just add water… to Hattah Lakes
bankmecu supported the Australian Conservation Foundation's (ACF) Just Add Water initiative with a $20,000 investment in 2010. The program raised enough money to purchase 200 million litres of water for the Hattah Lakes, which form part of the iconic Murray Darling River System.
The response from the public, including bankmecu customers, was so positive however that within two weeks the ACF doubled its target. ACF managed to raise enough funds to purchase 400 million litres (more than 160 Olympic size swimming pools) on the water market, which has since flowed into the Hattah Lakes wetlands in northern Victoria.
'It's a thrill to see the water flowing back into this wetland which has not had a major flood since 1996,' said ACF's Dr Paul Sinclair. 'Wetlands filter our water and provide feeding and breeding sites for many fish and bird species'.
The water was delivered to Hattah Lakes through the Victorian Government's environmental watering program in partnership with Parks Victoria and the Mallee Catchment Management Authority.