INDIGO Shire has launched a pre-emptive strike opposing the sale of groundwater in the Stanley area which is the lifeblood of Beechworth and Yackandandah.
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Mayor Bernard Gaffney has drafted an urgent notice of motion for the council's next meeting requesting Goulburn-Murray Water produce full details of an application to amend an existing irrigation licence to a commercial licence on a Stanley property.
The existence of the latest application has come to light in the lead-up to a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal hearing next month for a similar venture at nearby Cue Springs.
Cr Gaffney said the ramifications of the latest application were potentially greater.
"This water source is required for agriculture and the environment and in this case life," he said.
"It is in the Nine Mile catchment which is the source of water for Beechworth and Yackandandah.
"This area is a major bushfire danger area and this water may be required for fire-fighting."
Cr Gaffney turned up the heat on Goulburn-Murray Water for not notifying the communities impacted by this application.
"They should be up front because this is the water supply for Beechworth and Yackandandah we are talking about," he said.
A Goulburn-Murray Water spokesperson said privacy reasons prevented details being released publicly.
"When a landholder with a licence volume of 20ML or greater applies to amend their licence to take and use groundwater, GMW requires they advertise their intention," the spokesperson said.
Cr Gaffney' said the application was dated June 30 this year and could have been amended this month.
"Goulburn-Murray Water as a statutory authority should have brought this application to the attention of the Stanley, Beechworth and Yackandandah communities,” he said.
Stanley Community Inc president Ed Tyrie agreed.
"If true it is quite presumptuous given the VCAT hearing is less than a month away on the Cue Springs application," he said.
"The precedent was anticipated."
