Gippsland Water is an active participant in the management of potable water supply catchments.  The Moondarra Reservoir is a major water supply catchment for the Gippsland region.  In January 2006 a fire swept through the Moondarra catchment in which Gippsland Water managed the area directly surrounding the reservoir to ensure safe drinking water for the community.  Click here for more information on the Moondarra fire.

Gippsland Water ensures safe drinking water through:

• weekly water quality monitoring;
• treating and testing raw water before delivery; and
• working with agencies to manage water catchment issues.
  

Drinking Water Supply Catchments and Distribution

Catchment	Water treatment plant	Towns/areas serviced
Blue Rock	Willow Grove	Willow Grove
Bore (Boisdale)	Sale	Sale , Wurruk
Bore	Briagolong	Briagolong
Easterbrook Creek	Thorpdale	Thorpdale
Lake Glenmaggie	Coongulla	Coongulla, Glenmaggie
Macalister River	Maffra	Boisdale, Mafffra, Stratford
Little Morwell River	Mirboo North	Mirboo North
Merriman's Creek	Seaspray	Seaspray
Moondarra Reservoir ( Tyers River )	Morwell	Churchill, Morwell, Yinnar, Jumbuk, Traralgon South, Hazelwood North
Moondarra Reservoir ( Tyers River )	Tyers	Tyers, Glengarry, Rosedale , Toongabbie, Cowwarr
Moondarra Reservoir ( Tyers River )	Traralgon	Traralgon
Narracan Creek   Tanjil River	Moe	Moe, Newborough, Trafalgar, Yallourn North, Yarragon
Pederson Weir ( Tarago River )	Warragul	Warragul, Drouin, Drouin East, Nilma, Darnum, Warragul South
Tarago Reservoir	Neerim South	Neerim South, Noojee, Neerim Junction, Neerim
Thomson River	Heyfield	Heyfield
Trigger Creek	Rawson	Rawson, Erica

Moondarra Reservoir

Moondarra Reservoir, Gippsland Water's largest catchment area, is situated on the Tyers River . The reservoir has a capacity of 30,300 megalitres and supplies water to Morwell, Traralgon, Churchill, Glengarry, Rosedale and Tyers.  For more information about Moondarra Reservoir click here.

Moondarra Fire Recovery

The Moondarra fires in January 2006 had a considerable impact on Gippsland Water’s operations, both throughout the incident and in recovery efforts. Water supply to Erica and Rawson townships was maintained but impacted through a disinfection failure. 235 hectares of Gippsland Water’s pine plantations were destroyed and there was damage to a section of the supply main from Moondarra Reservoir.

Gippsland Water’s response to the incident was immediate. Key staff were involved in effective liaison with relevant parties to ensure critical assets were protected and service to customers continued. A Bushfire Incident Management Team was established to observe the status of the fire and to identify current and prospective issues. Gippsland Water’s Emergency Management Coordinator worked with the Municipal Emergency Control Centre and the Department of Sustainability and Environment Incident Control Centre to ensure the organisation’s issues were identified and addressed throughout the incident.

One such event occurred a week into the fire, as the blaze passed through the Tyers Gorge from the north-west. A roving helicopter spotted water gushing from an area relatively close to the transfer main from Moondarra Reservoir. On investigation, it was found that an air release pipe had been damaged by a falling tree, causing the constant outpour of water. The repair required the immediate fabrication of a part to close the pipe and a team to undertake the repair while being protected from the surrounding blaze by a fire truck and crew.

As the severity of the bushfire diminished, a Bushfire Recovery Team was established to identify resource requirements to recover from the fire’s impact. Areas of focus were the health of the Tyers River catchment, the water quality within the reservoir and the operation of critical infrastructure downstream of the dam wall. Advice was sought from agencies who dealt with significant fires from Victoria’s north-east and Canberra in early 2003. Dr Peter Kanowski from the Australian National University travelled to Gippsland to assess the impact from the fires and to pass on his knowledge and experience. Gippsland Water staff also visited regions of Canberra ’s water catchment to learn from their approach to rehabilitation works.

Local assistance has been sought from the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority to identify areas of the catchment considered at high risk of sediment movement. Excavators were then able to treat tracks throughout burnt areas to reduce the potential of sediment and ash being deposited into the reservoir. Where machinery was not able to access certain areas, silt fencing was installed to capture material. A fabricated curtain 100 metres long was also installed across a section of the Tyers River , allowing material that did reach the reservoir to drop out before reaching the downstream off-take.

Vegetation is currently responding well, with eucalypts regrowing nicely and a lush covering of bracken ferns and grasses spreading throughout the understorey. Regrowth will provide a barrier against rain sweeping sediment into the reservoir during intense rainfall. It will also provide native animals with nourishment and shelter as populations return to their previous numbers.

Water quality within the reservoir was an ongoing concern throughout the incident and arrangements were implemented to manage the variety of expected conditions. To date, water quality remains within normal limits.

Gippsland Water will continue to monitor the health of the catchment surrounding Moondarra, as well as the water quality from the reservoir and respective treatment plants. Measures are also being developed to prepare the organisation for any similar significant incident that may occur in the future.