Vic: Water, power under fire threat

AAP General News (Australia)
02-11-2009
Vic: Water, power under fire threat

MELBOURNE, Feb 11 AAP - Melbourne's water catchment might soon be under threat from
bushfires and there are concerns for the Longford gas plant east of the Bunyip blaze.

Country Fire Authority (CFA) Deputy Chief Fire Officer Steve Warrington said the Thompson
Reservoir in the Upper Yarra Valley, northeast of Melbourne, a major catchment for Melbourne's
water supply, could come under threat.

And there were fears that if the Bunyip and Kinglake fires merged and were then fanned
by northerly winds forecast for Saturday, more towns and communities would be in peril.

"We are closely monitoring the weather, which way the wind comes from, the speed of
the wind and the temperature," Mr Warrington said.

He said the Bunyip fire was active on its northern front in inaccessible terrain.

"Thompson Reservoir is a concern because of the long-term impacts for water catchment
in Victoria," Mr Warrington told reporters.

"A fire in the catchment is something of significance in the immediate term and in
the longer term if the water harvest is affected by the destruction of the catchment.

"There is a huge effort going on minimising the impact of that fire as we speak.

"And everything is being done to prevent the fire reaching the gas plant at Longford."

In September 1998, an explosion at the plant killed two workers and severely depleted
Victoria's energy supplies for two weeks.

Longford receives oil and natural gas from production platforms in Bass Strait.

AAP jxt/gfr/it

KEYWORD: BUSHFIRES VIC WATER

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