Advisory Committee
Sugarloaf Interconnector Pipeline Project 18th March, 2008
Via email michael.crossman@dpcd.vic.gov.au
Dear Ms Mitchell,
I write to express our grave concerns with the Sugarloaf Interconnector Pipeline project.
It appears that this project is being pushed through with a great deal of hast rather than a proper and full examination of its impacts. For example the Project Impact Assessment report is very clear that much of the corridor has not yet been subject to a field inspection with much of the report instead depending on desk top surveys.
Even so the flora and fauna report spells out that project will “require the removal of large areas of remnant native vegetation of at least high conservation significance” (Flora & Fauna Assessment pg22) and further notes that the full extant of such clearing cannot yet be determined.
It is also clear that there will be impacts “on threatened flora and fauna species (including at least two EPBC listed species, nine FFG listed species and 25 DSE listed species)” (Flora & Fauna Assessment pg22).
Without being able to examine the Environmental Management Plan, Offset Management Plan or other mitigating plans which will be offered to reduce the level of environmental damage, we are only able to express our grave concerns at the loss of highly significant flora and fauna.
Victoria has already 30% of our native animals and 44% of our native plants threatened or extinct with 99% of our native grasslands cleared along with 95% of our privately owned land.
This additional level of damage from a 20m to 30m wide disturbance corridor some 70Km long on waterways, flora and fauna cannot be mitigated by rehabilitation and offset planting given the long term nature of the disturbance. The preferred choice is to avoid environmental impacts all together.
To that end, we are also greatly concerned with the downstream environmental impacts of water take-off from the Goulbourn River. Modernising the irrigation infrastructure of the Goulburn-Marry Irrigation District is very commendable however the water saving should then be fully utilized between the irrigators and replenishing rivers like the Goulburn, Campaspe and Loddon.
Melbourne has a number of other water utilization and efficiencies methodologies which could be implemented instead of siphoning this precious resource from the Goulburn.
We would appreciate being able to further clarify this submission to the Advisory committee at the public hearings.
Regards
Louis Delacretaz
Convenor
Country Greens Network
0407 300 188, ldg@softbyte.com.au