World water week shock: Melbourne’s water logged illegally
by The Central Highlands Alliance Tuesday August 22, 2006 at 12:33 PM
lozza@riseup.net/sarah@tcha.org.au

World Water Week has commenced with the shocking discovery of illegal logging in Melbourne’s most important water supply catchment.

The Central Highlands Alliance Inc
22nd August
World water week shock: Melbourne’s water logged illegally

World Water Week has commenced with the shocking discovery of illegal logging in Melbourne’s most important water supply catchment.

Spokesperson Sarah Rees said; “As the state’s dams run dry and the Bracks government is within weeks of announcing water restrictions, the discovery of illegal logging in the Thomson catchment is unforgivable.”

Over the weekend, environment groups made the discovery between Melbourne’s two most important water catchments, the Upper Yarra and the Thomson, where logging has ripped the heart out of Melbourne’s water and violated a law designed to protect water levels and water quality.

“The Thomson River is a declared special water supply catchment,” President of Lawyers for Forests Inc Vanessa Bleyer said.

“As a result, logging is banned from May to December every year. The discovered logging has occurred in the catchment during the prohibited period and is a breach of the law.”

“Prosecutions must follow. It is outrageous that Melbourne’s citizens face fines if they enter catchments and yet the government is allowing unlawful logging to take place without penalty.”

Melbourne Doctor and Co-ordinator of Doctors for Native Forests Inc, Dr Suresh Pathy said,“Clean water across the world is the basis of human health, bacterial contamination is a serious risk posed by industrial logging in catchments and must be prevented.”

Logging is forbidden during the wettest months to reduce the risk of dirty water and contamination, because the sediment caused by logging reduces the effectiveness of chlorination allowing waterborne diseases to thrive, such as Giardia.

The Central Highlands Alliance are sourcing logging coupe plans as the coupe does not appear on any maps, additionally rendering the logging unauthorised.

“PaperlinX who produce reflex copy paper take most of the wood from our precious water catchments. It’s pressure form PaperlinX which has caused successive Governments to turn a blind eye to this destruction. The time has come for this to end and move companies such as this one into the growing plantation resource” Ms Rees said.

“Scientists and Melbourne Water warn that we will be using our entire supply by 2012. Logging our catchments is losing Melburnians 1000 litres of clean drinking water every second.”

The Department of Sustainability and Environment can’t be trusted with our precious water catchments. Premier Bracks must now protect Melbourne’s catchments from woodchipping.”

New research by The Central Highlands Alliance Inc to be released tomorrow shows that Victorians could be saving a Maroondah dam full of water every year if logging stopped in the Thomson catchment but losses will double if logging continues.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sarah Rees on 0438 368 870- 5962 3461

www.tcha.org.au

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