HIGH levels of government have visited Far West NSW to hear first-hand about the water shortages last year and how any changes to the local river and storage systems will affect landholders.
Representatives from federal and NSW governments, WaterNSW and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority attended a meeting at Pooncarie, NSW, on Wednesday last week. It was the first time many had been to the region.
Lower Darling irrigator Rachel Strachan said it was also the first time all the major water departments were represented in the one room.
“So if the buck was passed on our questions, the right representative could answer,” she said.
Mrs Strachan said local landholders pushed for a government commitment to keep 400 gigalitres in the top two lakes of the Menindee Lakes system – Lake Wetherall and Pamamaroo – as often as possible, without environmental release requirements.
The Menindee Lakes system feeds water into the Lower Darling River.
“We would like to have a drought reserve remain in those two lakes until they work out what direction Menindee Lakes water management will take,” she said.
“At the moment, there is about 400GL in the top two lakes, plus about 470GL in Lake Menindee and Cawndilla below those two.
“We are happy for the government to release environmental water from Lake Menindee and Cawndilla, but leave the drought reserve in the top two lakes for local landholders.
“If they don’t, landholders along the Lower Darling could face a return to a dry river.”
Mrs Strachan said the representatives didn’t “necessarily answer all of our questions, but they at least acknowledged them”.
“I am hoping they understand our situation far better than what they did prior to coming to the meeting,” she said.
“It’s critical we get the big decision-makers to understand the impacts they are having on stakeholders with any changes made to the Menindee Lakes management.”
Alisha Fogden
Journalist at Australian Community Media newspapers since 2007.
Journalist at Australian Community Media newspapers since 2007.
