WORK has been stopped on an $11 million eco-tourism resort near Corowa over allegedly illegal clearing of Murray River snags.

Corowa Council and the NSW Department of Primary Industry have pulled the pin on the 128ha Kunanadgee Homestead station project.

NSW Minister for Primary Industries Ian Macdonald said late yesterday the department had issued a stop work order, under section 221O of the Fisheries Management Act 1994.

Mr Macdonald said the department had also instigated an investigation.

The council is awaiting assessment of the sites by the Department of Primary Industries, the Department of Environment and Climate Change and the Department of Water and Energy.

Corowa director of environmental services Bob Parr said there was potential for revoking the permit, depending on the assessments.

“Until those assessments are done, there’s no sense in taking this back to council,” Mr Parr said.

While state legislation allowed for the revocation of the permit, Mr Parr said the developer still had the right to lodge an appeal with the NSW Land and Environment Court.

Mr Macdonald said the alleged works involved the removal, with heavy machinery, of large woody debris along a 4km stretch of the river and two nearby creeks.

“This particular area is home to several threatened species of fish and an endangered ecological community, listed under the act,” he said.

“The removal of large woody debris is also listed as a key threatening process.

“Large woody debris, or snags, are key fish habitat and are used as spawning sites and areas for shelter for threatened native fish including trout cod and Murray cod.

“Although development consent was issued by Corowa Shire Council in May this year, it included strict conditions that no snags were to be moved, relocated or removed without consultation with DPI, and that any such habitat should not be damaged or destroyed without contacting DPI.”

Mr Macdonald said all illegal works were looked on seriously.

“The developers could face prosecution if they are found to have breached the Fisheries Management Act 1994,” he said.

Southern Riverina Hunting Club vice-chairman Bob Lee said one of his members told him of the damage on October 17.

“He said there were between 100 and 250 logs gone, and that there had been a lot of damage to the river bank,” Mr Lee said.

He said the trees removed from the water would most likely have been carrying Murray cod eggs, given it was the breeding season.

Corowa Anglers Club member Ken Strachan said the trees were pushed onto the foreshore.

The developer could not be contacted for comment.

Source: Border Mail