Field introduced a motion on April 30 to disallow new regulations that would have enabled billions of dollars worth of licences to harvest flood waters across the state’s Northern Basin.
Under the MDBA, NSW is required to take control of these unmonitored and unmanaged extractions and return over-allocations of water.
Dramatic increases in floodplain harvesting in the Northern Basin are blamed for reductions in river flows, which have had a devastating impact on Southern Basin water users, wetlands and inland biodiversity.
Water policy consultancy Slattery and Johnson estimated that on-farm storage has blown out to approximately 1500 gigalitres this year, from 400 gigalitres in 1994. They said the floodplain plans are devastating for the environment.
Field introduced the motion on April 30 to disallow new regulations that would have enabled billions of dollars worth of licences to harvest flood waters across the state’s Northern Basin.
Under the MDBA, NSW is required to take control of these unmonitored and unmanaged extractions and return over allocations of water.
Dramatic increases in floodplain harvesting in the Northern Basin have been blamed for reductions in river flows, which have had a devastating impact on Southern Basin water users, wetlands and inland biodiversity.
Water policy consultancy, Slattery and Johnson has estimated that on-farm storage of 400 gigalitres in 1994 has this year blown out to approximately 1500 gigalitres. They said the floodplain plans are devastating for the environment.
The upper house has rejected the scheme to license irrigators’ extraction during floods while a federal agency has dismissed the government’s river plans.
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Viability of âflawedâ Dungowan Dam in doubt as costs blow out further
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The troubled Dungowan Dam project, cited by the Productivity Commission as an exemplar of âflawed decision makingâ, may be even less viable than thought with an internal NSW government review estimating costs may double again.
Originally agreed by the NSW and federal governments as a $150 million dam on the Peel River to meet rising water demand in the northern town of Tamworth, the projectâs cost have tripled to $484 million, the commission said in its draft National Water Reform report released last week.