Estuary closed to avoid a stink Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au
Now open: At the opening of the new Somerville Fruitgrowers Reserve pavilion are, from left, Mitch Bodley, Peter Alp, Peter Young, Alicia Fraser, Kirra Avis, Harry Rhodes, Carl Cowie, Pete Mantell, Lynn Bowden and Graham Pittock.
New pavilion a win for sports clubs MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire mayor Graham Pittock and Cr Lynn Bowden were joined by members of Somerville junior football and Somerville cricket clubs at the opening of the new Fruitgrowers Pavilion in Somerville. Cr Pittock said building the $1.5 million pavilion was part of the shire's $49 million pavilion strategy. "The shire is committed to ensuring our facilities are compliant and fit-forpurpose, and help our residents and visitors to be more active and to get out and enjoy what the peninsula has
to offer," he said. Cr Bowden said the building tripled the size of the former facilities at Fruitgrowers Reserve. She said Somerville Junior Football Club contributed $15,000 for the kitchen “with an addition $10,000 to come”. “As a physical education teacher, I strongly believe that sport is the cornerstone of our community, so to see the development of a quality facility like the Fruitg rowers Pavilion makes me pretty happy,” Somerville Cricket Club president Peter Alp said.
“Even happier are the 55 boys and girls - supported by family and friends - who are participating in the cricket program on Friday nights." Pete Mantell, Somerville Junior Football Club president, saw the pavilion as “a monumental leap forward for junior sport within our community”. "This wonderful facility will not only serve our current crop of players in the finest of fashion, it will serve future generations of Somerville players and their families for many decades to come," he said.
ROTTEN egg gas – or sulphur dioxide – is described as being the by-product of an “environmental tragedy” occurring along Western Port beaches, especially at Balnarring and Somers’. Merricks Creek and Estuary Working Group members have discussed solutions to the stink and agreed to the estuary being temporarily closed. The group was formed to provide community input into an independent study to investigate whether there is a practicable option to controlling the pong. Melbourne Water’s Georgina Downey has told the group that the objective is to find a permanent solution to the problem. “While the construction of a sand groyne will help in the short-term, the group is still developing a long-term solution that will allow the estuary to open and close naturally,” she stated in a newsletter. “[Consultants] Alluvium was appointed by Melbourne Water to undertake an independent study into the reasons for the odour and to come up with possible solutions. “The main finding was that the persistent odour experienced at the estuary is due to hydrogen sulphide or ‘rotten egg’ gas caused by the breakdown of the large amount of seagrass which has accumulated in the estuary.
“They found that because the estuary is permanently open, seagrass on the beach is carried up the estuary and deposited there. “The working group agreed that the estuary be temporarily closed to mimic the natural closing of the estuary and prevent any more seagrass entering the estuary prior to the completion of a longer term solution by the end of autumn next year.” A sand groyne will be used to close the estuary, but the estuary will be reopened “if necessary”. Triggers for reopening the estuary include higher than normal levels of “rotten egg” gas, poor water quality, if high water levels threaten local flooding, and if the smell of decomposing seagrass “becomes unbearable”. “The shire will liaise with the Merricks Estuary Watch group and the community to monitor the site. They will gauge how the estuary responds to the mouth closure, and if there is any deterioration in conditions, and will look to reopen the estuary if necessary,” Ms Downey said. Balnarring Ratepayers’ Association is concerned that gas concentrations in Merricks Creek are increasing because “over 200 percent of its catchment is being taken by the uncontrolled growth of large dams by wineries”, a member said. “This lack of catchment flow has resulted in huge amounts of seaweed being pushed up Merricks Creek.”
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Western Port News 24 November 2015
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