Campaspe River landowners have labelled a Coliban Water community meeting held via zoom last week a “sham”.
The meeting was advertised as being held to discuss a proposed Environment Protection Authority licence amendment in relation to discharges of wastewater from the Kyneton Water Reclamation Plant to the river, but participants were not given any detail of what was proposed.
Currently Coliban Water has a licence that allows it to discharge excess wastewater from the plant to the river at a dilution ratio of 1:5, but the waterflow is measured at Redesdale – almost 50 kilometres downstream from the discharge point.
After two years of negotiations with affected landowners calling for the waterflow to be measured at Kyneton, Coliban Water agreed to do so but admitted a reduced dilution ratio would be required in order for it to meet the licence requirements.
Local landowner Sallyanne Craig said Coliban Water’s refusal to disclose any facts about the licence application precluded the meeting from being considered a consultation or discussion.
“The EPA has given Coliban Water March as the deadline to begin accurate river flow measurements at point of dumping,” Ms Craig said.
“So they are attempting to fast-track their amendment application – the one they refuse to provide any facts/correspondence about – seeking a chronic poisoning that will keep them out of court but will continue harming the river.
“It’s a little river, with absolutely no capacity to do what is being required of it as a wastewater dump.
“Coliban Water must be pressured to drag their thinking into the present future. The public nuisance that is occurring downstream due to their inaction is wiping millions off livelihoods.”
When asked for an estimated timeframe for when the details of the EPA licence amendment would be made known, Coliban Water offered the Express the following statement:
“We thank the Kyneton community for participating in the community meeting on Tuesday evening. Participants will receive our ‘next steps’ plan, which outlines the upcoming process, by Christmas.”
The Express hopes to be able to report the detail of the licence amendment in the new year.
