Heritage Victoria has approved West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority’s application to construct a fishway at the Thomson River diversion tunnel site.
It comes after the Heritage Council of Victoria amended the heritage listing of the tunnel located south of Walhalla to include a section of the river known as Horseshoe Bend, which sits between the tunnel’s inlet and outlet, in July last year.
WGCMA made an application to construct a fishway at the site in 2016 to provide safe passage for native, migratory fish, including the threatened Australian Grayling, which is blocked by reduced flows resulting from the construction of Thomson Dam and the Thomson River Tunnel.
However, the application was put on hold until a determination on the heritage status of the bend was reached.
WGCMA re-submitted the application for the low-water fishway in March this year which Heritage Victoria, the state body tasked with administering the Heritage Act, granted on Friday subject to conditions.
The application, however, has not been without its critics with one group, Friends of the Horseshoe Bend Tunnel, expressing concerns the project could reduce waterflow through the historic tunnel and ultimately lead to its closure.
WGCMA chief executive officer Martin Fuller welcomed Heritage Victoria’s decision.
“[Heritage Victoria’s] approval is testament to the work that’s been done to ensure the project strikes the right balance between heritage and environmental considerations,” he said.
If WGCMA is to proceed with the fishway, it will be required to develop a Heritage Management Plan, protect the tunnel from excessive vibration, seek independent heritage advice and undergo inspections during planning and construction.
Critically, the key elements of the project must be overseen by Heritage Victoria’s executive director.
Mr Fuller said a tender process to appoint a project contractor was expected to be completed in late-2018 with construction expected to begin in early-2019.
The Express attempted to contact Friends of the Horseshoe Bend Tunnel for comment, however, they were unable to respond by time of publication.
