 |
|
|
|
Want to put in a traveling irrigator or update to a micro-spray irrigation system but haven't go the money to invest in the project?
Then Water for Rivers wants to hear from you.
Never heard of Water for Rivers?
It's not surprising considering the group has been keeping a fairly low profile since it received $375 million funding from the Victorian, NSW and Commonwealth governments last year to return environmental flows to the Snowy and Murray rivers.
Initially known as the Joint Government Enterprise Limited, it is the only group with money in the bank to fund water saving projects or buy water within the current debate over the need for environmental flows.
Being a funded organisation, rather than a government committee, it is seeking out individual farmers, irrigation groups and entire regions for water saving projects.
"We are much more flexible than a government body and, as such, can fund projects of any size," the group's chairman of directors, Richard Bull said.
"Farmers shouldn't feel threatened - it's about finding and funding water saving projects, not necessarily buying entitlement from farmers.
"We can fund anything, as long as we get the water in return.
"Anybody with a piece of paper which says they have water entitlement, we want to deal with."
Water for Rivers' target is to return 282 gigalitres of water to the Snowy and Murray rivers within 10 years, firstly through water saving projects and then through acquisition from irrigators.
The first 210GL of water will be shared between the rivers - one third into the Murray and two thirds into the Snowy - with the remainder to go into the Snowy.
Water for Rivers' July 2005 target is 57GL of savings, of which 38GL will be returned to the Snowy and 19GL to the Murray.
The group's first project is dividing Barren Box Swamp, just west of Griffith, which is estimated to lose more than 25GL of water annually through evaporation from its 200 hectare shallow wetland area.
The swamp will be divided into three areas ' a 230ha or 2400 megalitre active storage, a 320ha or 4000ML supplementary storage area and a 1650ha or 48,000 ML wetland area - to give Water for Rivers its first 25GL of environmental flows.
The other immediate project is building Brays Dam between Wilbriggie and Hanwood (near Griffith) as an off-river storage. The dam will supply the Wah Wah Irrigation District, west of Griffith, and Barren Box Swamp (which will supply the Banerembah Irrigation District).
Water for Rivers has also committed to fund three Victorian projects.
The Normanville stock and domestic project near Swan Hill has saved 3.6GL, metering small farms in the Goulburn Valley (due for completion in October) could net 16GL, and piping the Woorinen stock and domestic supply (in Swan Hill area) could save 1.5GL after it is signed off in November.
Water for Rivers also hopes to save up to 11.6GL by upgrading the stock and domestic water supply along Forest Creek, below the property 'Rhyola', between Deniliquin and Moulamein.
by Liz Bull
The Land
Printer-Friendly Version
Send This Page