Sean Cunningham, Narrandera Argus
The Lake Mejum/Coolah water storage proposal is back in the spotlight, following an announcement from Narrandera Shire Council Mayor Neville Kschenka.
Council is seeking funds to conduct a feasibility study into Lake Mejum/Coolah as an off Murrumbidgee River water storage location.
A former Narrandera Mayor and Murrumbidgee Valley Water Users group member, Warwick Heckendorf, was an advocate for the project decades ago, but his opinion has since changed.
“I think they’re (council) chasing rainbows,” Mr Heckendorf said.
“There’s no more water left to store – where are they going to get the water from?
“The other problem I see is that Lake Coolah filled up and flooded out in 2015.
“It came from up Cowabbie way and across the Newell Highway and filled up Lake Mejum too – it was a massive amount of water.
“I was in favour of it until we had that big flood in 2015.”
Located 12 kilometres north of Narrandera, both bodies of water are a series of natural lakes at the southern end of the Narrandera ranges within the Murrumbidgee catchment area.
They capture and store rain and stormwater flow from the areas and regions below the headwaters and Blowering and Burrinjuck Dams.
“The Lake Coolah Mejum area has been identified as a potential source capable of saving water by providing a mid-river storage location, and the project meets the criteria of the Australian Government’s Resilient Rivers Water Infrastructure Program,” Councillor Kschenka said.
The program focuses on improving water logistics, water quality and meeting the goals of the Australian Government to recover 450,000 megalitres of water for the benefit of the environmental program, while sustaining the economic viability of the regional agricultural and agribusiness commerce and employment.
While this Lake Coolah water storage opportunity has been studied from the 1930s through to the 1980s, significant advances in modern technologies in the design and operation of water storage present an opportunity to undertake a contemporary feasibility assessment.
Mr Heckendorf said previous proposals came close to “getting up” in the past.
“It went close a few times when Neville Wran was Prime Minister, but I think it was just electioneering as they forgot all about it after the election,” he said.
“But, even 100 years ago they knocked the idea on the head.
“About 25 years ago we were told it was a better option putting something in at Oura and it was feasible about 40 years ago if you put a pumping scheme in at Berembed Weir.
“I don’t know where they’re going to get the money to pay for it or where they’re going to get the water from.”
Mr Heckendorf said he had “no problem” with the project going ahead but questioned the cost involved.
“Mechanically it could be done, but it would cost a fortune,” he said.
“There’s no more water being made and there’s always somebody upstream that wants it.
“They’d have to buy land upstream or make some provision for people who are farming in that area if we got a big flood again.”
Council believes that with the introduction of the Murray Darling Basin (MDB) Plan, water trading, water as an investment assets class, permanent higher valued tree and vine cropping and off-farm processing investments, there is ample reason to investigate the viability of this project for both environmental goals, regional drought security, and regional food production sustainability beyond 2025.
Council has engaged Arche Consulting principal John Madden to develop the scoping study to support the application and hosted a community information session last night (November 6) to discuss the grant application and proposed feasibility study of water storage at the lakes.
This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 7 November 2024.
