GWYDIR VALLEY IRRIGATORS ASSOCIATION

Events

Draft entitlement submission

Submission on draft entitlements – originally due 3 June 2021, extended to 17 June 2021
This maybe the LAST opportunity (other than legal challenge) to put forward concerns, errors or omissions regarding your floodplain harvesting licences shares. If you have concerns, or you have outstanding issues that have not been addressed adn the recent flood provided you more evidence, you are encouraged to prepare a submission.  Have it drafted, ready to submit by the due date to ensure you can exhaust all your options of review. 

As there is growth in extractions everyone is going to have a reduction.  Some key questions that may help to identify if you have an outstanding issues are:

Question 1: What is your rate of in-take compared with your duration of flood?  The model is constrained by storage capacity, intake capacity and opportunity.  Is there a physical limitations and is this information correct.

Question 2: Do you extensively store water on fields or in other options? Historically and now? Has the model captured your full storage capability.

Question 3: If you had 500% allocation and no significant new development since 2008, could you fill your storages in this last flood event?  Consider reasons as to why not and prepare that in your submission. The policy impacts in a sequence of wet events, not  isolated events.

Question 4: what is the percentage reduction from your unrestricted 5-year maximum average modelled take to the licence shares?  This may help to understand the percentage of reduction you individually have encountered.  The average valley reduction is 32% reduction over the long-term (based on the rainfall runoff exemption applying).

I will note that the GVIA is pursuing outstanding valley-scale issues with the cap scenario, which we hope to inform you of the outcome of those efforts and/or share with you suggested wording for submissions, prior to the deadline.

We are seeking an opportunity to understand the differences between unrestricted model outputs and shares from the Department.

FPH Tenancy Agreement

The Tenancy Agreement – extended to 17 June 2021:
As outlined in the legal advice provided previously, this is rather procedural to assist in ensuring the potential license is issued in the correct name.  We suggest you seek your own legal and financial advice, to ensure you consider any implications in selecting an entity to hold the future floodplain harvesting license. The Department indicated in an email that they are “happy for them to be sent back as soon as possible. Also happy for the Gwydir form to be included in the 14-day extension period for submissions”.

The GVIA with other northern groups have been in ongoing discussions with the Natural Resources Access Regulator about their approach to the media regarding metering compliance.  To approach the media with untested, inappropriate data as this did is deplorable of a government body that prides itself on integrity.  But more importantly, we have been trying to use this issue to elevate the issues with the metering reform progress.

We know there are issues and barriers, and we have tried to collate these succinctly for government.  Nonetheless, it is important we still make efforts to meet the requirements.  

Currently, there is an estimated 91% of water users from  December's deadline around NSW who are technically non-compliant with metering rules.  They are, mostly,  through no fault of their own relying on NRAR's discretion.  Through our implementation schedule and discussions, we have been lead to believe everyone has made efforts but NRAR are standing firm that there are a large number of sites that cannot demonstrate effort and have not attempted to have a accurate, tamper proof and validated meters.  This is not acceptable as an industry, everyone should be aware of your responsibilities and make efforts to address these.  The reputation of our organisation, who is defending your effort and the whole industry, relies on due effort being made. 

To assist you to understand your responsibilities, we have collated all our metering updates into one area via the members portal. Use your email address to sign and reset your password if you do not have one.  All financial members have access. 

Please see the link to the May 2021 metering update for a discussion on some key issues including floodplain harvesting measurement.

The Gwydir Valley Irrigators Association provides a high-level review into some of the issues on behalf of our members.  We have encouraged our members to raise specific, farm-scale issues as part of this process.

Since the finalisation of the FMP for the Gwydir Valley Floodplain, three other valleys have also progressed through development and implementation as well as, the completion of many of the outstanding legacy applications, applied for prior to 2008 and gazetted in 2016.

The five-year review is therefore an opportunity to ensure consistency in planning arrangements (where applicable) but also incorporate new information that has come to light since its implementation.

The GVIA will not be engaging in debate regarding Mr Justin Field's, MLC decision to select statements from privileged and generic legal advice, to justify his motion to disallow regulations and ignite a new conspiracy.  

This information is not substantially inconsistent with previous advice issued by the Crown Solicitor, NSWIC or that received by individuals.  Albeit it does address a broader range of issues including case law precedents for leniency.  The regulations that Mr Field, MLC, led to disallow in the NSW Legislative Council were designed to address the known legal ambiguity with the Water Management Act once and for all, and provide a mechanism to licence, manage and meter this historical form of take in a consistent manner.

Our position remains unchanged.

Our statement regarding the mess that the disallowance creates for all NSW remains unchanged.  It can be found here. 

Mr Field should heed his own advice that the tit for tat over legal advice has to end and take productive steps to clean up the mess he helped create across all NSW.

The GVIA and NSWIC has obtained two sets of legal advice for your information.  It is always important to consider legal advice that is specific to your situation as this is generic.

The advice is relevant to consider when operating your farms and in completing the next steps of the floodplain licencing program.  

The link below summarises our two most recent emails and provides the advice. 

NSW DPIEW increased general security allocations by 2.3% this month, bringing allocations to 57.1% for this water year.  This allocation with previous carry over, means water users have 210,500ML and environmental water managers have 69,300ML and ECA 36,800ML to utilise a later date. Essential supplies are secured for two-years in advance.

There have been continual low, small flows along the river systems.  Water sharing plan rules and infrastructure constraints (due to damage from the recent flooding) means these flows cannot be managed and this water is flowing through the lower sections of the Gwydir and Gingham, with some water being managed down the Carole creek.

GVIA, Executive Officer Zara Lowien who was at parliament house said she’s still dismayed.
"On Thursday, the NSW Legislative Council voted against improving environmental outcomes in our rivers, floodplains and wetlands and in doing so has lost the faith of industry and our support. Until this mess is sorted out, our legal advice is clear that the status quo leaves floodplain harvesting as unmanaged, unmeasured and unaccounted for right across NSW."
We just cannot see how this disallowance is a better deal for NSW” she said.
(Photo: NSW Legilstive Council photo via Facebook @nswupperhouse) .

Water users, their communities, and environments right around the Murray-Darling Basin had their calls to the NSW Government for better management of water, answered as the NSW Government made regulations to enable the management, measurement, and accounting of the final source of water in NSW which is taken off the floodplains.

Zara Lowien said “These three regulations outline the mechanics to enable the calculation, issuing and enforcement of limits in our local water plans through mandatory metering of floodplain take[1], which has not existed previously” she said

“They mean NSW Government can now manage all forms of water take, right across NSW consistently” she said.

[1] Refer to Fast Facts about Floodplain Harvesting for a description of this form of water take.

One week after saying two-thirds of water users were not making effort with metering reforms the Natural Access Resource Regulator has changed their mind.

The Gwydir Valley Irrigators Association stand firm saying the regulator was out of line in their approach to the media, using untested data from inadequate systems which have been proven wrong with new field data released today.  Mrs Zara Lowien from Gwydir Valley Irrigators Association said “this new information confirms how important on-site information and ensuring boots on the ground are used in compliance just not desk-top studies.”

The GVIA provided their formal submission to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal of NSW’s draft determination on maximum prices for both WaterNSW’s Rural Bulk Water Delivery and Water Administration Ministerial Corporation (WAMC) in NSW, from 2021.  This was a follow up from previous presentations to IPART NSW at the public hearings.

The GVIA outlined a number of core issues saying "The upward trend in prices has continued for many pricing proposals, well above inflation at a time when many water users have had diminishing water availability and diminishing services.  More work must be undertaken between the regulator and the agencies, with stakeholders to curtail this ongoing, upward trend."

" These key issues stem from our ongoing concern that water users will continue to wear the financial and reputational impact of the current and past performance of NSW water agencies.  This is then reflected in increased revenue proposals by the agencies.  The actions of the Natural Resources Access Regulator this week, to create media controversy with inadequate and misleading data to promote themselves demonstrates our concerns." the submission said.

Prices changes were variable across the different water users, with the highest increases in the regulated system with 28% for High Security charges and 16% usage charge increase also.

The Gwydir Valley Floodplain Management Plan is due for it's five-year review as per the plan requirements.  The review is to determine whether its provisions remain adequate and appropriate for ensuring the effective implementation of the water management principles.  The public submission period provides opportunities for water users, stakeholders and other interested parties to inform the review of these plans. Comment is specifically being sought on:

  1. Is the floodplain management plan(s) adequate and appropriate for ensuring the effective implementation of the water management principles?
  2. Are there issues with the plan(s) that were identified since commencement and impact on effectiveness of implementation?
  3. Are there potential amendments to the plan(s) that should be considered?


Submissions are due Tuesday, 18 May 2021.

Irrigation Australia - the national organisation representing the Australian irrigation industry in all sectors from water users, manufacturers, retailers, consultants, designers and installers, finds it disappointing that this article conveys an impression that irrigators are deliberately avoiding their obligations under the new regulations. The facts are quite different and comments of this nature risk undoing much of the good work and goodwill that irrigators, irrigator groups and duly qualified persons (DQPs) have undertaken to support the NSW Government objective of accurately measuring water take in NSW

The Gwydir Valley Irrigators Association hit back saying the regulator was out of line in their approach to the media, using untested data from inadequate systems with suspicious timing.  They believe all this does, is confirm that the metering reforms was an overly ambitious and poorly planned policy from the beginning.
(Photo: Federal Senators from the Senate Select Committee members into the Multijurisdictional Management and Execution of the Murray Darling Basin Plan during their tour in Moree, this week looking at a fully compliant, transitioned meter)

Murray–Darling Basin communities hold generations of local river knowledge and experience. The MDBA is establishing regional community forums to tap into this understanding to strengthen the capture and use of this knowledge to inform local and Basin scale decisions.  The MDBA are looking for a diverse cross-section of the local community with a knowledge of, or interest in, the environment, agriculture, climate, or natural resource management.
To support meaningful community input regional residents with an interest in science are invited to apply to join one of 6 new local Regional Community Forums, comprising up to 20 people. Forums are being established in: Queensland Basin (Goondiwindi-Toowoomba), Central West, New South Wales (Dubbo, Canberra), Murrumbidgee (Griffith), Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District and New South Wales Mid-Murray (Albury Wodonga), Sunraysia (Mildura), and Riverland and South Australian Murray (Murray Bridge).
To express your interest in participating in the forum email a short statement or your CV to engagement@mdba.gov.au or call 1800 230 067. Expressions of interest close Friday, 23 April 2021.
Please note, participation in these forums is voluntary.

Copeton Dam is at 40% and steady and as a result, general security allocations have increased by 39.12% resulting in 54.8% allocation for the year for environmental and production.  Most of this water will be carried over to be used at a later time.

Full supplementary allocations were also made available with up to 116,000 ML ordered by irrigators and 5,700 ML by environmental water holders during these events.

WaterNSW have initiated flood forecasting and reporting following the recent widespread rain and flooding in the Gwydir, Border Rivers, Macquarie and Culgoa.  This replicates and updates their reporting during the First Flush event in 2020.  The most recent update on 6 April revealed between 400-600GL to flow into Menindee Lakes from all the tributaries.  However, forecasting is limited due to the nature of the floodplain flows and natural breakouts along the Barwon River. 
Its great to see so many rivers full and spilling. 
How the water is managed once it reaches Menindee Lakes will be closely scrutinised given the likely volumes and the many competing interests there.  The NSW Water Minister recently said "NSW will be making decisions on how to manage the inflows into the Menindee System with the first objective being to improve water supplies in the Lower Darling coimmunities and ensure the top two Lakes are filled" via The Land ift.tt/3wybHSV.

The peak of the floods in the Gwydir Valley have passed through the township of Moree and are heading west. Many describe this event as being two floods, the one caused initially from local rainfall of between 100-200mm and then the flood from upstream water sources like the Horton River into the Gwydir and Mehi systems, that came at least three-days later.

Local rainfall and unregulated water is therefore, now being backed up by the major floodwaters from upstream, which is likely to result in sustained, major flooding in the lower sections of the Gwydir floodplain.  

All the rivers and creeks in the lower floodplain are flowing above capacity as water spills out.  There is 100% supplementary access available.  During this time, Copeton Dam has increased from 22% to 39% capacity during this event, with a resource allocation likely in early April in response.

There is a history of flooding in the Gwydir Valley and the peak height of the flood in Moree and surrounding gauges is provided on our page 'History of Flooding' and compared with previous large and major floods.

Disaster recovery funding has been declared for Moree, Gwydir and Inverell Shire areas in response to flooding.  

Assistance available under the Disaster Relief Funding Agreement with the Commonwealth may include:

  • help for eligible people whose homes or belongings have been damaged
  • support for affected local councils to help with the costs of cleaning up and restoring damaged essential public assets
  • concessional interest rate loans for small businesses, primary producers and non-profit organisations
  • freight subsidies for primary producers, and
  • grants to eligible non-profit organisations.
To apply for a concessional loan or grant, contact the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593 or visit www.raa.nsw.gov.au

Further information on disaster assistance is available on the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website at www.disasterassist.gov.au and Service NSW at www.disasterassistance.service.nsw.gov.au

Also, we encourage you to fill out the Natural Disaster Damage Survey https://fal.cn/3ecfO. The survey is for NSW DPI and Local Land Services NSW staff, farmers and agricultural industry representatives can use to record damage to primary production and animals from natural disasters.

For any member preparing to operate your farm, as you always have and continue this historical practice, we recommend you voluntarily implement the floodplain harvesting measurement policy requirements. For this you must have a starting and ending storage balances (minus and metered take), as per the proposed floodplain harvesting measurement approach. Evidence the start and end of the event, how you measured your storage.  Its important to note any rainfall collected during a declared event is proposed to be considered floodplain harvesting.  
You may use the attached form as a guide. This will help explain what steps you took, when NRAR comes to visit.

The Bureau of Meteorology have issued the first MAJOR Flood Warning for the Gwydir Valley with a peak today in the afternoon.  Local rainfall and inflows may mean this peak is earlier.  

Key sites to monitor are the BOM - Gwydir Flood Warning
To watch river levels WaterNSW - WaterLive app or Realtime Water Data
For advice at what to do in a flood visit SES website

For flood comparisons, visit our webpage 'History of Flooding' where we have a comparison of this event to past floods.

The GVIA provided a formal written submission into the Proposed Water Sharing Plan rules for the Gwydir Regulated and Unregulated Water Sources. Saying that the  finalisation of licencing of floodplain harvesting cannot be delayed any longer, 20-years is enough. The results of the Gwydir region should be reason enough to reaffirm this commitment with 30% of the long-term water take outside of the current, contemporary licencing framework.

The establishment of volumetric licences within the Water Management Act 2000 for floodplain harvesting does not create new water but rather, is recognising this existing historical form of access in the current regulatory framework. Key regulations consulted on at the end of 2020, must be put to government to enable this transition to occur.

Without enabling the licencing framework and then implementing valley-based compliance through water sharing plan rules, this form of take remains unmanaged, unmetered and unaccounted for which is not in the interests of any stakeholder. An analysis of stakeholder views presented in Attachment A, highlights there is strong commitment to licencing across a broad spectrum of interests but that other water management issues are being conflated as part of the debate.

Currently NSW are implementing a compliance and licencing reform for floodplain harvesting take, when our rivers and floodplains are full and spilling but NSW are designing it without any consideration to social and economic factors in the communities in the northern basin.
Water users accept that legal limits must be recognised, but decisions on how to achieve these limits must consider the socio-economic impacts on community that’s because past reforms have taught us how important water is to our community.  We know every $1 lost at the farm gate will take a minimum of $2.18 from our economy, it means less money to spend in shops and businesses, less jobs and less families and less services in our community.
None of us can afford for government to put us in a man-made drought while we are still recovering from this one.
We are asking everyone to get involved to help ensure our voice is heard. 
HAVE YOUR SAY and provide a submission to government on these rules via this link, to put our communities back into the picture.
Key in this process is questions 8.1 and 9.1, whereby flexibility to have access to a flood is essential for our community.  We estimate the community impact of this to be conservatively, $1.1B if we cannot enact some change right now.

The NSW Government has released their newest tool to monitor, manage and communicate to water users and the community groundwater take.  The amount of groundwater that can be extracted from a groundwater source is limited. While the amount extracted by all water users varies each year, on average it cannot exceed the extraction limits. Before July each year, the department assesses if average extraction over the previous five years has exceeded the long-term average annual extraction limit plus a buffer (called the compliance trigger).
This tool can help identify risks to valley compliance and given water usage has reduced, the Lower Gwydir groundwater is unlikely to breach any required limits and this is explained in this report.

The February Copeton Dam assessment was completed with no further allocations provided.  All essential supply and delivery accounts are fully reserved and deliveries have returned to on-demand, as opposed to bulk ordered.   The region remains on 15.57% allocation with 232GL stored in Copeton Dam.  

The NSW Government session will cover key information to help you get measurement ready. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions to a panel from the department's Water division and NRAR.

Trade stalls will be held after the information session so you can meet and connect with metering suppliers, installers and key department staff from the floodplain harvesting licencing and approvals team.

Moree
Thursday, 11 March
10:00am – 1:30pm
Max Theatre, Level 1/30 Heber St, Moree
Register to attend this session

We know everyone is feeling overwhelmed with new rules and what it all means. Yep there is a lot happening in the floodplain harvesting licencing space and we've created this page to provide you a break down of what you need to do and when, and we plan to track where we are on the timeline to licences in July 2021.   

NSW Department are holding face-to-face consultation on proposed rules for floodplain harvesting in the Gwydir Valley for the regulated and unregulated water sources, in Moree on Wednesday 24th February and Thursday 25th February.  Due to COVID safe restrictions you must register.  Visit the Department website below.

We encourage all members and associated agricultural businesses to attend to hear about this historic reform and how NSW intends to manage it into the future.   Implementing floodplain harvesting will be a significant regulatory shift for our industry and will have community impacts, ad water users adjust to new rules. 

By releasing draft floodplain harvesting rules and updated modeling results for the Gwydir Valley the NSW Government took another small but important step forward in transitioning this historical form of take into the current regulatory framework, 20-years in the making. 
The process, won't be without impact but will have broad benefits as well.  Volumetric licensing together with modern measurement and compliance, is the only way to have greater transparency and accountability for everyone who shares in floods.  Its why we have particpated in it and its time to move forward from estimating such interceptions and start defining and managing them better. 
The documenation is extensive and includes the modeling process applied to update models with the best information and better represent floodplain harvesting, as well as, proposes new rules for Regulated and Unregulated Water Sharing Plans in the region. There are a range of companion reports on environmental benefits and downstream outcomes and all of the reports are available from the Department's website.
More information on floodplain havresting in the Gwydir Valley is available on our Floodplain Flow and Licensing page.

NDrip Field day

There will be an NDrip field day in Wee Waa, on Thursday 28th January from 10:00 to 11:00am. If you are interested in looking at this gravity powered micro-irrigation system, Please RSVP to peter.birch@elders.com or phone 0428.669.157

GVIA digital technologies and automated Irrigation field day is being held on Wednesday 10th February 2021. Our Covid-19 plan required participants to register to attend. Buses will be leaving Reynolds Fogarty at 7:30am please also register for this. 

DAMAGE FERAL PIGS DO TO YOUR HIP POCKET

Are you aware of pig damage in your crops or to livestock enterprises, but find it difficult to quantify the extent of the damage, and what that equates to in dollar terms? 
To answer this question, Local Land Services has worked with AgEcon to undertake a study that puts figures on the real cost of feral pigs on several different enterprises and to compare control options. 
Join the LLS online for our first webinar back for 2021. Register here. 
When
11 Feb 2021 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dont Forget the GVIA has funds available to support producers in our region with the control of feral pigs. For more information contact the office; 02 67521399

The GVIA provided a submission into the NSW Government during their consultation on proposed amendment for floodplain harvesting in NSW.  These included 

  • Water Management (General) Amendment (Floodplain Harvesting) Regulation 2020
  • Water Management (General) Amendment (Floodplain Harvesting Measurement) Regulation 2020
  • Water Management (General) Amendment (Exemption for Rainfall Run-off Collection) Regulation 2020
  • Water Management (General) Amendment (Floodplain Harvesting Exemptions) Regulation 2020


We recognise the importance of this historical reform for our members, our community and communities everywhere.  It is imperative that NSW continues to move forward with how they manage, account and report on water take by water users and floodplain harvesting must be licenced in NSW.  We see these proposed amendment for floodplain harvesting in NSW within these four proposed regulations.

There are broad benefits of implementing this reform that should be acknowledged and can only be achieved once licensing is fully implemented.  

WaterNSW have announced supplementary access in the Gwydir Valley which shares unregulated flows 50:50 between the environment and water users. This is following recent localised rainfall below Copeton Dam between 100-200mm with more inflows expected as ungauged inflows are measured.  Current announcement between 5-20% depending on on your location equalling approximately 14,000 megaltires.  You must place an eligible water order.
An operations update on current river flows is available from WaterNSW.

Recent localised rainfall in the Gwydir Valley means the region is fortunate enough to have generated local unregulated inflows below Copeton Dam.  The flow rate and volume means localised flooding will occur and moderate and minor flood warnings have been issues for some sections of the river.
These natural inflows come at a time when general security users are on just 5% allocation and Copeton Dam is at 13%.  Current interested general security users were receiving their allocation in bulk to reduce losses, this has provided connectivity in most sections of the river.
Our water sharing plan rules set a clear and transparent process to ensure flows for connectivity and our internationally recognised wetlands, whilst sharing any surplus water to benefit our community, it’s people and it’s economy.   

The BOM also provided flood warnings in the Gwydir Valley, on the Gwydir River at Gravesend a minor warning with moderate downstream of Pallamallawa and minor warning for the Mehi River.  Flows are estimated to be above the safe operating level of river infrastructure and will be largely unmanageable. They will naturally flow towards the watercourse area to peak at this stage Friday evening.
Keep updated via the BOM flood watch and be safe. 

If you become aware that your meter is not working or is faulty, it is your responsibility to register using a s.91i self reporting process within 24 hours . You have 21 days then to have a Duly Qualified Person inspect your meter.  This process is also to be used if you have recently installed an approved local intelligence device (telemetry unit) as per the NSW non-urban Metering Rules and for some reason it is not connecting to the Data Acquisition Service or functioning correctly.
Provided you have a fully functioning water meter with data logging capability or are keeping appropriate records according to your licence conditions of water take, time, volume and purpose, you are not required to lodge a s.91i self report to access water ordered during this upcoming bulk delivery, even if you are awaiting final validation of your meter or install of your telemetry according to the new NSW non-urban Metering rules.
This delivery presents an opportunity for water users with approved water orders, to undertake flow testing and operational checks required to finalise your validation process, please let your DQP know your delivery schedule. 
You must keep records of your effort to be compliant by your required deadline according to NRAR's Compliance Approach  and the proposed industry implementation schedule.

WaterNSW today advised that with low volumes of water available and continued hot, dry conditions, the single block release for 2020/21 general security deliveries in the Gwydir Valley will be brought forward.  
The revised dates for the block release from Copeton Dam are:
Releases will commence on Friday 26 November 2020, and
Releases will cease around 24 December 2020.
Orders must be placed prior to 18 December 2020 via iWAS or calling the helpdesk via 1300 662 077.  For users West of Moree place your orders ASAP to help ensure effecient delivery.

As part of the NSW Government's commitment to regulating and measuring floodplain harvesting, changes to the Water Management (General) Regulation 2018 to include floodplain harvesting requirements are being proposed.

The proposed changes aim to improve the management of floodplain harvesting across NSW and will:

  • allow for floodplain harvesting licences to be issued,  
  • apply measurement requirements to floodplain harvesting, in line with NSW Government’s Floodplain Harvesting Measurement Policy
  • establish a state-wide exemption for tailwater return drains
  • ensure water users are confident in what can and cannot be taken from a floodplain prior to licenses being issued.   
Submissions 20 December 2020.

After not being able to plant our irrigation efficiency trial last season due to no water, it is great to now have crops in the ground for this season. The trial will include a look at the new surface drip system from Netafim, a new EnviroNode Farm Automation Controller on the Smart Siphons, the lateral system, the original bankless system and the new fully automated bankless system with Padman Stops auto winches. 

The Darling River in the northern basin contributes on average about 14 per cent of the total flow in the River Murray (the southern basin) at the point where the Darling enters the Murray.
In reality, most years do not deliver an average contribution from the Darling River. Averages mask extreme fluctuations in Darling flows, which are driven by the ephemeral and dynamic, boom and bust nature of rainfall in the northern Basin.
This means that major changes to inflows from the northern basin have only minor impacts on total Murray inflows. For example, DPIEW recently stated in an update to stakeholders that a 10% reduction in inflows from the Lower Darling would result in only a 1.4% reduction in total inflows to the River Murray.
The greatest influence on NSW allocations is the flow from the upper Murray catchments.

Floodplain harvesting is the capture and use of overland flow water flowing across a floodplain during a flood.  Farmers everywhere in NSW (north and south) capture over land flow water as part of their works approval requirements to store rainfall on farm to mitigate environmental impacts.  Farms are specifically designed for this purpose.
Farmers on floodplains have flood protection works designed to exclude overland flow outside of the developed area, to protect their crops, homes and farm infrastructure from damage.
Overland flows generally occur only when there is major flooding. If there’s no flooding, there’s no floodwater to capture. There was localised flooding in the Namoi and Lower Gwydir Valleys (Mehi region) in February 2020, this was the first event to occur in both those regions since 2011 and 2012, back when Menindee Lakes was full and spilling.  The Gwydir had moderate flooding in Spring 2016 and Menindee Lakes filled to 92%.

GVIA vice chair Jim Cush, who also farms in the NSW Border Rivers and the Namoi, is relieved the Healthy Floodplains project - established to oversee the licencing - is nearing its end.
"It's been a long time coming, especially considering it started with the River Management Committee discussions that committed to licencing during the development of our first water sharing plan in the early 2000s," he said.
"The Department is finally getting its act together."
Gwydir Valley Irrigators Association (GVIA) has welcomed the state government's commitment to moving forward with its management of overland flow with the release of draft accounting rules and floodplain licensing outcomes for the Border Rivers, the first of the five valley's.

The GVIA supports that all water take should be measured with the majority of take to be metered through highly accurate devices.  All measurement must be auditable, verifiable and within accuracy requirements.  We know active irrigators in our region adopt the most accurate technology commercially available.
In November 2020, the first site in the Gwydir went live on the new NSW Government Data Acquisition Service.

NSW DPIE recently announced no further allocations for the Gwydir Valley.  Total water available remains at 37,000 megalitres  for general security  irrigation and 44 megalitres for environmental users after 5,000 megalitres of high security allocation was transferred into their general security account.  The essential supplies account is now 4,000 megalitres in deficit, which will need to be addressed prior to any new allocations.
Water NSW announced that unless conditions improve a single block release for general security allocations will be scheduled for 7 December and continue for approximately 28 days.  General security water will need to be stored on-farm as used as required.
(Photo: irrigated wheat prior to harvest, west Moree, NSW by Lou Gall).

Water NSW have reopened the bulk water delivery planning survey until 30 October 2020. Please take the time to complete this short survey to lodge an expression of interest (EOI) for any future supplementary events that occur this water year and to tell WaterNSW about your regulated river water requirements for the season ahead including stock and domestic needs. 

Do not complete this survey if you have already.  They will collate the information to help determine water requirements for the upcoming season.  With less than 37GL of water to deliver for irrigators, orders will be grouped together to limit losses and you will be required to take water in a block and store water on-farm, if you want to access it.  We will also work with environmental water users to coordinate where possible.

Urgent and due by 30 October 2020.

A reminder to members regarding their responsibilities for keep log books as part of the mandatory conditions for their licences, which can differ for Regulated, Unregulated and Groundwater users depending on the water source.  It is best that water users are familiar with these conditions, which can be accessed via searching the NSW Water Register and selecting the first search option and either searching your WAL or you licence number (90AL).  For more information visit our page.

Irrigation Australia has announced the first dates for the NSW subsidised storage meter installation and validation courses.  To ensure you have a compliant storage meter with the NSW Floodplain Harvesting Measurement Policy, your storage meter must be inspected and or new approved meter, installed by someone that has completed this course.  

There is an information session being held for installers and suppliers to learn more on Thursday, 22 October 2020 10:30am-12:30pm and you need to register online at https://kapara.rdbk.com.au/landers/b01851.html  For more information visit Irrigation Australia website or review the Healthy Floodplains Measurement page.

Copeton Dam is at 16.3% capacity with all essential supplies reserved for two years.  General security and environmental allocations total 5.07% for the year with 38,000 megalitres available to irrigators and 39,000 megalitres available to environmental water users.  This does not include any allocation available as high security which is 13,000 megalitres for irrigators and 5,700 megalitres for environmental water users.

WaterNSW are intending to operate via one bulk delivery for general security customers - please complete the survey or contact WaterNSW to ensure your needs are considered.

Industry has developed a 'Metering Implementation Schedule' to capture your farm information in relation to surface water, groundwater and floodplain harvesting metering and measurement. Its purpose is two-fold and it is a priority for all water users that fall within the first metering deadline of 1 December 2020 and who have eligible floodplain harvesting ROIs. The document will capture data to inform industry progress, future timelines and existing measures in place to meter and measure take. 
There are no other government systems in place to capture this information and it is important indsutry, government and the community can collect data to understand the progress made towards NSW new metering rules and the market challenges in meeting them.  For this reason, we request you send the completed form back to your industry group for collation.  

Many farms in the Gwydir Valley have gravity components internally, however there are limited numbers of gravity diversions for the purposes of accessing either regulated or unregulated water. You need to check your Works Approval via WaterNSW register selecting A particular water licence or approval (including conditions) if you know your 90AL number OR A particular property (in relation to water licences or approvals) to find your 90AL number using your Lot and DP.  
Then see what has been listed there - if it says diversion channel you have until 1 December 2021 to ensure your meter meets the new metering rules.  If not, you must meet the requirements for larger than 500mm pumps by this December or for smaller sites, 1 December 2021.
NOTING as per WSPs the metering installation can be located anywhere between the point of extraction and the first inlet/outlet locations.    

The NSW Government released their 20- 40-year draft Gwydir Regional Water Strategy to look at how to improve regional water security, build resilience and stronger communities and environments. It is about how to best manage the challenges that are facing the Gwydir region. This strategy looks at historical and a worst case scenario of climatic sequence as part of the assessment of challenges that may face the region.  The strategy provides a long list of proposed projects, both infrastructure, rules-based, research and review and skills orientated, to be considered by the community.  These should be reviewed by the community as a chance to have a say on future investment in the region.  

There is a live webinar on 15 October 2020 and face-to-face meetings in Moree on 22 October 2020.

Not all pipe diameters have AS4747 pattern approved meters available (see current list).  For example, whilst there is a meter approved to 1800mm it is only manufactured in 200mm diameter increments.  We encourage you to seek transitional arrangements for your existing meter provided it can meet those requirements available here.
Where that is not an option, you can request a S.233 of the Water Management (General) Regulation 2018 from the Minister.
We have developed a template that captures the required site information and the evidence needed from your Certified Meter Installer to support why a metering solution is not currently available.  For example this has been used for a 1500mm pipe where there is not a pattern approved meter currently on the market.
Where this situation may apply to you, you should act quickly to seek the exemption before the required deadline.  Please contact the office to discuss.
Members click the link to see the metering updates.

The NSW Legislative Council (Upper House) recently supported a disallowance motion to rescind the NSW Government’s Water Management (General) Amendment (Exemptions for Floodplain Harvesting) Regulation 2020 the “exemption” on water users needing to hold a water licence to utilise their approved floodplain works as of 3 July 2008 (eligible floodplain harvesting works), to collect overland flow.  The small steps in improving the regulation of FPH made by the exemption decision have been wound back, at a time when all stakeholders want to move forward and have  ensure water take is accountable, measured, transparent and within the allowable limits

So what does it mean? Who does it impact or benefit? Where to from here?

Tonight, the NSW Legislative Council voted to redact the Exemption Regulation on floodplain harvesting following the tabling of the Inquiry Report here.

This means FPH regulation now reverts back to the NSW Water Act 1912 and NSW Government has less tools to manage its take, including limiting the use of structures built after 2008.  The historical status quo has now been returned.  

The decision will divide NSW communities and is a distraction from what the NSW Government should be focusing on, which is the better regulation of this form of take within the  contemporary legislative framework of the NSW Water Management Act 2000.  

This decision doesn't impact water users as we clearly outlined in our submission but seeks to further undermine the communities confidence in water management in NSW through miss-information and petty politics.  

Only a fully implemented licencing regime with monitoring and compliance will address those concerns. Most speakers participating in the debate supported regulation through licencing,  due (before tonight) by July 2021 and we welcome their support of its continued implementation.

A positive move by NRAR to visit the region and talk first hand about the upcoming metering deadline for 1 December 2020. We hope the Department and Minister follows your lead.

There’s a clear communication gap with these new rules and future FPH rules, impacting many. We support NRAR taking up this gap and providing improved communication to water users.

To find our more if 1 December 2020 deadline applies to you, check out our website https://www.gvia.org.au/…/water-man…/water-take-measurement/ and members log into our member page for a detailed breakdown of steps.

NSW DPIE announced a 3.07% allocation this month for General Security users, including the environment following inflows into Copeton Dam (which was at time at 16%).  This brings the total allocation for 2020 to 4.77% and the total volume of water available to General S ecurity irrigators to 37GL with environmental holdings at 38GL.

Ordering/deliveries will not be on demand and users should complete the WaterNSW survey to indicate your needs to coordinate bulk delivery. 

Remember, every 1% that Copeton Dam rises equates to an estimated 1.89% General Security allocation.

Save the Date: The GVIA will host the Smarter Irrigation for Profit 2 field day on Wednesday the 10th of February 2021. We will be having the field day at Keytah, where several of our Smarter Irrigation researchers and partners will be talking about new technology, smart sensing and remote control. Follow the link to the website for more information on Smarter irrigation for Profit 2

The Gwydir Valley Irrigators Association will host an online Annual General Meeting on 30th September 2020, starting at 10am.  The AGM will be followed by a General Meeting until 12pm.  The location will be the GVIA office, 100 Balo Street Moree.  Our COVID Safe Plan restricts the number of attendees and as a result, we will be providing an online option via Microsoft Teams for video conferencing or dial in.  Members must RSVP to either secure a seat in the office or receive their personal conference link.  Nominations for the GVIA Committee are being received, please see the link below to access the nomination form.  All financial members as of June 2020 are eligible to nominate.

NSW DPIEW have released a new guide: 'What water users need to know' about the NSW non-urban metering reforms.  This handy tool outlines the required steps for water users to take to ensure they are compliant by the required due date, the first of which  is 1 December 2020. New telemery devices have also been added to the list of approved devices, which we are informed can be ordered via your supplier. 
Local certified meter installers can be located via the Irrigation Australia website and searching for a CMI:  https://www.irrigationaustralia.com.au/ 

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