ONE of two North East lakes could be turned into a super dam under proposals to water and feed the nation.
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Expanding either Lake Buffalo, near Myrtleford, or Lake William Hovell was highlighted in the federal Coalition’s draft discussion paper for water management.
The paper suggests 100 dams could be built across Australia to ultimately feed 120 million people across the Asia Pacific region.
The dams are listed as potential projects in a $30 billion project and do not necessarily have the Coalition’s endorsement.
A “Big Buffalo” would result from increasing Lake Buffalo 50-fold to a million-megalitre dam.
The idea was highlighted during a visit to Lake Buffalo in October, 2011, by the Coalition’s dams taskforce chairman, Andrew Robb.
Then Mr Robb said the potential for agriculture in the fertile Ovens Valley backed by guaranteed water supplies was too great to ignore.
He said additional dams such as Big Buffalo could help Australia lead the way on food security.
The paper also makes a reference to the sourcing of groundwater from an aquifier under Wangaratta.
Member for Indi Sophie Mirabella said yesterday the paper was “exciting and visionary”.
“The Coalition has invested a lot of time listening to water experts and industry stakeholders during the course of the past couple of years,” she said.
“People in the North East understand how critical water security is because we have had to deal first hand with the devastating impact of droughts and severe water restrictions.
“If we are to grow as a region and as a nation we need more water.”
Mrs Mirabella, who invited Mr Robb and the taskforce to the region, said she had always advocated Big Buffalo.
“It makes sense, not just for local water security and flood mitigation, but also downstream water availability.”
The dam could also generate significant hydro-electricity.
Water Minister Tony Burke said more dams would drive up water prices and food bills.
But Mrs Mirabella said the demand for water was always increasing, unlike its supply, and that forced up prices.
In his foreward to the discussion paper, Mr Robb said highly organised opposition to further water catchment proposals “has seen environmental considerations overwhelm other legitimate objects”.