A NSW Government decision to partially lift water restriction orders in parts of the northern Murray-Darling Basin has been labelled as being up to two years premature.
The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) anticipated long-awaited flows to the northern parts of NSW would meet “critical needs” along the full length of the Barwon-Darling system, and the target of 60 to 70 gigalitres in Lake Wetherell.
But South West Water Users Group chair Howard Jones said the decision had placed the lower Darling in “more jeopardy” than before.
“Given this is the first-flush rule, I’d be aiming for something that gives the lower Darling a year and a half or two years of water before they lifted it,” Mr Jones said.
“The government is really making decisions again based on irrigators access in the north versus irrigators or health of the river in the south.
“It’s much the same old, same old.”
The DPIE said the restrictions would enable a connectivity event to the end of the lower Darling River, with flows now forecast to reach Wilcannia and Menindee.
DPIE planning policy and sciences and water group executive director Emma Soloman also expected flows to refill town water supply weirs in Pooncarie, Menindee, Sunset Strip and Bourke, improving access to drinking water.
“I’m really pleased that substantial flows have made (their) way downstream as a result of the rainfall and the embargoes that we put in place to protect those flows,” Ms Soloman said.
“The embargo has meant that for the first time in years we will have a connectivity event, and this is in the midst of the worst drought on record.”
Ms Soloman said restrictions still applied in the Barwon-Darling water source and others that were contributing to target volumes.
“The recent sustained rainfall and flows in the northern Murray-Darling Basin, including from the Namoi and other northern tributaries, have seen flows down the Barwon River all the way to Brewarrina and Bourke, providing critical relief to communities along the way,” she said.
“Access has been given to some upstream parts of the northern river valleys, as those flows are no longer required to meet target volumes along the Barwon-Darling and in Lake Wetherell.”
Mr Jones said unless the government addressed the issue of block banks, it did not matter how many gigalitres were in Lake Wetherell and warned of the prospect of fish kills.
“You’ve got the block banks, so you only get 250ML/day through those, so you won’t be able to fill up those pools behind the block banks — you’ll kill all the fish because you haven’t got the velocity of water to break up the pools so they don’t stratify and kill the fish,” he said.
“So you have a huge problem … either pull the block banks out or they learn to put a by-wash in.
“It’s an awful position for any of the people on the lower Darling to be in because logically they would, say, pull the banks out and let the river run, but in doing so, if it doesn’t rain they will be in the same position they were just before this rain event.”
Mr Jones said the NSW Government had created a situation that was not managed in the best interests of the fish or the ecology of the lower Darling river.
“It depends what you call critical needs — if you think 60 to 70GL is sufficient to fill the pool in the lower Darling, that’s true, but it’s not sufficient to push it past Ellerslie and push that slug of water out the other end and, with the block banks in, you can’t do anything like that.
“I would have looked at what the issues are in the lower Darling from Menindee down before I made any decision on letting the irrigators have full access to water up there (in the northern basin).
“From a government department in charge of running the river, it’s a pretty poor effort.”
More information about the temporary water restrictions is available at www.industry.nsw.gov.au/water/allocations-availability/temporary-water-restrictions.
Details about water flows can be found at www.waternsw.com.au/supply/regional-nsw/operations-updates.
HAVE YOUR SAY: www.sunraysiadaily.com.au/sendaletter
