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Water issues

The action and lead taken by Federal Minister, Peter McGauran, in advocating more money for infrastructure upgrades as apposed to water ‘buy backs’ is also the cornerstone to the Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Murray Darling Basin.

“The Murray Darling Association has put forward a platform that will achieve the result that South Australia needs,” said National President of the Murray Darling Association (MDA), Councillor Brian Grogan. “But it also acknowledges how South Australia has done most of the hard yards in getting rid of channels and supporting and promoting water use efficiency on farms.”

The money put on the table under the National Water Initiative in June 2004 will produce a number of varied and conflicting agendas.

Councillor Grogan said the competing forces that now exist include:

• infrastructure upgrades via essential asset replacement
• urban waste water treatment systems and reuse important to major country towns for the maintenance of amenity areas, such as ovals and community parks
• some government perception of the quick fix, such as purchase licences, the least desired option, but will be unavoidable in some situations.

The Murray Darling Association only supports buy back as a last resort, as using the available funds for this purpose does not fix the system problems. The impact of water trading has lead to a very strong debate on the socioeconomic impacts to communities. Who are/will be the traders: the low socioeconomic farming families and communities, with no succession planning?

The Murrumbidgee, Colleambly , Murray irrigation area and Murray Goulburn Water systems loose any where between 400 to 600 gigalitres per year, depending on the season.

The Australian National Committee of Irrigation and Drainage has records of studies already being carried out to ascertain where to get the best ‘bang for the buck’ and like the elephant, by segmenting a portion at a time you can reduce the losses slowly but surely.

“We should all be pushing to see the upgrades in those regions, just as South Australia has already demonstrated it can be done,” Councillor Grogan said. “There are always lots of ‘knockers’ that say you can’t pipe those big channels but the losses are higher percentage wise in the branch channels.” The Murray Darling Association also agrees that when public money is used for upgrades, it is only right that the water saved is used to benefit the whole system.

“When all players in this demise begin to understand the others’ problems, progress can and will be made,” Councillor Grogan said.

For further information contact Ray Najar, General Manager of the Murray Darling Association, on (08) 8226 0582.

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