Coorong farmers hit by 300 per cent rise in water prices taking matters in their own hand

COORONG farmers hammered by SA Water bills rising 300 per cent in the past seven years are taking matters into their own hands to water precious livestock.

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COORONG farmers hammered by SA Water bills rising 300 per cent in the past seven years are taking matters into their own hands to water precious livestock.

Third-generation Meningie cattle and crop farmer Ahmid Van Den Brink spent $130,000 to install a desalination plant on his farm to counter soaring water bills.

“Our bill jumped and we didn’t know when it was going to stop,” Mr Van Den Brink said. “We installed the plant about 5½ years ago and I think it’s about paid for itself.”

Water for his 400 cattle now costs $0.65/kl using the desal plant, compared with $3.24/kl from SA Water.

Other properties are switching to sheep because they drink less than cattle, while some are paying to install pipes to pump water from Lake Albert.

Such is the concern about prices that the Coorong Water Security Action Group is joining forces with peak industry group Livestock SA to campaign for interest-free loans to help farmers rid themselves of massive water bills after the March election.

DRASTIC ACTION: Meningie farmer Ahmid Van Den Brink at one of the troughs that has desalinated water. Picture: TAIT SCHMAAL

“Households can install a rainwater tank, but for livestock, it’s going to take more than a tank,” cattle farmer Henry Angas said.

“If parties are serious about developing regional SA, this is a way to do it.

“I think it would create a lot more benefit than a lot of these other harebrained schemes they come up with.”

Mr Angas, who jointly funded his own pipeline to Lake Albert with his neighbour, is chairman of the Coorong action group established to negotiate ways for farmers to obtain off-peak water at lower costs – but talks have failed.

It leaves those farmers who are tied to using mains water battling rising bills.

Mr Angas said they were forced to pay $3300 yearly for each megalitre used.

In contrast, irrigators can buy a water licence for River Murray water for a one-off cost of $3200 to extract a megalitre of water every year without extra cost until the licence is sold.

“In the past seven years, there’s been a 300 per cent increase in the cost of SA Water bills,” Mr Angas said. “It’s difficult to absorb the costs.”

The average water bill for 400 to 500 cattle would be up to $70,000, he said.

Ahmid Van Den Brink with some of his cattle stock. Picture: TAIT SCHMAAL.

Livestock SA is expected to name water costs as a key issue in its pre-election campaigning. Chief executive Andrew Curtis said it was crucial for farmers to have more production security.

“It’s just becoming prohibitive for expansion,” Mr Curtis said.

“Farmers can budget for CPI increases, but when there are outlandish increases, it has an impact.”

An SA Water spokesman said plans for a new Coorong water transportation scheme for farmers failed to meet key criteria.