According to Brimbank Council’s media release dated 9th November 2007 Council obtained funding of $185,000 to install seven water tanks in Brimbank.

Despite receiving the funds three of these are still not operational 15 months later. Soon it will be February 2009 and the water tanks at Mambourin Enterprises, Brimbank Council Depot and Parsons Reserve, Sunshine, are erected but NOT connected.

Council’s media release states these three tanks “will save 1,069,850 litres of potable water each year” but you can kiss 2008’s savings good bye because they didn’t save anything.

SunRRA is demanding answers from Brimbank CEO Nick Foa and urging Council to complete installation of the tanks as a priority, next week not next month.

Council states the tanks will replace potable water used for Council and commercial purposes at the Council depot and at the neighbouring businesses of Graincorp and Mambourin. “Council will use the water for street tree watering, street sweeper filling and watering of adjacent Parsons Reserve. Mambourin will irrigate their stock of native plants. Graincorp will wash down areas of their facility.”

David Kennedy, CEO of Mambourin Enterprises confirmed the centres tank was not hooked up. “It has pipes going into the ground and coming out of it but it doesn’t have pipes going in to fill it up” Mr. Kennedy stated. When told how long ago council received funding for the project Mr. Kennedy remarked “was it that long ago?”.

Meanwhile the Age reported on December 31st 2008 that Melbourne shivered through its coldest and wettest December in years. The Age stated:

“It will hardly come as a surprise for Melbourne's rugged-up residents, but weather experts have confirmed we've shivered through the coldest December in seven years.

"And it wasn't only cold, it was also wet - meteorologists from Weatherzone today confirmed Melbourne had the wettest December in three year, recording just under 77 millimetres of rain.

December 13 was the wettest day recorded since February 26, 2006, with 36 millimetres of rain recorded.”

http://www.theage.com.au/national/melbourne-shivers-through-coldest-december-in-years-20081231-77ru.html

Shame Brimbank shame.

Did Brimbank Council mislead the Advocate?

The Brimbank Advocate ran a story on this very issue on October 14th 2008 and stated;

“A Water tank at a Sunshine sports oval has been left sitting idle since June, missing all the winter downpour because Brimbank Council can’t work out the best way to capture the rain.”

The Advocate was told “sixteen other water tanks were given to the council under the scheme; they are all in use.” Mr. Harrison said “JR Parsons, being the largest project, included a lengthy investigation on the possibility of having the system connected to an underground main drain that traverses the reserve.”

So what of the tanks at Mambourin Enterprises and the Brimbank depot? How are these two non working tanks which were part of the grant factored into the ‘sixteen other water tanks that are all in use”? Mr. Harrison asserts Parsons Reserve is the only non working water tank. That is a lie.

Click here to view the Advocate article.

We can only come to the conclusion Mr. Harrison misled the Advocate.

Shame Brimbank shame.

Meanwhile the very club that brought the idea of the tanks to the council have been left ‘high and dry’ as stated in the Advocate “Gaylor said his club encouraged the council to apply for the tank on its behalf”.

At the time of this report in October 2008 Mr. Harrison said it would only be a matter of four weeks until the project was completed.

Grand United Cricket Club has been looking forward to the use of the extra water to keep their playing fields in a usable condition but alas they may just have to wait until 2010 for that dream to be a reality.

Click here to download SunRRA letter to Nick Foa.