PRELIMINARY FINDINGS FOR THE PROPOSED BARREN BOX STORAGE AND WETLAND MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC

26 Feburary 2004

The Environmental Impact Statement for Murrumbidgee Irrigation’s proposed Barren Box Storage and Wetland and en-route storage is due to go on public display during March. The draft document will provide the project details and the results of the environmental assessment that has been undertaken.

Members of the public attended feedback sessions last week lead by URS Australia (the consultants preparing the EIS) where the results and outcomes of the assessment were discussed.

“The input and feedback from the community during the meetings was great,” said Rob Kelly, Murrumbidgee Irrigation. “We discussed a range of issues including reliability of water supply, environmental outcomes from the specialist studies, operational flexibility of the system and management measures that will be required during construction.

We expect the full EIS will be available for review during March. The community then has 30 days to review the document and lodge a formal response with DIPNR. Any response lodged by the public in this manner will be incorporated with the documents submitted to the Minister for Infrastructure Planning and Natural Resources. The Minister will consider all aspects of the proposal and make a decision to approve or reject the project,” continued Mr Kelly.

Mr Kelly advised that the full version of the Environmental Impact Statement will be available from the Department of Infrastructure Planning and Natural Resources. Once the dates for submission have been determined they will be advertised locally. Copies will also be available on the Murrumbidgee Irrigation web site, www.mirrigation.com.au.

“I will be happy to help anyone who has difficulty obtaining a copy of the EIS or needs assistance preparing their submission. I can be contacted at the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Office on 02 6962 0200,” concluded Mr Kelly.