue pumping four megalitres of groundwater daily throughout summer at the request of State Government despite the company closing its Anglesea coal mine and power station last week.
“The only thing we have been asked to do is keep it running through the summer and that’s what we’ll do,” an Alcoa spokesperson said.
Water Minister Lisa Neville said the Government would hear community opinions before making a decision on the river’s future.
The Government wanted to meet the community needs “for years to come… and not pre-empt that process,” she said.
“We’ve also given a commitment to undertake technical work to better understand the Anglesea River system, which will provide clarity around the implications of different options for the system. The characteristics of the river are determined by a number of factors, including water coming in from the ocean, rainfall and inflows from the catchment and pumped-in flows.
“Better understanding of these factors over coming months will ensure the right decision is made for the future.”
Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, established to protect water resources, fell in line with Ms Neville’s response and declined to comment further on the river.
