A bridge not far, or high, enough
Despite years of warnings, public protests, approaches to Ministers and Members of Parliament, and, in particular, the vocal opposition of the very active Community Action for Windsor Bridge (CAWB) group, Roads & Maritime Services in NSW insisted on building the new Windsor Bridge across the Hawkesbury River in exactly the wrong location.
A message to MP Pitt from Dr Peter Barker, OAM, Cohuna
"You are surrounded by the passionate custodians of the southern Murray Darling Basin. I deal with these ladies, gentleman, and their kids on a daily basis and when they are sad or vulnerable, I hear the stories. So, what is it that is driving some to want to sell the farm as a best counselled option after weeks of therapy as opposed to the suicide planned when the wife brings her husband in the night at the point of desperation. I’m going to talk about some of the straws that are breaking backs and what follows is extracted from many conversations I have had with troubled farmers when they see a problem with no solution, they can influence ..."
Standard digital camera and artificial intelligence to monitor soil moisture for affordable smart irrigation
Researchers at The University of South Australia have developed a cost-effective new technique to monitor soil moisture using a standard digital camera and machine learning technology.
Pollies on tour
Last week the stars aligned, the heavens opened and upon rays of golden light came a contingent of politicians and bureaucrats to witness what the current water policy decisions are doing to our economy, food producers and environment. The attendance of such dignitaries was less to do with heavenly intervention, but mainly blood, sweat and tears by those who tirelessly advocate to end the government sanctioned destruction.
Latest Mount Morgan water restrictions
Level 6 Water Restrictions will be implemented in Mount Morgan from Monday 15 March, following the news that the No. 7 Dam has fallen to below 10% capacity. However, the water conservation by Mount Morgan residents means watering of private gardens can continue ... Cr Rutherford: “Residents have worked so hard to keep plants and veggie patches alive despite the hot dry weather, and to say watering would no longer be possible would have been very tough."
Certainty flows from basin plan reform
NSW Farmers welcomes steps from Federal Water Minister Keith Pitt to end the Water Efficiency Program and the recovery of consumptive water from on-farm sources. The Federal Government committed to move away from on-farm water recovery in the Murray Darling Basin Plan (MDBP) in September 2020. Minister Pitt’s announcement to end the Water Efficiency Program formalises this commitment.
Water Minister Keith Pitt meets with Northern Victorian mayors
Hon Keith Pitt MP joined local member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster and Senator Hon Bridget McKenzie, in Mildura today to talk water with the Murray River Group of Councils. Mayors of the six member councils welcomed the opportunity to directly raise their concerns about the impacts of the Basin Plan on the region on behalf of northern Victorian communities.
Sharing a vision
Koondrook-Perricoota Forest is Australia's largest redgum forest spanning 33,759Ha. As you drive past the KP Forest on the Moulamein Road it is hard to ignore the colossal banks and outlets that lay dormant. The huge engineering exercise costing more than $100 million was the NSW State Government's approach to meeting Murray Darling Basin Plan objectives. Unable to use the engineering white elephant and KP Forest's health still dire, the community is leading the charge to find a workable, pragmatic solution that can be driven by people invested in the outcome.
Water guaranteed for Mount Morgan
Rockhampton Regional Council and Fitzroy River Water have today reaffirmed their commitment that the residents of Mount Morgan will not be left without access to water as the dry weather continues. Rockhampton Region Mayor, Tony Williams, said the water remaining in the dam is expected to provide water for another three to six months but that Council was now trialling contingency plans.
Kookaburra Calling- is it time for the ASX of water?
In a lively panel session held at the ABARES Outlook 2021 virtual conference, entitled 'Improving water market outcomes in the southern Murray-Darling Basin', Mick Keogh, the Deputy Chairman of the ACCC responsible for small business and agriculture, and lead author of a report on the water market recently handed to the Federal Treasurer, alluded to the idea of establishing a water market in Australia akin to the regulatory environment of the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX).
ABARES Outlook 2021 – Littleproud spruiks government’s ag credentials
The ABARES Outlook 2021 Conference, the annual conference held by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural Economics, being held virtually for the first time this year, is taking place between March 2nd and 4th.
Rainbow Serpent story told in documentary
The knowledge of the Rainbow Serpent has been told in a new documentary – The Serpent’s Tale – in an effort to highlight the importance of protecting the Kimberley region’s Martuwarra or Fitzroy River.
‘Apprehensive’ approach to draft water strategy
Speak Up Campaign chair Lachlan Marshall said removing policy makers out of regional centres and locating them in city offices has resulted in isolated decision making, where local knowledge is disregarded. He described the Snowy Hydro Scheme as “a great example of the disconnect between the southern food bowl and the city decision-makers”, and is concerned that under the latest water strategy the NSW Murray would “miss out again”.
Basin Bound: Absurdity Found
Federal government of both sides have presided over a plan to save the Murray Darling Basin. It is the biggest water reform since Federation, based on political deception, ignorance, scientific perjury, greed, corruption and the raping of our countryside. And all this is from the information publicly available. The Darling, the Murray, the Murrumbidgee, all a mess, but for very different reasons ...
Dunoon Dam – Ballina Council resolves to revive Dunoon Dam option
In its first meeting for 2021, Ballina Shire Council has voted to support further investigation into the Dunoon Dam in an effort to revive the proposal and secure the region’s future water supply.
Dunoon Dam – Respecting the wishes of traditional owners on Dunoon Dam
WATER Northern Rivers Alliance calls on Rous County Council and state water planners to respect the wishes of Widjabul Wia-bal people who have voiced their opposition to the proposed Dunoon Dam. The dam would obliterate important cultural heritage ancient burial sites. Yesterday John Roberts, a senior Elder of the Widjabul Wia-bal stated that when he and other traditional custodians were consulted about the dam in 2011 they made it clear that no level of disturbance was acceptable.
Bushfires – Learning lessons from the past with the Inquiries and Reviews Database
Australia has had hundreds of inquiries into natural hazards, but how can policy makers ensure that lessons from the past are not forgotten?
Huge success for Ngukurr Leak Reduction Project
Roper Gulf Regional Council would like to congratulate the Ngukurr community, for winning the 2020 Tidy Towns Sustainable Community Award for Water Conservation. The town’s water conservation success has been a result of Power and Water Corporation’s Ngukurr Leak Reduction Project, a joint project with the Department of Local Government, Housing and Community Development (DLGHCD) that located and repaired water leaks in Ngukurr. Through its not-for-profit subsidiary Indigenous Essential Services, this project enabled Power and Water to provide sustainable water supply to the Ngukurr community and support continual community growth.
Innovative hydro-powered battery project a first for Australia
A $32 million hydro-powered battery project to be located near Albury will be Australia’s first, following approval by the NSW Government. Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said the hydro-powered battery will be charged by the nearby Hume Hydro Power Station that already provides power to 40,000 homes.
On-farm water recovery continues despite Minister’s promises
The Victorian Farmers Federation is calling for the Commonwealth Minister for Water Resources to keep his word and stop on-farm water acquisition to meet the 450GL up-water target in addition to the Murray Darling Basin Plan. VFF Water Council Chair Richard Anderson said he was disappointed the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture and Water is continuing to pursue on-farm water recovery despite the Federal Water Minister Keith Pitt’s promise not to do so.
Coober Peedy – water shortage
District Council of Coober Peedy, Media Release, 22 January 2021. Water consumption in the town remains excessively high. This may be due to leaks in the network or some customers using excessive water, such as filling up swimming pools. At the current rate of consumption, the town has two days of water in storage. During the day, the water employees will shut down various parts of the network in an attempt to isolate the cause. This means that some customers will have no water for about half an hour. If water leaks are found, the water outage could be longer. All outages will be notified on Council’s website, Facebook page and Mailchimp half an hour in advance.
