SOUTH West Water Users chairman Howard Jones is urging the NSW Government to leave the embargo on the Barwon-Darling system until an 18-month flow target has been reached.
Mr Jones’ comments come as northern Murray-Darling Basin irrigators lobby Minister for Water Melinda Pavey to remove the temporary water restrictions – which would allow irrigation access – sooner than April 17.
Mr Jones said the lobbyists believed 70 gigalitres was enough to flush the Darling out, however this was not the case.
“Will 70 gigalitres will do us?” he said.
“No.
“We are sticking to the need to have 18 months’ supply in Menindee Lakes, so we can run the river in the first instance with enough water to push the salt slug that’s going to come down anyway through Ellerslie and over the weir at Wentworth.
“And then have enough water to manage the river for the next 18 months.”
Last Friday, the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) announced temporary water restrictions on the Barwon-Darling system and the Barwon River downstream of the Culgoa junction.
DPIE also said all other restrictions in the northern basin and on floodplain harvesting had expired.
But Mr Jones said there were “a lot of things up in the air”.
He said the water flowing from the Condamine River and coming out of the Culgoa was gone.
“We won’t get any of that – I would be very surprised if we do.
“That’s why they left the embargo off from the confluence of the Culgoa and the Barwon-Darling back up to the (Queensland) border, so those irrigators could take it.”
Mr Jones said if the embargo was lifted NSW Government was “risking leaving us in the same position in six to nine months’ time”.
“Lifting that embargo will give them access to those flows and slow everything down and reduce the store in Menindee.
“The unknown is the Warrego at Toorale (Station) – we don’t know how big that flow is.
“There are pipes in the top dam at Toorale, which limit the flow downstream to 600 megalitres a day.
“We are trying to get them to pull them out and let whatever is coming through be the increased head to push the water through quickly to Menindee and get us our 200 (gigalitres).
“This is critical because, if they lift that embargo, then the Toorale water will be critical to try and reach the target in Menindee.”
Risk to Menindee flows remains
MENINDEE resident Graeme McCrabb said if the Barwon-Darling system irrigation embargo was lifted there would be a risk of fish kills in the future.
Mr McCrabb said a water supply of 18 months or more was needed to flush through the poor-quality water at the front of the flows.
“We have issues with water quality getting to (Lake) Wetherell with fish kills,” he said.
“We need good volumes to come through at a reasonable pace and that needs the floodplain harvesting embargo to be held.
“The front of that water is the poor-quality water and we need those extra flows to flush it through.
“We still have pools of water. Those pools of water will keep pushing down in front of the water that’s coming down.”
Mr McCrabb said water needed to reach Lake Wetherell and any residual pools below Menindee needed to be pushed out of the system.
“Plus the front of the water coming through from the flows has to be pushed through, otherwise you just leave fish in terrible conditions,” he said.
“It’s not just getting the water to Wetherell that’s the key – you have to actually start at the lower Darling and maintain the conditions for the fish.
“If they lifted the embargo the lower Darling would miss out again.”
