Wagga Wagga City Council confirms that the gates secretly installed across the Tatton Drain culvert near Lake Albert have been removed.
This action was undertaken by the person responsible who contacted Council General Manager Peter Thompson yesterday and admitted to installing the gates. The person explained that he knew it was wrong, but he was frustrated with the lack of a solution.
Mr Thompson said he was grateful for the action to remove the gates which had unlawfully blocked off water flow to the culvert under Lake Albert Road.
"The NSW Government through the Natural Resource Access Regulator (NRAR) has previously given clear direction to the Wagga community that it needs to authorise any diversion of water from Tatton Drain and that a water allocation must be purchased for the water diverted," Mr Thompson said.
"There is currently no authorisation for such a diversion and no water allocation.
"The person who installed the gates contacted Council when he realised that his actions may be used as the justification for the NSW Government declining to exercise its discretion to issue a specific purpose access licence to provide water to the lake."
Mr Thompson said NRAR is the regulator in relation to the issue and it was notified of the matter yesterday. Council contacted NRAR following the admission and removal of the gates and requested that no further action be taken.
Council is scheduled to meet with the Minister for Water, Property and Housing the Hon. Melinda Pavey in coming weeks to request an answer on whether the Minister will agree to exercise her discretion to issue the special purpose access licence.
Image: Tatton Drain after the shutters were removed.
