RE: MURRAY DARLING BASIN PLAN AND CONSULTATION PROCESS

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

RE: MURRAY DARLING BASIN PLAN AND CONSULTATION PROCESS

We are now over half way through the Murray Darling Basin plan consultation process.

Through my Facebook page: “Save Murray Darling Basin communities” I spend many hours each day searching the internet for any information I can gain regarding the subject.

I wish to make the following observations:

WATER REQUIRED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL FLOWS

It has always been my belief that all water savings required for larger flows in the river systems can be achieved through infrastructure spending, this view has been enhanced greatly with my research. Victoria’s NVIRP irrigation infrastructure improvements are testament to this and we have not even scratched the surface for infrastructure improvement yet.

THE AMOUNT OF WATER ACTUALLY NEEDED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL FLOWS

Nobody knows this and can not purport to, Australia is a boom and bust environment and we have certainly seen that over the last 12 years. I find it deeply disturbing to read some of the figures bandied about that need to flow down our rivers, most of these are ridiculous and can not possibly flow through some of the rivers natural limits.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA AND THE LOWER LAKES

The lower lakes have also been altered considerably since Captain Cook sailed in to Sydney, they have been made in to a predominately fresh water system, where as before the concrete barrages were put in they were a salt water estuary. The lower lakes lose in the vicinity of 2000 gigalitres per year in evaporation.

The notion that the Murray River mouth should be naturally open 9 years out of 10 is complete nonsense, it would never have been this prior to dams and irrigation.

MURRAY DARLING BASIN COMMUNITIES

The whole Murray Darling Basin was created with vision just like the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric scheme. The Murray Darling Basin has helped shape Australia in to the wonderful country it is today, the basin directly affects 2.1 million Australians and indirectly affects every Australian. It secures clean, safe and well priced food for Australia and indeed the world.

We must not and can not let narrow minded and ill informed people tear all this apart, because mark my words this is only the beginning, we are in for the fight of our lives.

Peter Gilmour

Cobram