Environmental flows stopped
The news that the NSW government will stop so-called environmental flows from Chaffey dam to keep the Peel River alive has come as a relief for some, but will probably reduce aquifer recharge along the Peel river relied upon by local farmers but will be disastrous for the environment and particularly any remaining native flora and fish, if no rain provides any flows to sustain their broken ecosystem. What I think most people have been puzzled about were the inflexible, ongoing releases during recent significant rain events that saw the Peel River flow well but ensured that any rain flowing into the dam, did not necessarily increase the dam levels markedly. The 2020 Peel Valley Balance Report to be released at the end of the month will confirm just how much water was not captured in Chaffey dam and had actually flowed out of the Peel Valley, it will be a lot.
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How did we get to this disastrous and indeed disgraceful outcome? Well the parties that claim they are naturally good economic managers have proven themselves outstanding environmental wreckers and resource mis-managers. We know that over two specific water years 2017/18 and 2018/19 during an unprecedented drought the Lib/Nats released 34 per cent, that's 34 billion litres of Chaffey dam water out into the Peel River and reported it as "end of system flows - environmental water" as it left the Peel and entered the Namoi River. Once in the Namoi River the environment didn't matter anymore, and the water was able to be consumed by customers elsewhere. That effort sealed the fate of Tamworth, Kootingal and Moonbi residents now suffering Level 5 restrictions. The Government won't provide an explanation about these excessive flows nor provide a promise that they won't do it again. Although I did receive an answer of sorts to four email requests from Water NSW it was full of bureaucratic brio and told me nothing I didn't already know.
I often hear our State MP on a local FM radio station bullshit (sorry for the vernacular) his way through questions about water matters without any compunction about the way his government has mismanaged our water storage's or deliberately killed the precious waterway that sustains many native animals in their care. Indeed, sowed the seeds of doubt in many residents and business owners. I'd like to see how his party has benefited from big irrigation donations, but they don't want us to know about that either.
Now they want to be considered heroes because they've stopped the river flows, provided a pipeline from Chaffey to Calala treatment works and without a thought of an economical pipeline from an extant storage the Government have signed on to construct a new Dungowan dam and pipeline that will cost a massive half billion dollars and yield just an extra 16 gigalitres in a good season for a total 22 gigalitres making it the most expensive water in the State. All of this construction is to attenuate for woeful water mismanagement particularly during an unprecedented drought and I am not confident this fix will "secure our water future" when the Chaffey Dam augmentation was expected to. What is the end game? WATER PRIVATISATION - that partly explains why the Minister refuses to gift the local infrastructure to our council the Government needs a handsome water asset portfolio to sell to a foreign corporation, nominee or nation - France, Britain, USA or China. That is the end game.
In all this watery mess, one principle is clear, under our Westminster system, when you stuff up so appallingly in your duties, you resign. Several State national party Water Ministers (Humphries and Blair) are already gone, it's now time for more of their colleagues to join them because they have put party donors and mates ahead of the welfare of entire communities and the environment.
Mark Rodda, Tamworth
CSG bill
On Thursday night, The Coalition ignored the voices of this region and fell over themselves in their rush to defeat the Coal Seam Gas Moratorium bill. If anyone needed further proof that The National Party is not acting in our best interests.
The bill would have forced gas companies to cease their activity until the NSW Government finally complied with all 16 recommendations made in a 2014 report. The report focused on the human health and environmental impacts of CSG, and advised that extraction is safe, IF the risks are properly managed. Yet the government has failed to do more than a token gesture towards this goal, implementing only two.
Other parties realise the risks posed to our communities by CSG, why can't The Nationals? Shooters, Fishers and Hunters Party's Roy Butler stated that the "vast majority" of his electorate are opposed to CSG; 80 per cent of submissions concerning The Narrabri Project were objections. MP Justin Field highlighted the unusual and extreme actions of The Coalition went to reduce public attention - they suspended the day's parliamentary agenda in order to fast-track this bill's defeat. What a cowardly act.
Deputy Premier John Barilaro even had the nerve to imply that those who supported the bill were betraying their constituents, when it is his party who are ignoring the overwhelming opposition to CSG exploration and mining in this region! I hope we all remember the 4th of June come next election.
Alice Milson, Tamworth
