By Marcus Uhe
Members of the Officer and District Community Association (ODCA) and Save Beaconsfield Reservoir Action Group (SBRAG) have slammed Melbourne Water’s decision to partially decommission the Beaconsfield Dam.
The safety upgrade would see a reduction in the height of the dam crest wall and lowering the water level from 98.5 metres to 94 metres, in order to meet current guidelines established by the Australian National Committee on Large Dams (ANCOLD).
Members of the ODCA, including President Robert Porter and his wife, Carol, and Harry Jensen, co-founder of SBRAG wanted to see a safety upgrade of the wall while maintaining the existing water level.
They argue that lowering the height of the wall is unnecessary if the water level will also decrease.
“Once you lower the wall you’ve got less retaining ability, and any water that comes down is just going to go downstream and create a flood,” Mr Jensen said.
Mr Jensen also said that there was a lack of consultation on the issue by Melbourne Water, where opportunities for consultation ran more like “lectures”.
“They didn’t have meetings, they had presentations,” Mr Jensen said. “They didn’t give us the opportunity to discuss the other options. It was all about their preferred option.”
Melbourne Water’s General Manager for Asset Management Services Tim Wood said that Melbourne Water “would not compromise” when it came to the safety of the dam.
“Melbourne Water has a duty of care to upgrade the structure and ensure that it meets current (ANCOLD) guidelines,” Mr Wood said.
“The justification for this upgrade at Beaconsfield is not about reducing the risk of storm or rainfall related failure, it is about stability of the dam.
He also said that there has been extensive community consultation on the future of the dam.
“We have worked directly with the Cardinia Environment Coalition (which is made up of 25 environmental groups) as well as the Friends of Beaconsfield Nature Conservation Reserve, Beaconsfield Progress Association and the Officer Community Association.
“We have also held drop-in sessions, where we gathered feedback and input from community members, conducted door-knocking, and distributed a number of community bulletins.
The ODCA believe that the water in the dam can be used as a resource in fighting fires, rather than taking water from the Cardinia Reservoir, which Melbourne Water said is “safer to fill from”.
“Advice from the Department of Environment Land Water and Planning’s (DELWP) Chief Fire Officer has determined that Beaconsfield Reservoir is not a pre-approved location for water pickup by firefighting aircraft,” Melbourne Water said their Beaconsfield Dam Safety Upgrade Newsletter for December 2021.
However a letter seen by Star News addressed to Mr Jensen from Member for Gembrook, Brad Battin MP in December 2018 confirms that Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp confirmed the Beaconsfield Reservoir “can be used as a water pickup location as required” according to DELWP.
It is currently still available for firefighting efforts if required, according to Minister Battin.
Andre Bokos, ODCA member and co-founder of SBRAG, urged Melbourne Water to consider potential consequences of using the Cardinia Reservoir in a fighting fires.
“If there’s an accident and the aircraft falls into the dam, that’s a major factor for Melbourne’s water supply,” Mr Bokos said.
Mr Jensen also expressed concern that the native plants at the Beaconsfield Nature Conservation Reserve which houses the dam, would become a bigger risk in fire season with less water around.
The ODCA have the support of Minister Battin, who wrote to Cardinia Shire Council in May 2021 with the intention of “securing the future“ of the Beaconsfield Reservoir.
In a statement, Cardinia Shire Council said that they support Melbourne Water’s proposal.
“Council supports Melbourne Water to take action to ensure community safety and to consult with our community regarding the Beaconsfield Reservoir.
“Council also supports ongoing community access to the Beaconsfield Nature Conservation Reserve and commends the work of the Cardinia Environment Coalition in managing the reserve.“
The Beaconsfield dam was decommissioned in 1988 and holds storm water.
When functioning it supplied water to surrounding suburbs and the Mornington Peninsula, down to the naval base at Flinders (now HMAS Cerberus).
The safety upgrade is scheduled to begin next year with the lowering of the water level, which will see water directed into Haunted Gully Creek.
