THE Lower Limestone Coast Water Allocation Plan review roadshow is wrapping up with a community information session to be held in Mount Gambier/Berrin and Naracoorte as well as online in September.
Hosted by the Limestone Coast Landscape Board the public information sessions will be open to anyone in the community with an interest in learning more about the groundwater resources and the role of the allocation plan in their management.
Limestone Coast Landscape Board manager of planning and engagement Liz Perkins said the information sessions were an important step for the allocation plan review.
“We are encouraging everyone to attend from recreational water users to sporting clubs, residents living in townships or rural areas and water licence holders,” Ms Perkins said.
“The sessions are to ensure everyone has an opportunity to understand the review, what it is about, our role in the process and have an opportunity to be involved and have their say if they wish.”
Ms Perkins said as the climate continues to change, sustainably managing recourses was “increasingly becoming the responsibility of everyone” in the community.
“We want as many people as possible to understand the challenges ahead and get involved,“ she said.
“While we have an established Stakeholder Advisory Group which represents community, environment, primary production and industry in the region, we recognise that many other people have valuable contributions to the review that we need to hear.
“In addition to the Stakeholder Advisory Group, we have held over eight information sessions in recent months with stakeholders from industry groups such as dairy, cropping, livestock and forestry as part of the series to ensure water licence holders, industry representatives and environment groups have an opportunity to be involved in the review.”
Ms Perkins said understanding how the wider community value water is critical with conducting a water allocation plan review in a region with a number of industries and livelihoods dependant on water resource was complex.
“How individuals in the Limestone Coast value water matters,” she said.
“It underpins the choices and decisions about how they use it and we are encouraging everyone to come along to the community information sessions to find out how the Lower Limestone Coast Water Allocation Plan is critical for the sustainable management of our water resources in the region and how they value water matters to the review.
“The review is a complex process involving a number of industries, stakeholder groups and our community. Our aim is to ensure the review is transparent and that people have an opportunity to be involved at every step.”
The Lower Limestone Coast Water Allocation Plan review – which is headlined by the Limestone Coast Landscape Board – is expected to be finalised by the end of the year and if amendment is required it will begin in early 2024.
Registrations for the sessions is available via the Lower Limestone Coast Water Allocation Plan review webpage.
