Riverina cotton grower Peter Tuohey to pay $205K for overdrawn water

Peter Tuohey from Carrathool has agreed to pay $205,000 for overdrawn water – equating to 900 Olympic swimming pools.

Farmer Peter Tuohey has agreed to pay $205,000 in costs and community donations for taking water illegally from 2018-2020.

A Riverina cotton grower has agreed to pay $205,000 in costs and community donations after he was found to have taken 900 Olympic swimming pools of water illegally.

Peter Damien Tuohey, who runs a mixed farming operation near Carrathool in the NSW Riverina, agreed to the legally binding deal with the Natural Resources Access Regulator after he was found to have overdrawn his water accounts by 2280 ML between October 2018 and November 2020 – a period of severe drought.

NRAR’s Director Water Regulation west Graeme White said the water, drawn from the Murrumbidgee Deep Groundwater Source, represented enough water to fill more than 900 Olympic swimming pools.

“When you take more than your allocation you are taking water from the environment, negatively affecting dependent ecosystems and restricting access to water for users who have followed the rules,” Mr White said.

Under the terms of the agreement, Mr Tuohey will pay for the 2280ML of water he took illegally and reimburse NRAR $125,000 for its legal and investigation costs.

He will also pay $80,000 to Hay Shire Council for the redevelopment of a small park in the town, and will carry out weekly manual meter readings for three years.

Mr White said the regulator was closely monitoring overdrawn accounts.

“A water account is like a bank account – you can’t spend it until it’s been deposited in the account. In this case the licence holder pumped water when they had either zero-balance available or was already in deficit,” he said.

Mr Tuohey’s case was listed in the Land and Environment Court on Friday, but NRAR withdrew 13 charges against Mr Tuohey when it said he had reached a voluntary agreement with the regulator.