Campaspe Shire Mayor Cr Rob Amos has applauded Minister for Water Harriet Shing's announcement that the Victorian Government will conduct an assessment of operating and infrastructure arrangements at Lake Eppalock to find opportunities to reduce the impact of flooding.
Cr Amos said the Council had recently made representations to the Victorian Government to fund urgent research into solutions to mitigate the frequency and severity of flooding caused by overflow spillage from Lake Eppalock during extreme weather events.
Lake Eppalock's emergency spillway has spilled twice since its opening in 1963 resulting in widespread inundation and extensive damage across Campaspe.
"The spilling of Lake Eppalock in 2011 and 2022 caused catastrophic damage to the Campaspe Valley, particularly Rochester," Cr Amos said.
"So, we are delighted with the Minister for Water's announcement to look into a range of options and associated costings to support the more effective function of Lake Eppalock prior to and during flood events.
'We believe that the funding of any solution that prevents a similar scenario to the October 2022 flood would be a strategic investment by the Victorian Government.
"Not only will it reduce longer-term financial costs to both the government and community in repairing damaged infrastructure from any future flood events, but it will also avoid the devastating toll on our communities from the social, economic and environmental upheaval."
