By Stephanie Holliday
IN March, we covered the slow demise of Greens Lake in Corop, located downstream of the Waranga Basin.
The water level at the recreational lake had been progressively drying up since it was decommissioned as a water storage facility in 2019. Despite this, in February 2020, Goulburn-Murray Water unveiled a $200,000 new shower and toilet facility at the lake.
In 2019, a deal between Goulburn Murray Water (GMW) and the Commonwealth has seen 8,300 precious megalitres of water traded away to the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder. Without a remaining physical connection to the system, Greens Lake was to be dry most years.
This was to the dismay of many local visitors of the lake.
“We have been visiting the lake as a family since we moved to the region. We enjoy visiting all year round. It’s been a great place for recreational activities like boating, camping, fishing and water sports. Even in winter, we rug up, and the kid’s fish,” said Sammy Stanford in March.
“It’s a safe place for families to visit as small children can play along the water’s edge and it’s a free camping site, which is rare these days,” said Sammy.
On October 13 however, water began to be diverted to the lake, in a bid to prevent water backing up at Colbinabbin, which would have potentially induced flooding. Goulburn-Murray Water has advised this is only a temporary measure. At the time of print, Greens Lake is filled at a capacity of 54.34 percent. Water is also being diverted to Lake Cooper near Corop.
