News Item

Navigators requesting a Community bore.

Wayne Austin

159 Navigators Rd. Navigators. 3352.

6/12/2006

To Moorabool Shire Council.

The residents from Navigators Community and surrounding districts would like to apply for a Community bore through Moorabool Shire Council. The Community water bore would give access of bore water for stock and domestic purpose. The attached petition sheets with 37 signatures are residents that have been approached with this idea and support it whole heartily.

The attached map shows a suitable site for a Community bore. This area was chosen because of its suitable rock formation, which has potential to hold water. The basalt rock flow is visible by the exposure of the open cut pit. The contour of the surrounding hills and valleys of Navigators indicates a water flow area over thousand of years which would give the indication of water seeping into this rock structure.

The road side easement has an 11 metre width space access, suitable for cars and trucks to pull off the road with safety. There is room for a bore and bore pump to be connected to two 6,000 gallon plastic tanks activated through a float system. The tanks are joined together which are connected to a low pressure high volume flood pump connected to a multi height water standpipe. It has been recommended that these pump to be electrical wired in a way so they can be powered by a portable generator in an emergency for fire trucks when there is no grid power available.

The Community bore will benefit the Navigators and district residents enormously but also benefit the Moorabool Shire and Emergency vehicles as well. The Moorabool Shire could save money on fuel and maintenance on trucks with water close by when road maintenance or other repairs are in progress around the Navigators district. This would be appreciated by Moorabool rate payers knowing that Moorabool Shire is spending their money wisely.

The residents of Navigators and the surrounding district will feel at ease knowing that a Fire Truck could receive volumes of water quickly if an emergency ever rose, such as protecting the council attests in the Gerald Mullane Reserve, protecting private farms & livestock within the shire. The Fire Brigade cannot rely on water from dams because they are mud pools or empty, when rains do eventuate this will take more than several years to return to some normality if ever.

I understand the Navigators and district residents are welcome to use the Dunnstown and Millbrook bores but keeping safety and distance in mind both bores are unsuitable. The Dunnstown bore travelling form Navigators hall via Warrenheip using Ti-Tree Rd. is an 18km round trip taking in 8kms, as a single lane road which has a tonnage limit, has 1blind railway crossing, 2 crests, sharp left hand turn, deep shoulders on the road and always passing cyclists creates a safety issue. Using a different route, starting form Navigators hall over the Railway Bridge which has a No Truck sign, travelling Dunnstown – Navigators Rd. is also a 18km round trip mostly a single lane road for 8kms, 1 crest, a dangerous slippery section where the dairy business is then immediately after, a sharp right hand turn, gravel trucks passing you on the main road just outside Dunnstown makes for a travelling experience.

Alternate routes Navigators to Yendon then Dunnstown or Navigators to Warrenheip then Dunnstown are lovely to drive on roads but the distance are becoming too great with the price of fuel, ware and tare on the vehicle and the effects to the environment that the travelling makes.

Millbrook have a lovely safe multi level water stand but the distance is double of Dunnstown as well of a sign saying ‘this water supply is for limited local use only’, makes it difficult for the Navigators and district residents.

This drought has made living difficult for everyone. The Navigators and district residents are a farming community, most of us have cattle and sheep, we produce these animals to feed the people in cities and to continue on water is required. The dams are low or empty, including my own, an underlying effect will happen. We all know of road rage, water rage has started in a small way; I have experience this personally. Not everyone is lucky enough to have the suitable rock structure required for personal water bores on their properties. Other residents in the Moorabool Shire that are only relying on a connected rising water main, are extremely worried about the possibility of this supply being cut off.

The Navigators and district residents would appreciate Moorabool Shires assistance in this project to help our rural community and neighbours by sharing access to this potential water resource in these hard times.

Regards

Wayne Austin

Primary Producer.

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