‘Send River Murray water to our drought-stricken farmers’, says Nicola Centofanti

Drought-stricken farmers are sending their sheep to abattoirs because they can’t keep them alive, but could water from the River Murray provide a solution?

River Murray water saved because Adelaide’s desalination plant has been switched on should be sent to help drought-stricken farmers, the state opposition says.

Liberal primary industries and water spokeswoman Nicola Centofanti said any unused water allocations from the state’s annual Murray-Darling Basin Agreement entitlement should be directed to regional reservoirs.

“Many of our farmers and their livestock are in a dire situation because they do not have access to basic needs such as water,” she said.

“By using our current allocation and opening up our reservoirs to farmers for water pumping, this is a practical solution that could take the pressure off many of these farming communities.

“We have the Bundaleer reservoir and a number of other reservoirs in our regions which could be utilised by farmers to ensure their troughs and tanks remain full during these tough times.”

Liberal primary industries spokeswoman Nicola Centofanti. Picture Emma Brasier

Ms Centofanti said in 2019 the State Government turned on the desal plant for water to be used in metropolitan Adelaide to make more River Murray water available to drought-stricken farmers in NSW and Victoria.

“If the water is there now, why don’t we have a similar program for South Australian farmers?” she said.

“There is a pipeline from the Murray to most of these reservoirs. And in particular I’m thinking about regional reservoirs like Bundaleer (near Spalding in the Mid North). Why aren’t we opening that up for our farmers?

“Why aren’t we making sure if there are gigalitres left (from the Murray allocation), why aren’t we allowing those farmers out north who are really dry to tap into that?”

The Lonsdale desalination plant is set to produce 300 million litres of water a day until at least the middle of the year after metropolitan reservoir levels dropped to their lowest levels in more than 20 years.

Nearly 200 gigalitres of River Murray water was last year allocated to the State Government for “critical human needs” in urban and regional SA.

Ms Centofanti urged the state government to be transparent about how much spare River Murray water had been created by the desalination plant and where this water was being used.

Originally published as ‘Send River Murray water to our drought-stricken farmers’, says Nicola Centofanti