WATER users are taking matters into their own hands to better understand what has happened to the vital ingredient to the success of regional communities.
The Murray Regional Strategy Group (MRSG), which represents water users in the NSW Murray valley, has decided to fund an independent study into the dwindling reliability of allocation on the general security water entitlement.
MRSG deputy chair Lachlan Marshall said rather than give opinions on what had happened to the region’s crucial asset, the organisation wanted to lead discussions and comments based on fact.
“This is why we have hired an independent consultant to get to the bottom of why Hume Dam is spilling, Menindee is full, yet staple food and fibre producers closest to the storages have access to only 30 per cent allocation,” Mr Marshall said.
He said the organisation had written to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, the NSW Environment Minister and the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder outlining its concerns about the current water situation.
Mr Marshall said MRSG wanted to work collaboratively with governments and their agencies to identify opportunities to ensure all water had a purpose and was efficiently managed to maximise allocations to food producers.
“The current situation we are facing is stressful to communities all along the Murray,” Mr Marshall said.
“We have vast volumes of water being released from Hume Dam to prevent it from spilling and to mitigate flooding risks.
“Media reports last week stated 3875 megalitres of NSW environmental water from the Murray and Murrumbidgee has been sold in recent weeks, at a value of nearly half a million dollars.
“NSW appears to have more water than it can use, there are large volumes locking up air space, we have South Australian dilution flows sitting in storage and all the while we have increasing unregulated flows along the mid- Murray, which are causing damage to banks, watering forests and flooding private property.
“We want to learn more about the issues which are impacting our communities, who depend on productive farms for employment and economic activity, and we want to sort the fact from fiction.”
Mr Marshall said the current situation was not sustainable.
“I even heard a prominent water broker on the radio commenting on temporary water prices the other day, implying $110 (a megalitre) was a low price for water,” Mr Marshall said.
“At that price you can kiss staple food producers and family farmers goodbye.”
MRSG hoped to have a report from the independent consultant in coming weeks.
