Sacred Lal Lal Falls runs dry amid dam dispute

Lal Lal Falls, a site of deep cultural significance to the Wadawurrung people in Victoria, has run dry, with Indigenous and environment groups alleging upstream water hoarding has choked flows to the sacred cascade south-east of Ballarat.

A Chinese-owned company  has applied for a retrospective permit covering a second agricultural dam that community advocates say has expanded over several years.

In April, Southern Rural Water advertised an application in the Ballarat Times to “take and use” 250.0 megalitres of surface water for “domestic and stock purposes”.

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According to Australian Wool Innovation, the estate’s owner, Tianyu Wool, is one of China’s biggest wool operators and the largest single buyer of Australian wool.

Dozens of objections have been lodged against the retrospective application, with submitters arguing the dams have dried up the falls.

Tianyu Wool told the ABC Southern Rural Water inspected the property on June 3 for compliance and that no issues were reported. The company also confirmed it has made no discretionary or managed releases, stating downstream movement occurs only when the dam spills. It said such spilling has rarely occurred in recent conditions.