Murray irrigators demand explanation of low allocation despite higher rainfall
Murray water users are questioning the looming allocations despite higher rainfall in the past month.
SA News
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Murray irrigators fear they are facing “doom and gloom” water allocations from July 1, with storages 25 per cent down on last year.
Ahead of a formal announcement on 2020/21 allocations on April 15 the Environment Department has warned: “At 19 March 2020, the active storage volume in MDBA controlled storages was 2540GL; 45 per cent lower than the long-term end of March average of 4610 GL (excluding Menindee Lakes) and 25 per cent lower than the same time last year (3394 GL)’’.
“It is prudent to continue planning for very low water availability for the beginning of the 2020-21 water year.”
But SA Murray Irrigators chair Caren Martin, of Renmark, challenged the findings and said the organisation would seek an explanation of why high rainfall in the last month had made no difference to the department’s “doom and gloom” prediction.
“It is doom and gloom,’’ she said. “They are softening us up for a low opening allocation, and that is pretty obvious.
“Whether it is a justified low, let’s start to question that.’’
With allocations cut, growers will face the choice of buying extra water, at high prices, from those chose to sell it, or slash production and watch their plantings wither and die.
Ms Martin said SA Murray Irrigators would formally ask the department to reconsider calculations that appeared to show no improvement to the health of the river, despite heavy rain in Queensland and NSW catchment areas.
The department briefing states: “Rainfall in Queensland and northern New South Wales over recent weeks has helped to improve inflows … but it is not expected to increase water availability in the River Murray System”.
Ms Martin said: “There are a few things we are questioning such as the recent rains not falling in the catchment, well they did’’.
“Several of the rivers in the basin are flooding. They are absolutely telling a furphy that it hasn’t rained in the basin, because a massive monsoonal pattern moved through the basin earlier this year.
“It would have to be very delayed not to get to the storage. ’’
Earlier this month, the Murray-Darling Basin authority reported: “Over the past month rainfall averaged 80mm across the basin, which the Bureau of Meteorology report as 98 per cent above the long-term average for February”.
The Department, which was contacted for comment, has also announced because of the coronavirus pandemic it has abandoned this year’s public meetings where its decisions are explained to irrigators.