LAKE Keepit’s recreational users say they have renewed hope of being included in decisions on how its water is used, shared and managed.
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Fishing club president Anne Michie and sailing club commodore Ian Pine both said they’d been able to share their concerns about the dam with NSW regional water minister Niall Blair during his visit on Tuesday.
Their talks also included water plans, the stakeholder panels working on them, and how locals could have more of a say.
Mr Blair was there, with DPI Fisheries and WaterNSW representatives, to announce two aerators would be installed in the lake to help prevent mass fish deaths in the very low water levels.
Ms Michie said recreational users “haven’t really been considered as stakeholders before … I don’t believe they’ve been truly included in the conversation”.
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Mr Blair said on Tuesday: “That’s why I’m here … to talk to the affected locals directly.”
“I’m more than happy to make sure that the concerns that I’m hearing today are fed into that process,” he said.
He was speaking of reviews of NSW’s water resource and sharing plans, under way and due to be submitted for federal sign-off by the end of the year.
Mr Pine said he’d had “a robust conversation” with Mr Blair about water allocations and the often competing needs of dam users and customers.
“From our point of view, the fact is there has been no community representation [on the panel], and with no community input there, it’s no wonder that it’s a fairly one-sided plan,” Mr Pine said.
“I received a positive response from him; I do believe he does get it.”
Ms Michie said she was pleased to hear of the aerator quick-fix but even more so to talk with Mr Blair about plans for recovery.
“That’s very important … we need to try and prevent it from happening in the future, and work towards what we can do to rehabilitate the dam and the fish stocks,” she said.
Ms Michie said that could include getting “some more structure back in the dams: fish hotels, basically”, as well as enlisting the help of local hatcheries.
“We should be looking at repopulating [Keepit] with fish from this area,” Ms Michie said.
“If they make it through this drought, they’re the ones we want to breed from – they’re our Droughtmasters, our cross of a brahman over a cod, if you like.”
Carolyn Millet
Based at The Northern Daily Leader, Tamworth, and Namoi Valley Independent, Gunnedah. Covering general news and features on community, council, arts, business, health, education, entertainment and rural matters.
Based at The Northern Daily Leader, Tamworth, and Namoi Valley Independent, Gunnedah. Covering general news and features on community, council, arts, business, health, education, entertainment and rural matters.
