The authority started its willow management program 10 years ago, removing willow trees from waterways in the North East.

When floodwaters engorged the Kiewa River two weeks ago more than 30 metres of Roger Pyle’s property washed into the river.

He blames the removal of willows from Crown land on the bank opposite his property.

“The river has never flooded this paddock, it’s only since they cleaned the willows out here and further along,” Mr Pyle said.

North East Catchment Management Authority chief executive John Riddiford said there was a history of erosion at the spot and the removal of willows, an introduced species, may not have exacerbated the problem.

“We have to recognise that these floods were very significant and we expected significant erosion to occur as a result,” Mr Riddiford said.

“It’s a bit difficult to say whether the willows would have helped prevent that erosion or not.”

He said similar erosion occurred “particularly in that one area” during the 1998 flooding and “willows weren’t removed immediately prior to that flood,” Mr Riddiford said.

“In some spots where they’re managed and they’re not spreading aggressively they do provide some level of protection for erosion.

“But we’ve got many cases from the recent floods where willows have fallen in the stream and actually forced the flood- water out of the riverbank and through the floodplains which has caused massive amount of erosion.”

Mr Riddiford said direct consultation with landowners on whose property willows needed to be removed had occurred but as the willows in question were removed from crown land opposite Mr Pyle’s property he did not need to be consulted directly.

He said the authority was working with AGL, who control the pondage, on a site assessment.

“We will be undertaking stabilisation work in that near vicinity via engineering methods,” Mr Riddiford said.

Another Tawonga South resident Allan Mull has been lobbying the authority for years to stop the removal of willow trees.

“Whoever is approving it is nothing better than an environmental terrorist and there should be an immediate stop to it,” Mr Mull said.

He wants an inquiry into the willow management program.

Mr Pyle said he would be happy if poles were erected and braced to reduce the force of the water on his land.

“What I would like to see is the bank reinstated to save my property, that’s all I really want so it never happens again,” he said.

“It’s an expensive bit of land here and if the water comes again we’ll have nothing.”