Hello Folks, Could you please share this post to all your friends. Ideally it needs to go Viral. To the elected members of the NSW Parliament. Dear Sir,Madam,Ms, I am writing on behalf of the Broken Hill, Menindee Lakes: WE WANT ACTION (Facebook) Group to write to you to seek your support. In just a few weeks the membership of this group has reached over 7,580 members with more joining everyday. It is becoming a State and National movement. People have had enough. The power of social media! The Far West Area of NSW may not necessarily be part of your Electorate, but as workers, citizens, taxpayers, and ratepayers of NSW we believe the elected representatives of this State have a moral obligation to ensure all people of the State are treated with fairness and honesty. It is also required that the physical and mental health and well being of the people of this State are of paramount importance to all our State officials, especially so for our elected representatives. Please take a little of your time to read this and if possible follow up with your support. While this doesnt generally affect all the above addressees, the State Election in 2015 will see issues such as this become a major topic and voters will vote accordingly. The Far West Area of the State of NSW has been a major contributor to the wealth and prosperity of this state for decades. The same nationally. Unfortunately we are treated as second class citizens much too often, both Federally and at State level. Regardless of who is in power at the time. We have major issues and concerns in regard to our permanent water supply. Bourke, Louth, Tilpa, Wilcannia, Menindee, Pooncarie and Broken Hill and the surrounding districts rely on the Darling River and the Menindee Lakes for fresh drinking water. The main issue for all these communities is the demand for that water. Large upstream and catchment areas have cotton growers have establishing enormous storage systems that reduce the flow down river. The Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) takes control when the trigger point of 640GL is held in storage at the Menindee Lakes Storages Scheme (MLS). They make the decision on where and how much is released, which then goes downstream to Wentworth, joins the River Murray and heads into South Australia, generally out to sea, apparently to keep the Murray mouth from silting over. When the storage capacity drops to 480 GL, NSW State Water takes over control. This is known as the 640/480 Rule. We have now been informed that State Water wants to install bore around the Menindee Lakes area, this supposedly is to safeguard Broken Hills water supply in an emergency. It is met with a great deal of suspicion locally, the main reason is who decides when and what constitutes an emergency. It is also suspected that further down the track NSW State Water will be able to rely on that water and either release more downstream or restrict the inflows from upstream. Irrigators must have a lot of pull when its at the cost of townships having a safe, fresh water supply. Present operations of the Menindee Lake Storages allow high and low irrigation water as well as environmental water to have priority over urban water, which may be contrary to the Water Act. We have been informed that we may have 12-18 months of water left, with no inflows from upriver, no rain forecast and many of the smaller townships water supplies only being puddles. Yet water is still being released down small creeks (the 3 Mile for example). Not for environmental reasons, not for drinking, just being released. It is the suspicion of the local communities that water is being released to drain even more water, leaving no alternative but to have bore water to use. Upon asking whos decision it was to release this water, the local authority Essential Water said, it comes from up top The actual drilling for bore testing is happening now! Where are the EPA studies? Where is the dialogue with the local communities? The bore drilling is taking place in the proximity of ancient Indigenous burial grounds and those of cultural sensitivity, no dialogue has been had with the local Barkindji people. Why is that? There are oth er alternatives if the powers that be interact and work with local communities rather than ride roughshod over them. Who stands to gain? Big business? Irrigators? Perhaps there are ways to work together so that everyone benefits. The excuse of major evaporation doesnt wash (pun intended.) When I was at school one thing I took out from Science class was that evaporation is necessary for precipitation. I know precipitation means rain. Now we dont get water from out of space so I would suggestion that evaporation and precipitation is a natural cycle. There was $400 million put aside by the Federal Government in 2013 for works to carried out at the Menindee Lakes Storage. Weir repairs and channels, deepening the lakes, building up weir heights would allow most of the 480 GL to be retained as well as allowing some controlled releases A suggestion is The NSW Office of Water needs to amend the operating rules of the Menindee Storages to read as an interim measure the NSW Drought Reserve of 480GL be stored in accessible lakes Wetherall and Pamamaroo. Essential Water in consultation with the Broken City Council sanction releases below 400GK. Please support NSW communities, dont not be bothered to look at this issue. It is garnering more and more support. It will be interesting to see who and what support and resolutions are forthcoming prior to the upcoming 2015 State Election. To those who bothered to read this. I thank you, personally and on behalf of those communities now at risk. For more on this group see https://m.facebook/groups/764921983546189?view=permalink&id=773861005985620 There are petitions in the process of being drawn up, we expect thousands upon thousands, even tens of thousands will be signing. There has been significant interest from local and national media regarding this ongoing issue. Keep an eye out. Its only going to get bigger. On behalf on the Broken Hill, Menindee Lakes: WE WANT ACTION members Your sincerely Mark Williams
Posted on: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 08:22:42 +0000
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