Anger over water flyer

Claire Miller, The Age (article), 12/4/2001

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The State Government has launched a campaign to persuade Geelong residents that logging in the Otways is not affecting their water supply.

This is despite a government commissioned report that concluded the city would gain 10 per cent more water over 100 years if forests were left undisturbed.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment this week began distributing a brochure that claims logging has a negligible impact on the present level of run off and water quality for Geelong and Warnambool

But consultants Sinclair Knight Mertz concluded in a report released in January that run-off to Geelong would be 10 per cent higher by 2080 and 26 per cent higher for Warnambool if the forests aged naturally.

'Iwo lobby groups, Lawyers for Forests and Doctors for Native Forests, accused the department of wasting money on "propaganda ustifying its pro-logging position" Environment Minister Sherryl Garbutt did not return calls.