Study helps 'water down' community concerns

Formed by the Yarrawonga weir on the Murray River, Lake Mulwala is unusual in that it remains at a near constant level and is used for water supply and as a recreational and 'lifestyle' amenity for the rapidly developing Victorian town of Yarrawonga, as well as feeding irrigation on both the NSW and Victorian sides of the border.

The Water for a Healthy Country Flagship Water Benefits Accounting and Assessment (WBAA) Lake Mulwala Case Study was undertaken to better understand the benefits that water has for communities, to reflect these benefits in communities' decisions about water management, and to further develop methodological approaches to understand and account for the range of water benefits for all communities.

The Lake Mulwala area was chosen on the basis of the complexity of and conflict about use of the lake. Over 3000 people (the majority of the town) attended a meeting about the future of the lake, demonstrating the importance of and concern felt about the region's future.

According to the researchers, a positive finding was the agreed focus amongst residents and lake users, on both sides of the border, on issues of environmental improvement.

"The overwhelming problem for most of our survey respondents is how to balance development while maintaining the quiet country atmosphere that attracted people here in the first place," says CSIRO's Dr Geoff Syme.

A familiar and difficult issue is access to the lake foreshore. The survey pinpointed the need for greater clarity and consistency about permissible activities on the lake and the foreshore, and resolution of competing demands for land and access.

"Long term residents, local farmers and visitors have all developed a high level of commitment and a strong personal connection with Lake Mulwala," says Dr Syme. "Not surprisingly, foreshore residents feel they have some ownership rights, but there's general agreement that growth, including tourism, is going to happen, and the community needs to be prepared for the inevitable."

Dr Syme stated the survey also showed that indigenous people felt excluded and disenfranchised from decision making, and the entire community expressed concern about upstream activities, whether in Victoria or NSW, and their effects on river health.

"People clearly want to get a better understanding of the health of the lake, and the effects of what happens there on downstream communities and the environment," he says.

The study, officially launched in July 2006 by Ken Jasper MLA, Member for Murray Valley, was supported by Goulburn-Murray Water, River Murray Water and the Community Reference Group (CRG) tasked with building confidence in the Management Plan developed to guide future management of the Lake.

The case study provides the CRG, local communities and local water managers with some clear direction for priorities in implementation on the Lake Mulwala Land and on-Water Management Plan – highlighting what should be done now and in the long term to ensure that implementation derives maximum benefits for the community and the environment.

The study has also provided Water for Healthy Country researchers with a test of the Water Benefits approach in a complex and conflictual setting.

More information:
Water Benefits Accounting and Assessment : Lake Mulwala Case Study. By McIntyre, W., Tucker, D., Green, M., Syme, G., Bates, L., Porter, N. and Nancarrow, B. Water for a Healthy Country National Research Flagship. June 2006

Contact: Dr Geoff Syme: 08 9333 6278 Geoff.Syme@csiro.au
 

Update Home

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Study helps 'water down' community concerns

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