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Related: Mine water solution sought
VICTORIAN environment minister Lisa Neville has assured Woodvale residents the pumping of dirty groundwater into nearby evaporation ponds is only a "short-term solution".
Ms Neville met with community representatives in Bendigo on Wednesday to give an update on research into other solutions to removing the water leftover from the city's gold mining past.
The initial decision to pump the water to the Woodvale evaporation ponds was made to avoid contaminating the rest of Bendigo's waterways.
Ms Neville said two advisory groups would help the government find an answer to the dirty mine water problem.
"One is a more technical advisory group that will involve state and local organistaions," Ms Neville said.
"The other important one is the community reference group.
"It will consult with the community and ensure we're looking at all the realistic options that will see us achieve a sustainable long-term solution here."
The state government reached a deal with Unity Mining in December to pump the smelly water into the evaporation ponds in Woodvale.
Ms Neville said they were looking at the latest research into removing groundwater.
"We're doing some technical work at the moment, looking at water treatment systems and wetlands, and wetlands around the world are becoming a new way of improving imenity and decontaminating water," she said.
The community advisory group will meet in the coming weeks, before another round of community consultation outlining options for the removal of the groundwater.
