Hi All , As you might be aware ,Myself, Darryn Clifton and Mark Hutton sat with the Minister for Water Kevin Humphries and John Williams today. We discussed our concerns re the bore project and other issues we felt relevant. All 10 points contained in the following were borne from posts on this group. Mark made some excellent recommendations regarding al alternative to the bore which were well received also. Im sure there is some amongst the crowd who would have preferred we went in swinging but I think the approach that was taken was much more appropriate. I personally walked away 75% confident that Kevin Humphries is genuinely attempting to put things in place to sure up the next inflow to the MLS. We hope to receive a response to the 10 points in the near future . 1 In our view the MDBA decision to draw down such a massive amount of water from Dec 13 to Feb 14 , when they were in full knowledge of an extending drought in the upper Barwon-Darling System and no significant rain or inflows into that system for about 17 months prior, but still the draw down of water occurred. We view this as mismanagement because why would a controlling authority intentionally perform a draw down of this scale, knowing that Broken Hill’s water supply would be put at risk. 2 The common myth of evaporation is always thrown at Menindee Lakes as being the major problem within the system. So the water is always drawn down to save evaporation and to be placed in other areas lower down the system, There is never any mention of evaporation in ‘on farm storages’ north of the lakes or the ‘lower lakes of SA.’ 3 In your view , how do you see the current management of the lakes, Does the 480 / 640 ratio represent a fair allocation of water for the supply of Broken Hill and Menindee including environmental sustainability of the MLS. Should this ratio should be increased or decreased and if so by how far?. It is the view of concerned citizens of this region that the level should be dramatically increased to help mitigate against situations which we are currently enduring. 4 Would total management of the lakes be better managed under NSW control as the MDBA seems to recognise the lower lakes of SA for their environmental aspects with disregard shown for the MLS. 5 Why implement a bore program when we should be addressing the over allocation of water extraction in irrigation areas mainly in areas North of the Lakes to allow the water back into the Rivers and let the rivers flow and survive. This problem was never an issue in previous years and only became an issue with the immense growth of irrigation farms (mainly cotton). 6 What guarantee can you give to the Broken Hill and Menindee residents that this bore water will only be used in times of emergency and secondly who will decide when it is an emergency situation and how will an emergency be defined. 7 Why did the commonwealth government remove 198 Million dollars from the proposed re-engineering works for the MLS and was there any opposition from NSW regarding this. 8 What re-engineering works are to be scheduled for the MLS using the remaining 200 odd million, which will be funded by the Commonwealth Government and how will they strengthen the viability of the lakes and Broken Hill / Menindee water supply. 9 What steps will the State Government take to secure the following aspects of the lakes for Broken Hill / Menindee for the future prosperity of the region. Surface Water guarantee Environmental Tourism Agriculture Recreation 10 With the likelihood that you will be our next State Member for this region, do you recognise that the people of the Western Region that are affected by these issues will stand firm to fight for a better managed MLS that only includes surface water. The general view is that bore water is not the answer and that bore water is a band aid solution. The Facebook Group Broken Hill, Menindee Lakes WE WANT ACTION group and current 6500 members (plus family and friends) will help lead the way in securing votes for the candidate who will best represent the views of the communities. AND GO.
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 09:13:54 +0000
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