Skip to main content

Alpine Observer - Myrtleford Times 280623

Page 1

ng LY ur ni Yo Win EK d- WE ar w

A AL C LO

THE ALPINE

BRIGHT - POREPUNKAH - MT BEAUTY - TAWONGA - TAWONGA SOUTH Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Phone: (03) 5752 1058

www.alpineobserver.com.au

$1.50 (inc.GST)

BACK ON THE SLOPES ON Saturday Hotham started spinning the Village and Heavenly Valley Quad chairs for the first time this season. Hotham had 5cm of snow on Friday night and six lifts were open as of Monday morning. “The Mountain Operations Team have been working hard to make this happen – just in time for school holidays,” marketing manager at Mount Hotham Ski Lifts Emily Smith said. “Heavenly Valley is such great terrain and a fanfavourite, so we are thrilled to be welcoming Hotham guests back to shred for the year.” PHOTO: Mount Hotham Skiing Company

Page 2

DISABILITY HUB OPENS

Page 3

BUMBLEBEE FOR MND

Embankment endorsed Water W t b board d endorses d E Embankment b k tD Drive i ffor water t offtake, fft k , agrees g tto explore pl alternatives lt ti

NORTH East Water’s board has endorsed Embankment Drive (site 2) as the preferred location to build a new raw water offtake in Mount Beauty following more than two years of community engagement and investigations. While Site 2 was confirmed, the board agreed to exploring alternatives to the weir which may provide more flexibility for the pump station building to potentially be moved to a less intrusive location on the other side of Embankment Drive closer to the pondage. The board’s decision follows an independent review established to provide North East Water (NE Water) with assurance that due diligence was being

thoroughly undertaken in the decision-making process prior to committing to a location for the infrastructure. The independent project assurance review, completed by engineering firm SMEC, reviewed North East Water’s technical assessments and projected costs for two sites - Embankment Drive (site 2) and Tailrace (site 9 multiple options). These were the two sites shortlisted by the Community and Key Stakeholder Reference group in 2022. According to NE Water, the review concluded Embankment Drive provides greater water security for the Mount Beauty community, is a lower bushfire risk, has better operability and

constructability and is of lower cost. SMEC determined that adequate information was provided to perform the comprehensive review and that a reasonable process was followed to identify and shortlist site options. The review, however, suggested that the assessment of Site 2 does not currently demonstrate that a weir is an essential element of the scope for Site 2. An alternative pump station building site could be considered on the other side of Embankment Drive further from the river, if a weir was not required. A review of the site constraints and hydraulics would be required to determine if these alternatives are feasible.

NE Water managing director, Jo Murdoch, welcomed the findings from the assurance review and the board’s decision. “It’s been a long journey to this point and I would like to thank the community for providing ongoing feedback to North East Water,” Ms Murdoch said. “We have listened to the community and do understand that Embankment Drive is a highly valued social and recreational space – especially the river. “I’m pleased that the next steps will investigate the feasibility of options without the weir which might provide more flexibility for the location of the pump station further away from the river.” Ms Murdoch welcomed ongoing

WŚŽŶĞ ĨŽƌ ĂŶ ĂƉƉŽŝŶƚŵĞŶƚ͕ ĐĂůů ŝŶ ƚŽ ŽƵƌ DLJƌƚůĞĨŽƌĚ ŽĸĐĞ Žƌ ǀŝƐŝƚ ŽƵƌ ǁĞďƐŝƚĞ ĨŽƌ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ ŽŶ ƉƌĞͲƉůĂŶŶŝŶŐ LJŽƵƌ ĨƵŶĞƌĂů ĂƌƌĂŶŐĞŵĞŶƚƐ ĂŶĚ ĨƵŶĞƌĂů ďŽŶĚƐ͘

Quality local meat delivered to your door! We are now serving Bright & surrounds with home and business delivery. Orders must be in by 12 noon day prior to delivery. Payment made over the phone before delivery. Delivery fee applies.

5751 5663

Open Mon-Fri 7am-5.30pm & Sat 7am - 12 noon 59B Clyde St Myrtleford

CALL THE SHOP ON 035751 5663 TO PLACE AN ORDER, OR IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. All our meat is supplied locally. Beef supplied by local farmers in Whourouly.

community involvement in the project as it progresses throughout 2023. Acting chair of NE Water, Stephen Brown, said he was pleased the Board could make an informed decision, supported by an independent assurance review, on the preferred site of Embankment Drive. NE Water is now aiming to construct the new infrastructure in 2024, with the next stage of the project to include obtaining required approvals. According to NE Water, a temporary emergency raw water pipeline system for Mount Beauty can be rapidly established as a contingency should the town’s existing raw water line fail.

166 Myrtle Street, Myrtleford

03 5752 2995

Jayson Hall

ǁǁǁ͘ĐŽŶǁĂLJĨƵŶĞƌĂůŚŽŵĞ͘ĐŽŵ͘ĂƵ


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook