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Arapiles Bore Dry but business as usual 19-Sep-2008 At 12:32:01 PM jh

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Arapiles bore out of water
BY KEITH LOCKWOOD
19/09/2008 11:01:00 AM
MT Arapiles, one of the world's foremost climbing centres, has run dry.
A bore supplying underground water for sanitation at the Centenary Park campground failed on
Wednesday.

"It finally went dry after 19 years," Parks Victoria Wimmera ranger in charge John Harris said
yesterday.

Hundreds of campers and climbers are due to arrive at Mt Arapiles tonight, the start of the spring
school holidays.

At peak occupancy, Centenary Park campground is one of Horsham Rural City's biggest settlements
and one of Parks Victoria's significant campgrounds in the region.

The bore's failure has thrown Mt Arapiles-Tooan State Park officials into emergency action.

Rangers have closed the men's toilet block, organised a back-up emergency water supply by tanker,
alerted Parks Victoria chiefs and the climbing community, redirected campers to Natimuk Lake
campground and shut down the bore pump.

Ballarat regional office has approved three weeks of water carting to tide over the Victorian and NSW
school holidays.

After then, Centenary Park campground will have no sanitation if an alternative water supply is not
found.

Options then will include continued water carting by tanker, using Natimuk Lake campground or drilling
a new bore - if underground water can be found.

The existing bore has struggled to supply sufficient water for some years, especially at peak times
such as Easter.

A list of urgent maintenance in Parks Victoria's Grampians district names Mt Arapiles works as top
priority, with water supply at the top of the Arapiles list.

Parks Victoria leaders had hoped the bore would keep going until the Wimmera-Mallee Pipeline's
supply system six was completed in about 18 months, linking Mt Arapiles to a piped supply.

Mr Harris said Parks Victoria had had preliminary talks with GWMWater about pipeline connection, but
there was no guarantee it would occur.

"We will cart water for three weeks then assess our options," he said.

"There is a reasonable chance we will be able to hook into the pipeline. That would be fantastic."

• There is a composting toilet at Mt Arapiles but it is inefficient and requires regular cleaning out.

• A new climbers' guidebook is due to swell visitor numbers and increase pressure on Mt Arapiles
facilities.

• The bore's failure is a disturbing pointer to the state of West Wimmera aquifers. A report earlier this
month revealed declining levels of underground water.

• Keith Lockwood is convener of the Mt Arapiles-Tooan State Park Advisory Committee.