With work on the Chaffey safety upgrade due to hit its straps in the near future, there is only a narrow window of opportunity to carry out the augmentation upgrade – which would vastly improve water security in the Peel – at the same time.

To do that work after the safety upgrade is complete would be much more expensive.

“The longer we let it (the augmentation upgrade) go, the more it will cost and the less likely it is to happen,” Tamworth independent MP Peter Draper said.

He told The Leader this was one bus Tamworth could not afford to miss – there might not be another one for a very long time.

The draft Peel Valley Water Sharing Plan was the subject of a heated meeting attended by 150 irrigators and water industry stakeholders at the community centre on Wednesday night.

Tamworth councillor and The Nationals’ state candidate contender Russell Webb moved a motion calling for an extension of time to lodge submissions on the plan (see report page 3).

The current closing date for submissions is November 16.

Mr Draper fears an extension could mean the water sharing plan would not be signed off on by the December 31 deadline set by Climate Change Minister Penny Wong.

That would place conditional approval for federal funding for the project under threat.

It is understood all the major stakeholders – including the irrigator organisations – are in a position to lodge their submissions on time.

The main beneficiaries of any extension would be individuals whose submissions were not considered likely to have a major impact on the overall shape of the plan.

Mr Draper said yesterday the State Government was not ignoring individual irrigator concerns.

He said Water Minister Phillip Costa’s staff had set up a meeting with him for next Tuesday to look at a possible short extension and the implications this may have on locking in federal funding.

“It is clear the irrigators’ concerns have been listened to,” Mr Draper said.

He stressed, however, that the preferred option would be for the existing timeline to be met.

This would avoid creating a possible excuse for the Federal Government to back away.

“You cannot overstate the potential this debate (over the water sharing plan) has to derail the Chaffey augmentation process,” he said.