Water Plan released for the Ouse and Shannon-Clyde Rivers

Preferred options for the Ouse/Shannon-Clyde Rivers Project have been released for public comment. The Ouse/Shannon-Clyde Rivers Project consists of two components designed to address water management issues and improve irrigation water reliability in the Ouse, Shannon and Clyde districts.

Minister for Primary Industries and Water David Llewellyn said the project's aim was to resolve long-standing challenges in the region:

The great news is that the project has a supply of 28 000 ML of water annually, which will have enormous benefits for the environment, agricultural productivity, job creation, state development and additional renewable energy generation.

Mr Llewellyn said the the key elements of the project are:

• construction of additional water storage and harvesting infrastructure at key locations in the Clyde River Valley;
• upgrade of water transfer infrastructure between the Shannon and Clyde River catchments;
• construction of a water regulation storage on the Ouse River adjacent to Stone Hut Hill;
• construction of water transfer infrastructure from Cluny Lagoon to the top of the Ouse River irrigation district (Cluny Pipeline);
• the identification and release of an appropriate environmental flow past the Monpeelyata Diversion into the Ouse River;
• legislation to quantify irrigation water allocations in the Ouse Irrigation District;
• implementation of a River Recovery Plan for the Ouse, Shannon and Clyde Rivers by Greening Australia; and
• implementation of a Hydro Tasmania strategy to address the water quality issues in Lagoon of Islands.

Mr Llewellyn said successful implementation of the integrated proposal will substantially further the objectives of the Federal Government's National Water Initiative in Tasmania.

According to Mr Llewellyn:

The Government is committed to Tasmania becoming the southern food bowl of Australia and this project is core to the fulfilment of that vision.The project is being developed carefully by the Tasmanian Irrigation Development Board and Hydro Tasmania, and when complete will benefit Tasmania for generations to come.

More information about the plan can be viewed online.