Yarriambiack Shire Council will consult with landholders and water authorities to decide whether to take responsibility for water channels in the shire.
Yarriambiack Shire Council will consult with landholders and water authorities to decide whether to take responsibility for water channels in the shire.
Consultation will follow a drainage investigation report, due to be released on February 27.
The $35,000 channel decommissioning drainage investigation, commissioned by Yarriambiack Shire Council, GWMWater, Wimmera Catchment Management Authority and Lubeck Landcare Group, maps where water will flow once channels in the Lubeck area are decommissioned.
The report covers 1778 square kilometres, including Rupanyup, Murtoa, Minyip and Sheep Hills.
Yarriambiack Shire councillor Ray Kingston said council had pushed for a detailed investigation of decommissioning after landholders expressed concerns that vital assets would be removed.
"While this is going to be a useful tool in the future, it is going to be a useful tool now to try to come up with an idea of what structures we might need to take ownership of," he said.
"There are some structures we need to keep but there is going to be engagement with landholders, GWMWater and Wimmera CMA.
"Personally as a councillor who has been involved, I am excited this investigation has come to fruition.
"There are lots of different things this report could be used for.
"It could be used by private landholders, council certainly has uses for it and I am sure that the catchment authority could have uses for it in
terms of environmental planning."
GWMWater customer relations manager Helen Friend said channel decommissioning in the Lubeck area was on hold until the report was released.
"The reason we put it on hold was to allow, coming out of the study, some other organisations to take control of the channels so they could use it as part of their drainage plans," she said.
"The council could retain channels and use them for drainage purposes but it would have to take responsibility for them.
"We will be recommencing decommissioning in the Lubeck area in March after the council has had time to consider whether it wants to take on those assets.
"If it doesn't take responsibility, our position is that the channels will be decommissioned and the land
restored to its previous landscape."
Wimmera Catchment Management Authority chief executive David Brennan said the investigation would give people a better understanding of water flows.
"This wasn't necessarily a flood study but it considered what would happen if between 40 and 60 millimetres of rain fell within a couple of hours and where that water would end up going," he said.
"With these findings, landholders will be able to focus on their individual properties and work out what the implication of channel decommissioning is for them.
"Depending on the investigation and work with the community, there might be areas where some sort of drainage works need to occur but that would almost be stage two of the project, if required.
"At least farmers will be able to get on with planning their farm business and have a good understanding of where water will flow over the landscape."
