Water supplies to Geelong and other towns in south-western Victoria in Australia are at risk from plans to intensify logging in the Otways, a report has warned. Plans to clear-fell forests every 80 years could drastically cut water supplies. As young trees absorb and release more water to the atmosphere than mature forests, logging the Otways so regularly could affect run-off from catchments that supply more than 250,000 people. Water is already a critical regional issue, with Geelong on restrictions since January last year. The warning is contained in a report by the Otway Ranges Environment Network.