Calls for irrigation scheme to be scrapped; farmers fear another “Murray-Darling fiasco”
Media Release
A group of more than 100 concerned West Manjimup farmers in Western Australia’s South West are calling for a stop to the Southern Forests Irrigation Scheme (SFIS), fearing it will cause raised salinity levels in the Donnelly River and a trading scheme where water will be sold to the highest bidder.
There are additional concerns about 350 hectares of forest that will have to be destroyed to make the project possible and losing water forever, via the scheme, from the Donnelly River catchment.
Under the SFIS, a 15-gigalitre dam and 250km pipeline will supply about nine gigalitres of water annually to irrigate 1700ha of land – but only farmers making a financial contribution will benefit, despite government funding making up more than 85 per cent of the cost.
The Federal Government committed $39 million to the scheme just days before it went into caretaker mode for the election with the State Government providing $18 million and a private cooperative of 68 farmers also adding $10 million.
Calls for proponents of the scheme to hold a public meeting have been repeatedly ignored – and farmers with protest signs on their properties have received letters from the council threatening fines if they do not remove them.
Out of 458 farmers in the district, only have 68 have signed up to the scheme.
Local farmer and Don’t Dam the Donnelly member John Kilrain described the project as ill-founded and unfair.
“As things stand, the Warren and Blackwood rivers have salinity problems but the Donnelly River doesn’t,” he said.
“When you start taking water out of a catchment area, especially in the manner proposed, salt levels will start to rise.
“In 10 years’ time, we will find ourselves with all our rivers having salinity problems – do we really want to damage such a fresh, pristine waterway based on flawed data?”
Mr Kilrain said the SFIS was wholly reliant on Department of Water and Environmental Regulation modelling, rather than physical gauging stations.
“None have been put in place to accurately measure the water in the catchment area, despite the cost being less than $50,000,” he said.
“Under the SFIS, water can be taken from the river whenever the flow is above 20 megalitres a day – but when you remove the winter flush from a river you’re almost certainly going to have salinity problems in the future because the salt is no longer being washed back to the ocean.
“And adding fresh water to salt-affected land will only make the problems east of Manjimup worse – salt levels are already high and if they pipe water and put it on top, the salinity levels will go even higher and make the land unsuitable for production.”
The SFIS business case, which includes a cost-benefit analysis, has yet to be released to the public by Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan.
The farmer’s cooperative has only provided 2 per cent of its promised $10 million and will only deliver another eight per cent before the scheme’s infrastructure.
“That means there’s a potential $9 million black hole because any one of those 68 farmers could pull out at any time,” Mr Kilrain said.
“Questions need to be answered on who actually owns this pipeline and what happens if they get halfway through construction and run out of funds?
“Landowners who have not contributed will get no benefit so farmers in the catchment area are very concerned about the impact it will have on their existing operations into the future.
“The scheme is simply not fair or equitable in its current form.”
Mr Kilrain says proponents of the SFIS want to push the price of water as high as possible.
“Our government should be looking to assist farmers and orchardists to create produce at the lowest price possible so we can be competitive in export markets,” he said.
“I’ve yet to see one example of water trading being a success in this country.
“Water should be as cheap as possible to allow farms to flourish, which has a flow-on effect by creating greater employment.”
Mr Kilrain also highlighted the increased carbon footprint that would be created by the project, via the initial building of the infrastructure and continued pumping of water.
“The last thing anyone wants is for this to turn into another Murray-Darling Basin fiasco,” he said.
Greens South West Region MCL Diane Evers tabled a petition against the scheme to WA Parliament in June and an online petition currently has more than 3700 signatures.
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4 comments
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New England Cocky -
Lambchop Simnel -
Robin Alexander -
DrakeN
Return to home page“Water should be as cheap as possible to allow farms to flourish, which has a flow-on effect by creating greater employment.”
Uhm ….. in NW NSW that is not the case. The water wars have already started and farmers are losing big time already.
The above sentiment is excellent buy overlooks the effect of big pocket coal and other miners pushing the spot cost of water through the moon to meet their production needs with the new automated AI machinery that requires fewer and fewer jobs as the technology being developed in NW Australia spreads into other mining provinces.
Then there is the water trading between valleys rater than exclusively within valleys, the carry over clauses that allow/encourage over pumping, plus the ever present water ‘theft’ to grow bumper cotton crops in no pump years.
Ah, and don’t forget the expensive empty glasses of water.
In Armidale NSW the ratepayers are struggling on Level 5 water restriction while Armidale Regional Council refuses to invoke the Force Majeure clause in the water supply contract between the former Guyra Shire Council and Costa Guyra Tomato Farm that grows tomatoes for export and the profit of foreign shareholders living overseas.
A Force Majeure clause is a legal device for suspending contract responsibilities for the duration of an uncontrollable natural event, like the worst drought in living memory.
The NSW GLadly-back-flip-I-can Lazy Nasty People misgovernment spent about $13 MILLION of taxpayers money to build a pipeline directly into the Tomato Farm from Malpas Dam, the source of drinking water for the Armidale’s about 25,000 population.
The Tomato Farm boast that they capture all the rain that falls on their gigantic glasshouses plus use bore water in the northern location and so are independent of local town water supplies.
But Daddy, If they have independent water supplies why do they need the pipeline taking our Armidale drinking water?
So the question becomes “what quantum of future political donations does political largesse of $13 MILLION buy in future political donations for the national$ party or for the ARC councillors seeking to advance their political careers?
This riles me, given how much adverse stuff has turned up as to disastrous water policy, licences, FTA’s
What is it last 10yrs its about big boys intent getting everything they want no matter how many $$ it costs them but don’t give a damn for population who cannot survive without this water! Is it my imagination thinking this is all National Party with collaboration of Libs that are closely involved here opening doors and quick passage via governments for approval? They are scourge to the future of Australia survival in many areas all for love of MONEY BLINDING THEM ALL?
Everything comes to those who can pay for it – and have the kind of associates and acquaintances who have influence in halls of governance.
The rank-and-file, the hoi polloi exist solely to serve the ambitions and avarice of the already wealthy and priviledged.
As the Great Bard wrote: ” ‘t was ever thus.”