By Corey Everitt
The fate of the Beaconsfield Reservoir has been an ongoing issue for many years, and with numerous articles over 2023, it doesn’t seem like it’s going anywhere anytime soon.
The reservoir was back in the Gazette in April as the Save Beaconsfield Reservoir Action Group (SBRAG) aired concerns over the fallout of consultation with Melbourne Water.
With the latter arguing the reservoir needs to be drained and the dam partially demolished due to risks of its potential failure, Rob Hansen with Rob and Carol Porter countered saying it has benefits to bushfire fighting and should be an asset to the community.
Months went by as the issue seemed to be in a stalemate after consultation. It wasn’t until October when the reservoir returned to the reporting of the Gazette when SBRAG held a meeting at the Officer Recreation Reserve to argue their case once more.
The meeting saw a list of speakers from local politicians to local experts each reinstating arguments for retaining the reservoir to an audience of over 100 residents.
Only a week after the meeting, the Gazette sat down with dam expert Robert Evans who laid out the history of Beaconsfield Reservoir as well as civil engineering in general, while arguing the case of how addressing safety concerns of the 105-year-old dam could be possible without a partial demolition.
Outside of reporting, the Gazette was also a battleground for the issue as opinion pieces of both SBRAG and Melbourne Water were published throughout the year.
