FARMERS near Loxton have formed a working group to seek action on ongoing farmland damage caused by the state government-owned and operated Noora Basin.
The Noora Basin Community Working Group was established at a meeting held in Loxton last Friday, where 20 farmers and local government officials gathered to discuss the extent of, and potential for, salinity damage caused by the nearby salt interception scheme.
Excess salt from the River Murray has been pumped to the basin since the 1980s, proving beneficial for river health and the region's substantial irrigation industry.
However, the scheme has slowly resulted in a rising water table, which has in turn caused salt scalds and loss of production on surrounding cropping country caused by the region's highly saline groundwater.
Damage has varied from property to property, with some witnessing quickly-expanding unproductive salt scalds, some noticing reduced production in certain areas on yield monitors, while others have not noticed any damage yet but are concerned about what may emerge in future.
Up to 50 hectares has been damaged on the property of Bugle Hut farmers Yvette and Gary Frahn, who have been seeking compensation or action from the Department of Environment and Water for several years.
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Multiple reports from independent soils consultant Chris McDonough have shown a third of the Frahns 970ha property is under threat.
"This group was formed to show solidarity and share the load, as well as show there is a substantial number of affected farmers who are now engaged in this," Ms Frahn said.
"It is ongoing, irreparable damage that they (DEW and the state government) will not take responsibility for.
"We would like to be equipped with the land management tools it takes to do the job ourselves.
"The bottom line is that it's a damages claim."
While some damage was anticipated when the Basin was first established, Dr McDonough said the impacts were quickly expanding beyond DEW modelling.
Areas that were previously thought to be at low risk of damage due to the water table's depth have also shown signs of damage.
Dr McDonough said while DEW's modelling and water table monitoring programs were useful, they didn't take into account potential impacts on cropping soil.
He wants DEW to take "direct, positive steps" to help local farmers.
"I want to see action and DEW do something helpful," Dr McDonough said.
"I think they need to come to the realisation that there's a lot more to land degradation than just the water levels they're measuring.
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"There needs to be a recognition that there's important information to be gained from proper monitoring.
'There's also lots of direct help they could provide now, like fencing off, and remediation of land.
"We've been doing things on a shoestring budget and it doesn't allow us to properly break down exactly what's going to happen and how bad the damage could eventually get."
The Noora Basin Community Working Group will be represented by a committee of five members - Dr McDonough, the Frahns, young landowner Tyrone Obst and local farmer Stephen Nitschke.
INDEPENDENT REVIEW IMMINENT
Water and Environment Minister Susan Close visited the Frahns property in October last year, honouring a pre-election commitment, and said an independent review of the issue had since been commissioned but had yet to be finalised.
Both Dr Close and DEW have indicated they are willing to work with the Noora Basin Community Working Group.
"This is a complex matter with a long history which will take some time to objectively work through," Dr Close.
"This has taken longer than anticipated to progress, as the relevant areas of the department have needed to prioritise flood response over the past six months."
A DEW spokesperson said its department's presence consisted of two continuous surface water monitoring sites in the basin, while it also conducted biannual groundwater monitoring of 59 bores at the basin and on neighbouring land.
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