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WASH FROM BOATING ACTIVITY DEGRADATION OF RIVERBANK

ANIMAL WASTE FROM FLOOD IRRIGATION BEING PUMPED INTO THE

RIVER FROM THE EASTERN BANK OF STURT RESERVE

CONTAMINATION FROM OLD WASTE DISPOSAL SITE

COSTS OF RESTORATION

MAJOR CHALLENGES FACING

STURT RESERVE ENVIRONMENT

DEGRADATION OF RIVER BANK

SOME CAUSES

ANTIQUATED 4 Kn POLICY

FLUCTUATING RIVER LEVELS

WASH FROM BOATING ACTIVTITY

VIDEO FOOTAGE OF BOAT WASH

FROM BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE

DESIGNATED 4Kn ZONE CLEARLY

SHOWS THAT DAMAGE IS BEING CAUSED BY THE NEW STYLE OF “WAKEBOARD BOATS” .

THE COMMON MYTH IS THAT 4 KNOTS IS A GOOD WALKING PACE, THIS IS NOT SO. 4Kn IS IN FACT 7.4 KPH, AND A STATEMENT TO THE EFFECT THAT A BOAT AT 4Kn CANNOT CAUSE ANY WAKE SHOULD BE DISMISSED OUT OF HAND.

THESE BOATS ARE OPERATING LEGALLY

HOWEVER THE WAVE FORCE IS SEVERE

WASH FROM CRAFT IS MUCH MORE DAMAGING THAN NATURAL PHENOMENA.

NATURAL WAVES. WIND ENERGY IS CONVERTED TO WAVE ENERGY. THE RESULTANT WAVE IS DEPENDANT ON THE SPEED OF THE GUSTS AND THE DISTANCE THE GUSTS ARE TRAVELLING ACROSS WATER. WAVE ACTION OF THIS KIND TENDS TO RUN PARALLEL TO THE SHORE.

BOAT WAVES. HERE THE WAVE ENERGY IS APPLIED PHYSICS. “WAKEBOARD BOATS”( i.e. BOATS DESIGNED TO CAUSE MAXIMUM WAKE), WAVE ENERGY, IS CALCULATED BY THE MASS (WEIGHT OF WATER DISPLACEMENT) MULTIPLIED BY THE BOAT SPEED. THESE BOATS ARE PURPOSE BUILT TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY ARE WEIGHTED DOWN TO CREATE A STERN WAVE IMPACTING THE SHORE LINE

ADVERSE WASH CAUSES RIVER BANK NOTCHING AND RIVER BANK COLLAPSE

THE DAMAGE AT THIELE RES. IS A DIRECT CONSEQUENCE OF THE VICINITY OF A “DROP OFF” BEACH WHERE BOATS LAND THEIR SKIERS ETC. AND VEAR SHARPLY AWAY.

DAMAGE AT STURT RESERVE CAN BE MINIMISED BY APPLYING A “NO WASH ZONE”.

THE "WAKEBOARD DEBATE"

NEIL BOYD AND ANDY HILL ARE QUITE CORRECT WHEN THEY STATE (ABOVE) THAT EROSION OCCURS WHERE VEGETATION HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE RIVERBANK, AND THAT IS PRECISELY THE ARGUMENT AGAINST CREATING WASH THROUGH PUBLIC RESERVES.

WAKEBOARD CRAFT ARE WEIGHTED DOWN WITH UP TO A 1OOOKs OF BALLAST TO CREATE A MAXIMUM WAKE. THE SIMPLE APPLICATION OF ENERGY(WAVES HITTING ANY UNPROTECTED RIVERBANK), EQUALS MASS(THE WEIGHT OF THE WATER DISPLACED) MULTIPLIED BY SPEED WILL DISPEL ANY FANCIFUL NOTION THAT THESE CRAFT ARE NO MORE DAMAGING THAN OTHER BOATS.

SPEED RESTRICTIONS EXIST THROUGH ALL MAJOR CITIES SITUATED ON THE MURRAY., FOR EXAMPLE, ALBURY-WOODONGA, ECHUCA, SWAN HILL AND MILDURA HAVE OVERCOME THE CRINGE MENTALLITY APPLIED WITH THE EVER QUOTED “LOSS OF REVENUE”, AND THOSE ELECTED MUST MANAGE OUR CITIES FOR THE RIGHT REASONS, WITHOUT SEEKING TO MAKE POPULAR DECISIONS. .

NO ONE IS SUGGESTING THAT BOATING (WAKEBOARDING) BE BANNED FROM THE MURRAY, RATHER ZONING REGULATIONS BE ENFORCED TO SEPARATE ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREAS AND NON-COMPATABLE WATER SPORTS.

ANY RIVERFRONT RESIDENT WILL ATTEST TO THE FACT THAT THE TURBIDITY OF THE WATER IS GREATLY INCREASED DURING AGGRESSIVE BOATING. TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS INCREASE CONTRAVENES THE “RIVER MURRAY ACT” (ITEM 2 PART 7).

CLUB MURRAY IS INVOLVED WITH RESPONDENTS FROM ALBURY TO GOOLWA, AND CAN SUPPLY MUCH PROOF OF THE DEGRADATION OF THE RIVERBANKS CAUSED THROUGH ENVIRONMENTALLY DAMAGING BOATING. clubmurray.com.au DISPLAYS SOME OF THIS VIDEO ON ITS WEB SITE.

ALL WATERCRAFT NEED REGULATING NOW, BEFORE MORE DRACONIAN MEASURES ARE SUGGESTED.

WE CALL ON THE COUNCIL TO WORK WITH OTHER ORGANISATIONS, ESPECIALLY JO HAW OF THE MURRAY DARLING ASSOCIATION, WHO IS CURRENTLY INVESTIGATING THIS VERY SUBJECT. ( A COPY OF HER QUESTIONNAIRE IS AVAILABLE ON THE CLUB MURRAY WEBSITE UNDER “BOATING”.

WE ALSO QUESTION WHY THERE HAS NEVER BEEN AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF BOATING ON THE RIVER, AND WHY THE TRADITIONAL OWNERS HAVE BEEN TOTALLY IGNORED BY ALL PARTIES.

clubmurray.com.au

EXCERPS FROM REPORT ENTITLED "BANK EROSION ALONG THE RIVER MURRAY"

REPLY TO MURRAY VALLEY STANDARD

FROM THE MURRAY VALLEY STANDARD 11/01/08

THE EDITOR

MURRAY VALLEY STANDARD

DEAR SIR,

THANKS TO KEN ARNOTT FOR ALLOWING US TO INTRODUCE PERTINENT FACTS.

OUR EDITOR REPRESENTS A LARGE GROUP KNOWN AS "CLUBMURRAY".

WE HAVE REPRESENTATIVES OF ALL BOAT CODES IN OUR GROUP.

WE ARE NOT TRYING TO BAN WAKEBOARDING.

WE ARE INVOLVED IN RECRATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY.

MOST RIVER USERS UNDERSTAND THE ABSOLUTE NEED TO PRESERVE THE RIVER ENVIRONMENT INCLUDING THE RIVER BANK WHICH HAS LONG BEEN RECOGNIZED BY MAJOR PARTNERS, LIKE CSIRO, DEPT ENVIRONMENT, DEPT. NATURAL RECOURSES, EPA AND MURRAY DARLING BASIN COMM. AMONG MANY OTHERS, AS BECOMING CRITICAL FOR MOST OF ITS LENGTH, AND THIS DAMAGE IS NOW BEING EXACERBATED BY THE LOW WATER CAUSED BY THE DROUGHT AND THE NEW STYLE OF ENVIRONMENTALLY AGGRESSIVE BOATING ACTIVITIES.

WE OPERATE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHER RIVER USERS AND CODES, IN AN ENDEAVOUR TO SELF REGULATE BEFORE DRACONIAN REGULATIONS BECOME LAW.

ONE SUCH SUGGESTION IS TO INTRODUCE "NO WASH" ZONES. SPEED RESTRICTIONS ARE THE NORM THROUGH ALL MAJOR CITIES ALONG THE MURRAY. MILDURA, SWAN HILL, ALBURY AND ECHUCA ALL HAVE MARINE SAFETY AND COUNCIL CONTROLS.

WE BELIEVE THATANDREW HILL'S DEMONSTRATION WAS ACTUALLY STAGED BY THE BOATING INDUSTRY AND HELD NEAR HIS EMPLOYERS BUSINESS. ANDREW HILL WORKS IN THE WAKEBOARDING FRATERNITY. EVEN THOUGH THIS DEMONSTRATION WAS HELD ON WHAT WE UNDERSTAND TO BE A COUNCIL RESERVE , THE PUBLIC AND OURSELVES WERE DISINVITED FROM ATTENDING.

THE FACTS ARE

A WAKEBOARD AT 4 Kn. CAN PRODUCE AN IMPACTING WAVE.

WAKEBOARD BOATS (AND OTHERS) TRAVELLING IN THE EASTERN CORRIDOR DO DAMAGE THE STURT RESERVE BANK.

ANY WASH FROM LARGER HOUSEBOATS ETC. WOULD BE CONTROLLED BY A "NO WASH" ZONE.

ALL OF THE PROPOSALS TO COUNCIL CAN BE VIEWED AT www,clubmurray.com.au NO WASH ZONES. VIDEOS OF BOATS AT 4 Knots AND WAVES ROLLING FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO COUNCIL .

WE DO NOT SEEK TO BAN ANY FORMS OF BOATING FROM THE MURRAY. WE DO SEEK TO ADVISE ALL ENTHUSIASTS TO USE THE SECTIONS OF RIVER PROTECTED BY WILLOWS BEFORE BANS ON SOME CRAFT ARE ENFORCED AS IN THE EASTERN STATES.

CAPTAIN DAVID BEAN

EDITOR www.clubmurray.com.au

THE MURRAY VALLEY STANDARD 18/01/08

FROM THE MURRAY VALLEY STANDARD 11/01/08

LOOK

NEW MEMBERS

ALWAYS WELCOME

OUR MOTTO: DON'T TRY TO CHANGE THE ENVIRONMENT TO SUIT YOURSELF.

CHANGE YOURSELF TO SUIT OUR ENVIRONMENT

MARINE SAFETY OFFICERS ARE ON RECORD AS STATING THAT IT WOULD BE

IMPOSSIBLE FOR A "WAKEBOARD" CRAFT TRAVELLING AT 4Kns.

TO CAUSE A SIGNIFICANT WAVE. WE DISAGREE.

GOOGLE IMAGES OF WAKEBOARDS OPERATING NEAR TORRUMBARRY VIC.

CONTRARY TO CLAIMS THAT THESE MAN MADE WAKES TRAVEL WITH THE DIRECTION OF THE BOAT, THE RESULTANT WAKE CAN EASILY BE SEEN TO SPREAD OUT, IMPACTING ON THE RIVERBANKS.

MANY THANKS TO S.L.. FOR THE PHOTOS.

IN 2006 THE COUNCIL WAS ADVISED THAT THIS COLLAPSE COULD THEORETICALLY TRAVEL THROUGH THE ROADWAY BACK TO THE CLIFF WALL.

REPAIRS ARE EXPENSIVE AND POINTLESS

AS EROSIVE ACTION CONTINUES

WAVE CREATED BY "WAKE BOAT".

THIS WAVE TRAVELLEING ACROSS RIVER.

BOAT SPEED ABOUT 5Kn.

CONGRATULATIONS

CLUBMURRAY.

TOOK SIX YEARS