DIG: Irrigation and way beyond the garden scope

Overlooking Lake Eildon from the dam wall.

I'm right in the middle of an intensive session on Victoria's water management policies which includes decisions made by governments and the effects over many terms. We've covered a wide range of issues including; groundwater, environmental flows, water quality, water quality and water quality. I am so pleased I have enjoyed a life in between my horticultural years to be able to give me a better and more informed perspective (well far more than my other colleagues have had the pleasure of...).

Today we went on a pretty extensive field trip covering the Goulburn Broken and Goulburn Murray districts, including Lake Mokoan with a very mixed bag of students made up from ag/hort and economics. Our lecturer is an 'endering' man although it's taken me three days to come to terms with this. Initially I couldn't get past that he was a cranky old irrigator that has been burnt by governments and doesn't rate behavioural change, research and science as the key to water management. On this trip I questioned many grose generalisations tainted with obvious bias that were made...Anyway... I digress.

Lake Mokan was initially brutal. Here was an area once made up of approximately 11 wetland areas spread over a 9,000 hectare area, that was dammed in the 1960's. The wetlands became "Lake Mokoan" which was an inefficient expansive shallow pan that lost more water through evaporation, it became contaminated with Blue Green Algae blooms and ineffective at times when irrigators wanted to access the water. Yes, a big white elephant. The "Lake" has been decommissioned and being restored to wetlands. This will take some - many many years - to restore. The environment does take years to repair can should not measured in political terms. Amongst the group there seemed to be some cinicysum about the current state of the area and the funds being allocated to restoring this environment, which I found a bit rich. The area was once a flourishing wetland and deserves a chance to try and regenerate - for our sakes and our generations to come.

I am fortunate to have been informed and have had worked with tough, well educated and passionate people when good policy was being made at a very difficult time - to restore the wetlands and return the water to the environment in drought times. This by the way is a very simplified explaination of a very complex issue.

A few very positive things worth passing on so far:

The Victorian country side is so beautiful and I encourage everyone to be amongst it at some stage throughout the years seasons;
It's July now and it's dam cold, so rug up and release yourself to the low mists, fogs and low lying cloud areas;
Stop at the weirs, creeks and dams along your travels or make them along your travels, there is so much to ponder, question and appreciate all in the one setting;
Go to Lake Mokoan and see the very incipient stages of restoring the wetlands, whilst feeling somewhat shattered by the tree grave like area it is on its surrounds due to flooding and now restoring;
Visit Lake Eildon and appreciate its magnitude - past, present and future. Lake Eildon is only around 2 hours from Melbourne and well worth the trip;
Go to the Goulburn Weir. Mind you it's surrounded by high security fencing. But if you can get past it you notice the flow of water streaming over that supplies many surrounding farms and stock & domestic. It just needs a 'fish ladder'. Yes, today I learnt about fish ladders and now wonder why they're not mandatory with every weir, dam - anything that impedes the flow of water - to sound like a 60's hippie - "let the fish flow man!"

So if you have the chance to explore this area, or any country side for that matter, take notice of the local rivers and streams (and always the trees) - take notice of the direction and strength of flow, notice if the surrounding environment has been considered - ie have wetlands been not only considered but honoured right throughout. Is ground water being accessed beyond repair, are the riverside neighbours accountable for their pollution and effect on water quality - which ends up down stream.... arrhhh yes, the story's only taking shape.