A CASTLE Donnington irrigator has criticised Goulburn-Murray Water’s (GMW) plans to lower the Little Murray River, however the water company has strongly denied his claims.
Last week, GMW announced it is moving ahead with plans to lower the Little Murray River by two metres as part of its $27 million Swan Hill Modernisation Project to deliver more reliable and efficient irrigation to landholders in the Swan Hill Irrigation Region.
The works, which have currently been in the planning phase for almost two years, are set to commence between May 15 and August 15 next year and aim to provide fish passages at the Lower Murray Weir and Fishpoint Weir.
However, Castle Donnington irrigator Ron Sonogan, who sat on the Little Murray River stakeholder committee which GMW assembled to consult with, said irrigators downstream of the weir weren’t happy with the situation.
“At least half the things we asked for never got addressed, they just got whitewashed in a terrible, terrible consultative process,” Mr Sonogan said.
According to Mr Sonogan, water costs would have to be raised as a result of reducing water from the gravity supply.
Despite this, Mr Sonogan claimed GMW has only made agreements with irrigators upstream of the river to move to a diverter’s license and install individual pumps, while irrigators downstream have not been contacted.
He was also unconvinced of GMW’s 40-year modelling which showed the Little Murray Weir was in poor condition and likely soon to fail altogether, arguing local stakeholders had presented GMW with a proposal to save its health over the next century.
“The process that’s going to cause it to fail could actually be treated by a surface treatment of the concrete — it may only cost $1 million. They would not address that — all they wanted to do was do away with the weir,” he said.
GMW Connections Project manager of environment and water savings Ross Plunkett said the costs of the project would fall under the $27 million for the modernisation project, and GMW had held an “extensive consultation process” which concluded in 2012 and was followed up by regular updates at council meetings and community groups.
“Once works are complete, the maintenance and ongoing operational costs will be less than the existing costs. There will be no additional material cost to customers for these works,” Mr Plunkett said.
“Instead of replacing the weir, the planned works include the lowering of the weir, which expert structural engineers engaged by GMW have found will address the ongoing structural and operational concerns.
“The works include removing the piers and the lowering of the weir, which is expected to extend the life of the structure to 25 to 30 years.”
