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ABC NEWS (Australia)
  • 13 minutes ago
A group of locals on Tasmania’s east coast fear their favourite swimming hole could disappear forever if a water license application upstream is approved. Henderson lagoon was once known for its blue water, but has been a shallow trickle in recent years. While low rainfall is likely to blame, some believe intensifying rural water use is also taking a toll and there are calls for the state government to step up its water management practices.

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00:02Henderson Lagoon near Falmouth on Tasmania's east coast was once a swimmer's paradise.
00:09Now the water has receded and the lagoon rarely connects to the ocean.
00:14I learned to swim here, my kids learned to swim here.
00:17It would be really nice if their kids, our grandchildren could learn to swim here too,
00:21but it's kind of looking doubtful at the moment.
00:24Locals say extremely low rainfall is partly to blame,
00:28but they fear the already compromised lagoon will be devastated
00:33if a local farmer is allowed to extract an extra 360 million litres of water upstream.
00:41The farmer declined to comment, while the department assessing the application
00:45says it's committed to protecting the area's environmental values.
00:50The way the system is at the moment, there's a few that might say it may never recover,
00:54but if this next dam goes in and is approved, it almost definitely won't recover.
01:00The Tasmanian government wants to quadruple the value of the state's agriculture sector to $10 billion by 2050.
01:08Concerned locals fear that means the state's water resources are being prioritised for farming
01:13and potential environmental consequences are being ignored.
01:17What we should be doing is taking a far more precautionary approach to allocating water,
01:22but the government's going in the opposite direction.
01:25But Tasfarmers says stressed catchments, particularly on the east coast, have been carefully managed.
01:32There wouldn't be many farmers who would say it's too easy to get extra water.
01:35It is a rigorous process, as it should be.
01:38Locals want the state government to develop a water management plan for the area.
01:42David Godfrey-Smith says he's willing to help fund it.
01:46This is an environmental jewel here, and the state government should be helping the community look after it.
01:54But if push comes to shove, we'll do the study ourselves.
02:00Otherwise, he fears the lagoon will be lost to future generations.
02:04But I'll see you soon, bye.
02:06I'll see you soon.

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