Dry conditions raise concerns along the Murray Darling Basin

Updated August 08, 2014 19:24:00

After a protracted and contentious drafting period, the Murray Darling Basin plan was brought in on the back of two wet years. Now with drought still gripping parts of New South Wales and Queensland and predictions for more hot and dry weather ahead, farmers are getting concerned and some say the plan is facing its first real test.

Source: PM | Duration: 5min 15sec

Topics: water, nsw, sa, vic


EMILY BOURKE: After a contentious and protracted drafting period, the Murray-Darling Basin Plan was brought in on the back of two wet years.

Now with drought still gripping parts of New South Wales and Queensland and predictions for more hot and dry weather ahead, some farmers say the plan is facing its first real test.

With water already scarce in some areas, graziers and irrigators along the basin are starting to worry.

Natalie Whiting prepared this report.

NATALIE WHITING: Garry Hall runs cattle on a station in the Macquarie Marshes in north-west NSW. The wetlands span 200,000 hectares, but Mr Hall says that area is shrinking.

GARRY HALL: The Basin Plan and the state and Commonwealth water buyback has been a godsend for the marshes and it's got, it's helped save what marsh is healthy now, but as a landholder involved in the water debate and a representative of a community that are involved in the water debate, we're all fearful that the recovery is less from each severe drought.

NATALIE WHITING: Hundreds of red gums, some of them 300 years old, have died on the outskirts of the marshes.

He says there are too many demands on the river.

GARRY HALL: The trees were under stress prior to the millennium drought, but the dry period from 2002 to 2010 was the finish of 'em. They were just exhausted, the water table had dropped too low and they didn't have any reserves left to recover when the flood did come.

NATALIE WHITING: With drought gripping large parts of NSW and Queensland, water is becoming scarce in parts of the basin.

Floodplain graziers around the marshes aren't the only ones concerned. Greg Martin runs a sheep property between Wilcannia and Menindee. He says big releases from the Menindee Lakes earlier this year have dropped the Darling River dramatically.

GREG MARTIN: When they drop the river rapidly and the banks get all muddy and the stock go down for a drink, and because they're steep banks, they get stuck and especially weaker stock and, yeah, it causes all sorts of dramas.

NATALIE WHITING: The current drought means not much water is coming from upstream and the Darling River remains low.

GREG MARTIN: Somebody makes a decision and away the water goes. They don't care about anyone along the Darling, especially around Menindee, Wilcannia and all the way up to Bourke. They just forget that they exist. So, yeah, we just get left to do the best we can with the little water that's left.

NATALIE WHITING: The chairman of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, Craig Knowles, says farmers are under increasing pressure.

CRAIG KNOWLES: Right now, in some parts of the Murray-Darling Basin, it is as dry as a biscuit. There is very little water, our dams are very low and people are destocking property as we speak.

NATALIE WHITING: The Bureau of Meteorology recently downgraded its prediction of an El Nino weather pattern forming later this year from a 70 per cent chance to a 50 per cent chance. But that's still double the average risk and the majority of climate models say hot and dry conditions are still likely for spring.

In the Victorian town of Mildura, some irrigators are concerned about when the dry might reach them.

RICHARD MILLS: Water's a very expensive commodity to have and it's just vital. I mean, if we don't have water, we can't grow anything here. It's as simple as that.

NATALIE WHITING: Richard Mills is a local fruit grower.

RICHARD MILLS: There were a lot of buybacks. You know, the wine industry's a big industry in this town and a lot of people have been struggling to make ends meet, and so in desperate times, water was a good commodity to get rid of, so they could get some money and reduce debt.

NATALIE WHITING: He's concerned now local farmers won't be able to afford water if a drought takes hold.

Irrigators' eyes are already turning to the Commonwealth.

RICHARD MILLS: Are the Commonwealth going to continue giving the same amount of water to the environment as they do right now if we do go through a drought? Are they going to look after the farmers and make sure that maybe some of that water is given to the farmers and not just to the environment? And I understand that the environment is incredibly important, but farmers are incredibly important too.

NATALIE WHITING: Despite the concerns, Craig Knowles says he doesn't think there will be a return to the water wars seen during the plan's drafting. He says in drought conditions, the basin will be better off with the plan than it would be without it.

CRAIG KNOWLES: I think another spell of dry weather is going to reinforce the value of the plan. There's no doubt in my mind about that. Water sharing's easy when there's plenty of water. Water sharing creates conflict among neighbours and friends and brothers who own adjoining farms when there's not much about.

NATALIE WHITING: He says if dry weather takes hold, all levels of government will need to pull together to get through it.

EMILY BOURKE: Natalie Whiting reporting. And our NSW listeners can see more on that story on 7.30 NSW tonight.