FAR West residents are planning a class action against the NSW government and the Murray Darling Basin Authority because of water shortages in the region.
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This week Broken Hill, plus nearby towns of Menindee, Sunset Strip and Silverton, were put on level three water restrictions because of minimal inflows into Copi Hollow – the region’s emergency town water supply at the Menindee Lakes.
The water at Copi Hollow was also so saline that town water is now being pumped from nearby Lake Wetherell.
“You couldn’t wash your car, shower heads were starting to calcify, and the water was so full of chlorine that people were getting rashes,” Broken Hill resident and former councillor Tom Kennedy said.
Mr Kennedy said while the move to a different source had improved the quality of water being supplied to residents, the introduction of level three restrictions raised other health concerns, including lead poisoning.
“The vast majority of Broken Hill properties have up to three times more lead in their soil than the appropriate limit,” he said.
“The only way to keep contaminated dust from harming our children is by keeping it covered with grass and other vegetation. However, level three water restrictions means we can’t water gardens and lawns.”
Mr Kennedy said the class action would be against the NSW government for their “mismanagement of the Menindee Lakes after levels dropped below 480 gigalitres”. The system now holds less than 74gL, or about 3 per cent of what it should.
The class action would also target the MDBA, for “failing to abide by the Basin Agreement”.
A class action group met with a Broken Hill lawyer this week for legal advice.
“There is a huge percentage of the community that are interested and willing to back the cause financially,” Mr Kennedy said. “Hopefully we can get started soon.”
The MDBA declined to comment, while NSW Lands and Water Minister Niall Blair said the operation of the Menindee Lakes was subject to the MDB Agreement between NSW, Vic, SA and the federal government.
“Any citizen has the right to explore their legal options, but I would prefer to stay firmly focused on delivering the long-term water security for Broken Hill and surrounding areas,” he said.
Rain recently in northern catchments has sparked some hope of fresh flows into the Menindee Lakes, but has yet to result in any.
