The NSW Government cannot say they have not been advised of solutions to the crisis brought upon the rivers in the Walgett area.
DEG has recently made submissions raising serious concerns about water management. One, regarding the impacts of the proposed new dams and weirs was made in September to a committee of the NSW Parliament:
Rationale for, and impacts of, new dams and other water infrastructure in NSW. Submission into the Portfolio Committee No. 7 Planning and Environment inquiry from Dharriwaa Elders Group 22 September 2020
Another was made to the NSW Dept of Primary Industries and Environment about its and proposed rules for licencing floodplain harvesting:
NSW Border Rivers: Floodplain harvesting in water sharing plans, Submission from Dharriwaa Elders Group, Walgett, 30 November 2020.
Another was submitted by the unrealistic deadline of Sunday 20 December 2020:
Meanwhile there has been good rain in December 2020 in the northern basin catchments and DEG is advised that any #floodplainharvesting that occurs in coming months must be undertaken within WM Act. "There is no legal impediment to imposing embargos on #floodplainharvesting before the draft regulations are tabled in Parliament (see ss. 323 and 324 of the WM Act)."
Will the NSW Water Minister allow floodplain harvesting and licenced takes of water from the rivers while the mighty Barwon River is DRY on the western side of the Walgett weir? Surely she must embargo the flows from recent rains if the source as it is described in the WMAct principles, is protected. Will an embargo be made over the 2020 Christmas / New Year break?
