Goulburn Valley Water will remove 30,000 cubic metres of biosolids from the bottom of the Shepparton Wastewater Management Facility treatment lagoon.
Desludging works start at Shepparton
Goulburn Valley Water has commenced essential lagoon desludging works at the Shepparton Wastewater Management Facility.
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Thirty thousand cubic metres of biosolids is expected to be removed from the bottom of the wastewater treatment lagoon between now and May, with the project specifically timed in summer to speed up the biosolid drying and processing time.
Project timing is one of several measures put in place by Goulburn Valley Water to help reduce the risk of potential odour, along with proactive odour monitoring, lime spreading and misting techniques.
GVW says there are many sustainability benefits to the project, with the nutrient-filled biosolids eventually to be offered as a soil conditioner for farmers to spread on cropping areas.
The new DrumMUSTER cage at Colbinabbin.
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Colbinabbin Resource and Recovery Centre now accepts DrumMUSTER containers throughout the year.
Campaspe Shire Council’s recent redesign of the centre, including the installation of a new loading ramp, has created sufficient space to accommodate a DrumMUSTER cage.
This means the centre can now accept DrumMUSTER containers year-round, instead of the previous once a year, while minimising the risk of fire and complying with all relevant environmental legislation requirements.
Council’s sustainability director Michael Sharp said to ensure the safety and efficiency of the collection process, all DrumMUSTER containers must be triple-rinsed before being brought to the collection site.
For more information on DrumMUSTER and the proper preparation of containers for collection, visit: https://www.drummuster.org.au
Wheelchair access at Dunyak Moira
A wheelchair friendly pontoon is the latest addition at Merrigum’s Dunyak Moira fishing ponds.
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A wheelchair accessible pontoon has been constructed at Goulburn Valley Water’s Dunyak Moira fishing ponds.
It is the latest addition to the 12-month-old community facility, located at Merrigum’s decommissioned water treatment plant and home to 12.5 and 50 megalitre ponds.
Burnanga Indigenous Fishing Club president Corey Walker said the ponds had become hugely popular with not only regional anglers, but were also attracting fishing enthusiasts across Australia.
“Not only do we have an increasing number of fish in the lagoons, but the recent addition of the wheelchair friendly pontoon to the large pond has made the site even more attractive and accessible to people,” he said.
Rural Aid is calling for urgent support as overwhelming demand for water tanks grows among drought-affected farmers across Australia.
Every six months, the charity puts the call out for water tank applications, with between 50 and 100 tanks available each round.
More than 250 farmers were queued on the Rural Aid website last week waiting for applications to open, hoping to secure one of the 90 free water tanks being offered.
The tanks enable drought-affected farming families to secure a reliable water supply.
The demand far exceeds Rural Aid’s supply, and without additional donations, the charity will not be able to provide tanks to all the farmers who request them.
Federal Government farm business lender RIC (Regional Investment Corporation) says the variable interest rate on all concessional farm business loans will remain at 5.18 per cent, effective from February 1 for six months until the next review period.
RIC chief executive officer John Howard said RIC’s low interest rates continue to provide a concessional benefit to farm businesses in financial need.
Mr Howard said RIC interest rates were only reviewed twice a year, bringing some certainty to RIC customers in planning their financial forecasts.
“Since the start-up of RIC in July 2018, RIC concessional loans have saved our customers an estimated $307 million in interest repayments.”
State Member for Northern Victoria Gaelle Broad has renewed calls for Victoria’s probationary driving age to be reduced to 17, saying this would bring it in line with other states and reduce disadvantage for young people in rural areas.
Victoria is the only state or territory that requires P-plate drivers to be aged 18 or over.
Ms Broad said the move would be a game-changer for many rural and regional families.
“Young people, especially those living in rural and regional areas are at a disadvantage by not being allowed to access their provisional licence at the age of 17,” she said.
“People who live in rural and regional areas often do not have access to public transport to get to work, apprenticeships or study.
“I will raise the issue again when parliament resumes next month.”
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