Levees at Loch Garry damaged during the October 2022 floods are due to be repaired this winter.
Goulburn-Murray Water groundwater and diversions manager Peter Clydesdale said repairing the levees would ensure the water authority met its ongoing obligations to the Loch Garry Flood Protection Service following the floods.
“The cost of repairing the levees and developing the future service strategy is expected to be $1.25 million,” Mr Clydesdale said.
“G-MW was successful in seeking partial funding from the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action of $750,000 to contribute towards this.”
The third meeting of the Loch Garry Reference Committee on April 27 included a visit to the Loch Garry regulator and the nearby levee breaches.
The committee is reviewing the service requirements of the Loch Garry Flood Protection District infrastructure and its operating rules.
Loch Garry protects 116 landholders from minor and moderate floods.
According to the G-MW website, under an almost century old agreement, bars at the loch start to be removed “to allow the same proportion out of the lake as flowed into the lake prior to the inception of the levees” 24 hours after the Goulburn River reaches 10.36m at Shepparton.
At the April 27 meeting, the committee also discussed revisions to the operating rules and when Loch Garry Flood Protection District ratepayers are notified the regulator will be operated.
The organisation is also committing over the next two years, to undertake a broad ranging review of its assets within Loch Garry Flood Protection District and how they are managed into the future.
As well as the loch infrastructure there are nine kilometres of levees.
“G-MW recognised in consultation with Loch Garry Reference Committee that in addition to repairing the levees, now is the time to review the future of the loch to ensure ongoing financial and environmental sustainability of the scheme,” Mr Clydesdale said.
“The development of the future service strategy will ... seek to ensure that going forward our management of the asset is sustainable and not reliant on external funding.”
Committee member Linton Ryan said the funding for the levee repairs was welcome news.
“It’s a very positive outcome and is a very timely one too,” Mr Ryan said.
“The funding will help provide us ratepayers with greater security as we head into the colder months.”
The next committee meeting will be held in mid-May.