Floodplain harvesting not a win for growers: Gwydir Valley Irrigators Association

The allowance of floodplain harvesting in the Gwydir Valley is not the win it is portrayed to be, according to the region’s peak irrigators’ body.

The NSW Water and Environment Minister’s jointly amended the Gwydir’s water sharing plans to include floodplain harvesting, the take of water during floods.

This is the final form of water in the region to be licensed and has taken 20 years of delays and deliberations with licences to begin by September 1, 2022.

Zara Lowien, executive officer of the Gwydir Valley Irrigators Association, said on average water users in the Gwydir are losing 30 per cent of their long-term access to flood water which will have more than a $90 million impact to the economy through less production.

The association’s members will be the first in NSW to be licenced for this form of take.

“Make no mistake, this is an environmental reform like no other,” Mrs Lowien said.

“The reduction in water in our region is almost as much that was recovered for the Murray Darling Basin Plan but without compensation.

“More water will flow to the environment during floods with the benefits for the environment, will far outweighing the certainty that licencing may bring our industry.”

“But the reform is a key step to ensuring the future sustainability of our region and will enable the industry to meet legal and community obligations – to have all water take limited, measured and reported”.

Mrs Lowien said being able to demonstrate responsible water use was always a key reason why the association supported the reform.

“With the water sharing plans amended and licences enabled, our members will prove this commitment through implementing new measurement requirements,” she said.

“This water take data will highlight that floodplain harvesting represents a small proportion of total flood flows and that we don’t access flood water during a drought.

“New environmental rules will also provide clarity that during droughts, rivers must flow before floodplain harvesting can begin”.

“Each of these new rules are what many in the community expect.”