DEEP CREEK - There is still a trickle of hope that Deep Creek could be revived with the Natural Resources Committee reinterviewing witnesses to a recent inquiry into the impact of forestry on the environment and the creek.

The Parliamentary Inquiry, conducted by the Natural Resources Committee, was conducted about 12 months ago and included visits to the creek catchment by committee members.

In October the Minister of Environment and Heritage, Gail Gago refused to act on two of the ten recommendations forwarded by the Parliamentary Inquiry on the basis of evidence supplied by the department’s own experts.

The evidence supplied to the government contradicted that which was given to the Natural Resources Committee. The latter comprised reports from hydrologist Dr Emmett O'Loughlin and anecdotal evidence from landowners, the Wollaston and Eitzen families.

The major stumbling block is the reluctance of the government to recognise the impact forestry has on the water flow in the Foggy Farm lower catchment of Deep Creek Conservation Park.

Last Thursday the Parliamentary Natural Resources Committee met again on the Deep Creek issue.

John Rau (MP), presiding member of the Natural Resources Committee that comprised of Sandra Kanck (MLC), Steph Key (MP), Caroline Schaefer (MLC), Lea Stevens (MP) and Russell Wortley (MLC), says 12 witnesses will be called over the next week to explain their findings.

"This has never been done before, but we are very concerned how the report has been taken," Mr Rau said.

"We are not entirely satisfied with the evidence that was given to the government that contradicted our findings.

"Some departmental people were not thorough enough and our view has not changed.

"Forestry has a significant impact on run-off and the depletion of the stream at Foggy Farm is due to it.

"That is what we think and they didn't, so we have to find out why," Mr Rau said.

Ms Schaefer is disappointed with the response from the government.

"Not satisfied with the answers at all. I believe it was a snow job and there is a principle here.

"Their evidence indicated plantations pull on water in 16 to 20 years, yet we found it pulled on it as early as five.

"I object to the contradictive evidence," Ms Schaefer said.

The Member for Finniss, Michael Pengilly, attended the first of the latest hearings last week.

"I was an observer and the government officers were left in no doubt that the committee was extremely annoyed.

"Misleading a Parliamentary Committee is tantamount to misleading Parliament and can lead to heavy penalties being applied.

"They (the committee) were also extremely angry that this type of ... information had been given to the Minister for Environment and Heritage, Gail Gago, and that she had chosen to take no action on the Natural Resource Committee's recommendation.

"The fact of the matter is that the Deep Creek/Foggy Farm area is most important and the adverse impact caused to this region needs addressing properly and fixing as a matter of urgency," Mr Pengilly said.

The Minister for Environment and Conservation, Gail Gago, was playing her cards close to her chest about the reopening of the inquiry.

"The Department has advised it will provide the committee with further technical information supporting its previous submission,” was the only comment forthcoming from Ms Gago’s office when approached by The Times.

Democrats MLC Sandra Kanck was the catalyst of the formation of the committee to investigate the deterioration of the Deep Creek/Foggy Farm area, which used to have a summer flow of 3,000 gallons an hour to now being dry for over 150 days a year.

Forestry began in the early 1990s and with the lack of summer water flow the eco-system has been affected to the extent that the habitat has lost 15 plant species and the death of macro-vertebrates.