NRAR court action against a Wentworth vineyard operator for illegally taking water

A Wentworth vineyard owner, who allegedly took 13,000 megalitres in excess of their licenced volume almost a decade ago, will now face court.

An irrigator near Wentworth is alleged to have illegally bypassed their water pump’s meter.

The NSW Natural Resources Access Regulator has launched a prosecution in the Land and Environment Court against a Wentworth vineyard operator who it alleges bypassed water meters and pumped up to 13,000 megalitres more than their water licence allocation.

The water was allegedly taken illegally from the Lower Darling River over four years between 2011 and 2015.

The alleged offences occurred shortly after the Millennium Drought when the Murray–Darling Basin and almost all the southern NSW cropping zones were still severely affected by dry conditions.

NRAR director investigations and enforcement Lisa Stockley said the allegations were extremely serious even though conditions in the area had since moved from severe drought to flooding in some locations.

“Periods of abundant rainfall have a way of taking attention away from the overall reality of finite water resources,” Ms Stockley said.

“When people irrigate unlawfully, they’re not just risking heavy penalties. Illegal water take can also cause significant harm to the environment and their own community.  

“Since irrigated agriculture often includes the largest water users within a particular region, the regulator has made this a priority area for compliance and monitoring activities.”

“NRAR remains committed to the enforcement of the state’s water laws, although we take the current challenging conditions into account,” she said.

Quarterly reporting data gathered during July to September this year had also highlighted illegal water take and water meter breaches remained the most common offence in NSW (48 per cent of all offences).

Meanwhile, the federal government is preparing to buyout irrigators water for the environment.