Future water needs for Lakes Entrance and surrounding areas

Council, along with East Gippsland Water (EGW) and with support from the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), is working on a plan to better manage water for Lakes Entrance and surrounding areas of Kalimna, Lake Tyers, Lake Bunga and Toorloo Arm.

Water is crucial for the region’s economy, supporting tourism, agriculture, fisheries, and residential growth. The region’s health and liveability relies on water, from providing safe drinking water and managing stormwater and wastewater, to sustaining ecosystems.

We are developing an Integrated Water Management Plan to ensure water is managed appropriately into the future. This plan will consider how water, wastewater and stormwater services can contribute to water security, public and environmental health and local well-being for the Lakes Entrance area.

An IWM Plan for Lakes Entrance has been flagged as a priority in the East Gippsland IWM Strategic Directions Statement (SDS). The SDS lists IWM opportunities identified through a collaborative process involving Local Government, water corporations, catchment management authorities, local Indigenous groups, health authorities, and DEECA.

The project objectives are to:

1. document the need for IWM with particular focus on the need for water conservation in the context of a declining water supply
2. identify current water sources and uses for Lakes Entrance and surrounds
3. identify problems and opportunities for water management in the area
4. develop and undertake a stakeholder and community engagement process to capture a broad representation of views
5. identify and prioritise IWM projects, including developing criteria for assessing priority
6. develop preliminary costings and identify partnership arrangements for high priority projects