Coliban Water is asking members of the public to do the right thing and respect defined vehicle tracks when visiting our reservoirs.
Acting Manager Community Operations Leon Stackpole said there had been a number of occasions in recent weeks in which unauthorised four-wheel drive activity had taken place on the low-lying areas of Malmsbury Reservoir, adjacent to the Portwines Road Visitor Area.
“Unauthorised vehicle tracks and driving through water can pose problems for water quality. For this reason, it’s really important that visitors keep to defined vehicle tracks,” he said.
“Please stick to Portwines Road or Reservoir Road, and named tracks only. We acknowledge that the damage is being caused by a minority of visitors and most people are doing the right thing,” said Mr Stackpole.
Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Program Manager Land and Built Environment, Calum Walker, said driving off-road is detrimental to the environment because it causes soil erosion and damage to native vegetation.
“Heavy vehicles can compact the soil which can also lead to death of large trees and other vegetation,” Mr Walker said.
“Quad bikes, all terrain and side-by-side vehicles are not allowed to be operated in state forests.”
If you spot any unauthorised off-road activity in the vicinity, please contact Coliban Water on 1300 363 200.
Last updated on 08 Jul 2019