Baw Baw Shire Council will undertake extensive water sampling in Walhalla over the summer.
Prominent local scientist Emily Scholes of Enviromicrobio will oversee the process, which will look at watercourses upstream and downstream of Stringers Creek and in the town to identify all human interaction contaminant and risks.
The water sampling will then be linked to town activity, traffic counts and visitor numbers during the busier weekends.
Council’s Public Health team will also meet with property owners to discuss septic tank and wastewater risks from mid-December until the end of January.
Following the visit, property owners will receive an information pack with details of the visit, a site map and tips to make sure their septic systems are functioning well.
Wastewater work and investigations were undertaken by Council in 2019, however, the 19/20 bushfires resulted in an incomplete environmental and microbiological data set.
Council is working in partnership with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), Parks Victoria, Gippsland Water and the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC) as part of a project team to explore the feasibility of a suitable wastewater management solution for Walhalla.
As noted by Deputy Mayor Cr Michael Leaney
“Like the town itself, some of the wastewater disposal systems in Walhalla could also be considered historic and are not meeting modern standards or catering for the demands of the 21st century. The data captured from this process will help the project team to identify what the options are to improve the situation and put forward an informed business case for future funding for a potential sewerage system to meet the needs of the 130,000 visitors to the township.”
