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WATER flows across the south-west could plummet in coming years, drying up rivers and lakes and robbing the region of some of its popular fishing spots.While the region is renowned for its reliable rainfall, a State Government water research committee has revealed a grim future unless major action is undertaken.The group released a draft report which predicts how the south-west's water ways will cope under different climate change scenarios.The Lake Corangamite basin will be the worst hit, if drought continues, with stream flows falling by as much as 84 per cent by 2055.Wannon Water chief executive officer Grant Green said the was no cause for concern. He said the water corporation had secured the region's water supplies for the next 50 years.Adam Pope, a researcher at Deakin University's Warrnambool campus, said increasingly dry weather would have a devastating impact on our environment.With decreased water flows, river mouths would stay closed for longer, he said."Some estuaries would become hypersaline which means they would become saltier than the sea," Dr Pope said."There are fish and other aquatic creatures which wouldn't be able to cope."Dr Pope said it would be impossible to restore waterways."Even rivers in wilderness will change."It has nothing to do with land use. "It's not like this (climate change) hasn't happened before."People used to be able to walk to Tasmania."It's just happening a lot faster than what it has in the past."The Western Region Sustainable Water Strategy Consultative Committee prepared the draft report, which will help form State Government policy.The study states that flows in the Hopkins, Glenelg and Portland Coast river basins could fall by between 40 and 65 per cent by 2055.The Otway Coast Basin, which supplies Warrnambool, Koroit, Camperdown, Cobden and Colac, could fall by 30 per cent.Committee chairman Darryl Argall said it was too early to confirm if recent conditions were the start of climate change or a prolonged drought.He said initiatives such as the Hamilton-Grampians and Wimmera-Mallee pipelines would help safeguard future water supplies."Understanding the range of pressures and threats to our water resources enables us to make decisions today that will secure our water resources for the future," Mr Argall said."The climate change scenarios support the State Government's initiative to develop the strategy as a policy and planning framework to manage water resources in the Western Region for the next 50 years."Mr Green said Wannon Water had secured 2000 megalitres of groundwater licences for the Dilwyn aquifer which stretches from Port Campbell to the Mount Gambier."We won't have to access that until 2040," he said.A final report on the region's water flows is expected to be completed later this year.

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