THE DARLING RIVER

PROBLEMS and SOLUTIONS

A Fact Sheet

Summary by the Darling River Action Group

February 2007

Darling River Action Group

118 Cornish Street - Broken Hill

NSW - 2880 - Australia

Phone: (08) 8087 1360E-Mail: contact@D-R-A-G.org

Quote from the Murray Darling Basin Commission website:

“Reduction in flows from the Darling is a particularly controversial issue and one that has been complicated by the droughts of recent years. It is a complex situation that has often been over-simplified and one that, at times, has become very emotional ( Marshall 1993). However, the increased diversions are a fact. In 1960, diversions from the Barwon-Darling and the New South Wales and Queensland tributaries were 50,000 megalitres; in 1990-91, they were 1.4 million megalitres. The increase has been particularly marked over the last 20 years [from about 1978].

The increase in diversions has been primarily due to the expansion of the cotton industry and the use by growers of large on-farm water storage.”

Another quote from the MDBC website:

“As one of the Murray-Darling Basin ’s former Commissioners has stated, the water audit’s message is plain: the amount of water presently taken from the rivers is not ecologically sustainable  and a new balance between the environmental requirements and the consumptive use will have to be struck (Toyne 1995).

This is essential for the long term viability of not only the aquatic ecosystems and rivers, but also virtually all economic activity within the Basin.”

CONTENTS

·       The current state of the Darling River                                                     4

·       Major concerns                                                                                      7

            1. Water allocation for irrigation                                                                                7

                        Overallocation of licences                                                                              7

                        The Cap                                                                                                           12

The supposed 67% cut to irrigation entitlements                                             13

Water sharing plan                                                                                          13

Intervalley transfer of water rights                                                                  13

Floodplain harvesting of water, legal/illegal?                                                            14

            2. Cotton farming                                                                                                         14

Irrigators claim they haven’t been able to grow any cotton in recent years, due to drought                                                                                                        14

Irrigators claim they only take a small percentage of flows                            16

            3. Water quality                                                                                                           17

                        Salinity                                                                                                            18

            4. Global warming                                                                                                      19

                        No allowance for global warming                                                                  19

            5. Specific places of concern                                                                                      19

                        Wetlands                                                                                                         19

                        Menindee Lakes                                                                                               21

                        The Great Anabranch of the Darling River                                                      23

                        Bourke                                                                                                             26

The Warrego River                                                                                          26

·       Solutions                                                                                               28

Appendix 1: Flows into the Darling from tributaries.                                                             28

The Current State of the Darling River

The Darling River Basin covers 650,000 square kilometres of NSW and Queensland . As can be seen from the map below, almost all of the water in the Darling and its major tributary – the Barwon – comes from tributaries that feed into this system above Bourke. These tributaries contributed the following percentages into the Barwon Darling, prior to widespread irrigation diversions:

·       Culgoa River : 20%

·       McIntyre River : 35%

·       Gwydir River : 10%

·       Namoi River : 25%

·       Macquarie/Castlereagh Rivers: 5%

·       Rare contributions come from the Bogan River , Warrego River and very occasionally from the Paroo River .

(See appendix 1 for more informatio.n)

Figure 1: The Darling Basin and its streams.

Since the late 1970s the contributions that the tributaries have made to the Darling River have been greatly reduced. The Murray Darling Basin website states that in the 1960s diversions from the Barwon-Darling and its tributaries were 50 gigalitres[1] and by 1991 they were 1,400 gigalitres. This increase in diversion and extraction has continued over the last 15 years, despite recent ‘caps’ that have been placed on most streams.

The Murray Darling Basin Commission website further states that the diversions have been “primarily due to the expansion of the cotton industry and the use by growers of large on-farm water storage.”

Communities and graziers that live along the Darling River have witnessed a severe ecological decline of the river system over the last 20 years. Large tracts of the river are now little more than stagnant pools. The river no longer receives the intermittent flooding that the river, associated wetlands and the floodplains depend on. Flooding that does occur is greatly reduced in duration. Some of the environmental impacts are:

·       Large numbers of river red gums (some hundreds of years old) and other perennial shrubs are dying. Quote from Mark Etheridge (Australian Floodplain Association): “We have large areas of perennial shrubs dying and on both the floodplain and the river banks there are large numbers of trees dying as well as the saddest part of this is that over the past 5 dry years, there has been enough water in the river system to maintain environmental health but it never got here because it disappeared upstream for irrigation.” (Mark lives near Wilcannia.)

·        Migratory and non migratory birds are losing vital breeding grounds to their continued existence. Two examples of this are the drying and destruction of the Macquarie Marshes and Gwydir Wetlands. ( Professor Richard Kingsford University of New South Wales , Sunday Telegraph 19.6.2005)

·        Murray Cod and other aquatic species are under threat not only from lack of water, but also due to blue green algae in the remaining pools. Toxic flows of water killed large numbers of fish in 2004.

·       Bank slumping has occurred; this happens when the riverbanks are saturated by a high flow, and the water levels drop rapidly due to pumping for irrigation. Sections of the soggy banks slide into the river. This changes the profile of channels, leads to siltation and can cause diversion of channels.

·       The Great Darling Anabranch has been replaced by a pipeline, with enormous impacts on the riverine environment in that area.

The communities dependent on the river are also suffering. The following are just a few examples of the impacts of the decline in river flow.

·       Dryland farmers such as organic meat producer Mark Etheridge from Kalyanka station outside Wilcannia have suffered due to lack of water that is of sufficient quality for his stock. He, like others, has also discovered that he no longer has the natural fence of the river to keep his stock from wandering.

·       Irrigation businesses that are downstream from the big users are finding that their investments are no longer viable. Bourke has been strangled by Queensland developments.

·       Tourism in areas such as Menindee has been depleted due to lack of water for all types of recreation. Poor quality water in the river and lakes can leave recreational users with rashes, sore eyes and algae poisoning.

·       Lake Menindee , a popular recreation site for Broken Hill and Menindee residents as well as the home for Sunset Strip “waterfront” residents was emptied in 2002 to provide urgent flow for South Australia . It appears that this lake will never be refilled, causing economic loss to householders and the tourist industry, and total loss of the previous small fishing industry.

·       Broken Hill and river communities such as Menindee are highly dependent on quality water flows in the river for their domestic supplies.

·       Outbreaks of blue-green algae have become more common, as a result of reduced flows and increased nutrient from agricultural fertiliser. These outbreaks affect people, farm animals and wildlife. The algae are toxic to people and animals, and render water unusable, unless it is put though activated carbon filters.

MAJOR CONCERNS

1)             Water Allocation for Irrigation

Overallocation of Licences

Water licences on the Barwon-Darling and its tributaries have been vastly over-allocated. Approximately 500 gigalitres of water licence have been allocated on the Barwon-Darling River , not including the tributaries. Until 2006-7 the only limit on extractions from the Barwon-Darling was the storage capacity of the farm dams. That capacity gradually rose, until in 2006 the farm dams could hold close to 300 gigalitres. From a flow in January 2006, irrigators on the Barwon-Darling extracted a record 268 gigalitres. If no limit had been placed on the irrigators, they might well have increased their storages to 500 gigalitres, enabling them to extract that amount from a flow.

Water flowing in the Barwon-Darling is what remains of the flows in all of its tributaries. In all the major tributaries, irrigators extract large amounts of water. The irrigators on the Barwon-Darling take their water from what is left over.

Following are a few statistics from the Murray Darling Basin Commission:

·        Of the water that would have reached the sea from the Murray - Darling Basin , over two-thirds is now diverted from its rivers each year. Throughout the basin, rivers are now in a state of drought for more than 61 years in every 100, compared with 5 years per 100 (Murray Darling Basin Ministerial Council 1995).

·        Mean natural flows Darling system were 3042 gigalitres. Under 1993/94 conditions this reduced to 2,272 gigalitres; 75% of natural flows. But mean flow calculations are influenced too much by single large flows. The median flow is more informative.

·        Median[2] natural flows Darling system were 1746 gigalitres. Under 1993/94 conditions the median flow was 1053; only 60% of natural flows.

·        Percentage increase in diversion 1988-1994 (i.e. the increase in the amount of water being taken out of the rivers):

o      NSW Border Rivers 38.2%

o      Upper Darling 32.0%

o      QLD Border Rivers 187.2%

o      Condamine/Balonne 63.5%

·        Percentage change from natural flows at Wilcannia

o      Change from mean flow - 29%

o      Change from median flow - 73%

·                 Increased storages, weirs and dams have had only limited effect on very big floods, but have virtually eliminated small to medium sized floods on most rivers in the Murray-Darling Basin . Floodplain plants, animals, and floodplain graziers are suffering as a result.

·                 In the whole Murray-Darling Basin, over the 4 years between 1996/7 and 2000/2001, areas of irrigated cotton expanded by 108,000 hectares (36%), and the water requirements for cotton increased by 729 gigalitres to 2,856 gigalitres.

The results of over-allocation for irrigation: THE DARLING RIVER RUNS DRY FROM TIME TO TIME, BUT THIS IS SCANDALOUS

Figure 2: Darling River , Wilcannia 2003

Figure 3: Darling River , Wilcannia Hi-Lo. A high flow in years past, and a no-flow in April 2005.

Figure 4: Darling River Wilcannia 4 April 2005

Figure 5: Darling River Wilcannia 15 Dec 2006

Figure 6: Darling River below Wilcannia, 2003

Figure 7: Darling River below Wilcannia 4 April 2005

Figure 8: Dead river gums next to the empty Darling River near Wilcannia.

The Cap

In 2006 a Cap was introduced for extractions from the Barwon-Darling. A tentative figure of 173 gigalitres was set. This looks like a limit, but is only a target yearly average. In some years extraction will exceed 173 gigalitres. Each irrigator will have a water account. In order to make the new limit more palatable to the irrigators, they were given an extra one-off 170 gigalitres, which they can use at any time. They also have the ability to carry over unused water. All of this means that irrigators can extract more than 173 gigalitres in many future years, if sufficient flows occur.

-

The Cap figure was calculated based on hydrological modelling of past years, with no consideration of the future effects of global warming.

The Cap was introduced very late (2006) for the Barwon-Darling. The Murray-Darling Basin as a whole had a cap introduced in 1995. On the Barwon-Darling development continued after 1995, as follows (data from Murray Darling Basin Commission):

·        On-farm storage increased from 173 gigalitres to 300 gigalitres,

·        Developed area increased from25,000 hectares to 40,000 hectares,

·        Irrigated area increased from 19,000 hectares to 27,000 hectares or more.

The Supposed 67% Cut to Irrigation Entitlements

Irrigators on the Barwon-Darling have been complaining that their water entitlements have been cut by 67%. This is a very dodgy figure. Cutting the unsustainable 500 gigalitres of licences allocated, to 173 gigalitres per year allowed under the cap, would represent a 67% cut. Only an idiot or someone with vested interests would believe that there is a real 67% cut. The reality is:

• There has never been more than 268 gigalitres extracted in any year, so the Cap is only a 35% cut on the maximum ever extracted.
• The 173 gigalitres cap is not a limit, but an average.
• A one-off bonus of 170 gigalitres entitlement was given.
• Allowances were made for history of useage, so that irrigators who had previously used 100% of their entitlement would be given more than those that had used little or none.

Even the 35% cut mentioned above is not real.

However, there are adverse consequences for some irrigators. Even after the generous concessions, the irrigators who had previously used their maximum allowance will be disadvantaged, because they will no longer receive their maximum allowance. They will have to make do with less water or buy licences from other people. Many licences were either not used (“sleeper” licences) or only partially used (“dozer” licences), so would be available for purchase.

The reality is that irrigators on the Darling around Bourke have been strangled by irrigation developments on the Condamine, Balonne and Culgoa Rivers in Queensland (see Table 1, page 15). The Bourke irrigators and those upstream around Brewarrina are also being strangled by over-development of the Border Rivers area on the NSW-Queensland border. The loss of water to these areas is more the result of the actions of upstream irrigation development, than the Cap.

The so-called 67% cut is a myth.

Water Sharing Plan

A water sharing plan for the Barwon-Darling was supposed to have been in place by now by the NSW Department of Natural Resources, after consultations. Those consultations have not occurred and there is no water sharing plan. The Darling River Action Group want to see a plan that includes adequate environmental flows. DRAG want a water sharing plan that includes a share of water for the Darling River , from all of the tributaries. The Barwon-Darling depends almost entirely on its tributaries for its water flow.

Intervalley Transfer of Water Rights

Since water trading commenced, it has become possible to buy water from one valley, and use it in another valley, even though the water cannot flow between those valleys. For example the Tandou company has bought up to 110 gigalitres a year from the Murrumbidgee River and used it on its farms on the Darling River . This may be difficult to understand. The actual 110 gigalitres of Murrumbidgee water stays in the Murrumbidgee River , and Tandou extracts 110 gigalitres from the Darling River . The theory is that it all balances out by the time the Murrumbidgee water reaches the South Australian border. The reality is that it bleeds the lower Darling of water, and takes water that might have flowed down the Anabranch. Intervalley transfers can be environmentally disastrous. By allowing intervalley transfers, the authorities are treating the rivers as drains, with no regard for the environment.

Floodplain Harvesting of Water – Legal / Illegal?

A huge amount of water is being harvested off floodplains, depriving rivers of water.

Floodplain harvesting occurs when landholders capture water that is on the floodplain and use it to irrigate crops or pasture. It includes the taking of water that has overflowed from the main river channel as well as taking local runoff that has not yet reached the river channel. It can involve the digging of channels and banks to divert water to dams.

Floodplain harvesting is not regulated and remains a major loophole within NSW water management as it is almost always un-metered.

Floodplain harvesting is making a mockery of the Cap. Water stolen from the floodplains is neither regulated, nor paid for, but it is a loss to the rivers. Cutting out floodplain harvesting is a major opportunity to return water to the rivers.

2) Cotton Farming

Irrigation of cotton has been blamed for lack of flow in the Darling and its tributaries. Many producers deny this, and Cubbie Station management bend statistics to show how little water they use.

Quote from the Murray Darling Basin Commission website:

“Reduction in flows from the Darling is a particularly controversial issue and one that has been complicated by the droughts of recent years. It is a complex situation that has often been over-simplified and one that, at times, has become very emotional ( Marshall 1993). However, the increased diversions are a fact. In 1960, diversions from the Barwon-Darling and the New South Wales and Queensland tributaries were 50,000 megalitres; in 1990-91, they were 1.4 million megalitres. The increase has been particularly marked over the last 20 years [from about 1978].

The increase in diversions has been primarily due to the expansion of the cotton industry and the use by growers of large on-farm water storage.”

Irrigators claim haven’t been able to grow any cotton in recent years, due to drought.

Apart from 2006, this is a lie. Water allocation figures identify the lie. Some irrigators may have missed out occasionally, but for most it has been business as usual all through the pre-2006 drought years. Even in 2006, the worst drought year in history, the Namoi Valley has grown a large cotton crop. Farmers Mike Carberry from Narrabri (Sunday Telegraph January 2007) bemoans the fact that the Namoi Valley ’s cotton crop will be less than half (presumably half of normal). Why was any water wasted on cotton in such a bleak year, with the Darling River running dry?  On 19^th January 2007, Namoi Cotton announced a half-year profit of $24 million, obtained during a one in a thousand year drought.

The amount of water extracted in the cotton-growing districts of northern NSW and southern Queensland , gives a good idea of the amount of cotton grown in those districts. Data come from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (Water Use on Australian Farms 2004-5):

Table 1: Water use on the upper Darling River and its main tributaries, 2002-2005. Notice how northwestern NSW diminishes as Queensland increases.

Figure 9: Cotton farm near St George , Queensland in 2004, during our drought (the “Cotton Drought”). No shortage of water or cotton there, and plenty of evaporation.

Figure 10:The Culgoa River at St George, Queensland in 2004. Cubbie Station is downstream. How much of this water made it to the Darling River ?

Irrigators claim they only take a small percentage of flows

Irrigator representatives try to pretend that irrigators only take a small percentage of flows. The following examples show that the percentage is not small.

A very much needed flow occurred in early 2005 – 55% reached Menindee Lakes , 20% was used by the environment and evaporation, and 25% went to irrigators (figures from NSW Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources).

By 1995 irrigation diversions had reduced the median annual flow of water to the Murray mouth to 27% of natural flow.

In January 2004, 268 gigalitres were extracted from the NSW section of the Barwon-Darling. This was not a small percentage of the flow.

In the February 2004 flow, 110 gigalitres were lost in the 90 km between Bourke and Louth, while only 23 gigalitres were lost in the 200 km between Louth and Wilcannia (figures from NSW Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources). The very large losses between Bourke and Louth may relate to the fact that Clyde Agriculture’s cotton farms are between Bourke and Louth.

3) Water Quality

There are several issues with water quality, including blue-green algae, salinity, pesticides, herbicides, turbidity. A major factor in water quality is flow rate. With increased extraction there is lower flow and problems such as blue-green algae are increased.

In the 1991/2 summer, the Barwon-Darling achieved a world record – “the largest river bloom of blue-green algae recorded anywhere in the world emerged along the Darling River ” (Murray Darling Basin Commission). This extended over 1,000 kilometres from Mungindi to Wilcannia. Growth of blue-green algae is promoted by warmth, low flows and run-off of phosphate and nitrate fertiliser.

Figure 11: Blue-green algae bloom in the Darling River in 1991/2, from The Independent magazine (crease across centre of picture).

In 2004 a flow of water, coming after a period of little or no flow, killed a large number of fish, including Murray cod. It was speculated that this occurred because the water at the front of the flow was de-oxygenated, from lying in stagnant puddles. The real problem was the extended lack of flow.

Figure 12:  Dead Murray cod taken from the Darling River after a de-oxygenated flow in February 2004.

The pesticide endosulfan and the herbicide atrazine, both used in cotton farming, are bad news for aquatic ecosystems. Both were washed into the rivers. It has been suggested that endosulfan has been phased out, as a result of using GM cotton varieties. Endosulfan kills fish.

Aerial application of chemicals in farming means some drift is inevitable, and some of that drift will go into rivers.

Salinity

Salinity is a problem facing the whole Murray-Darling Basin . Modern research suggests that sea-salt continually blows into the basin, dissolved in the rain (e.g. research by Professor Allan Chivas[3], University of Wollongong ). This is a process of continual addition, and the salt can only leave the basin by flowing out of the Murray mouth. When the rivers don’t flow, no salt leaves the basin. With reasonable flow, the Murray River will take 2 million tonnes of salt out to sea per year. Over the last 10 years it has only transported 1 million tonnes (total) out to sea. The other 19 million tonnes is still in the basin.

The salinity audit of the Murray-Darling Basin (1999) showed high salinity levels in many tributaries. The Border Rivers , Bogan, Condamine-balonne, Macquarie, Namoi and Warrego Rivers are expected to exceed World Health Organisation guidelines within 20 years.

4) Global Warming

Global warming is now accepted, not only by scientists and “greenies”, but by such arch-conservatives as George Bush, John Howard and Rupert Murdoch. However, there are still farmers and some Members of Parliament who don’t accept it, and as a result, refuse to take appropriate action to respond to global warming.

The Annual Australian Climate Summary 2005 (Australian Bureau of Meteorology) notes that 2005 was the warmest year on record and a graph shows a significant rise in temperature from about 1960, but quite definitely from 1980.

It is doubtful whether global warming will be stopped, and that means that we have to adjust to it.

No allowance for global warming

All of the calculations done by water authorities for such purposes as setting Caps for water extraction are done on the basis of history of water flows. Global warming is predicted to cut rainfall in the Murray Darling Basin , and appears to be doing so already. This has not been taken into account.

John Howard’s proposal to give 50% of his water savings to irrigators will be disastrous . Those irrigators will increase the area of irrigation (already too large), and as rainfall diminishes, those denuded areas will become dustbowls.

5) Specific Places of Concern

Wetlands

The Murray Darling Basin Commission website states “Despite their importance, wetlands have been one of the least valued and most abused of Australia ’s natural resources. Various assessments suggest that nationally, as much as 50 percent of the area of wetland that existed 200 years ago has been lost. Within the Murray-Darling Basin , many wetlands have been completely lost through drainage and filling. Most remaining wetlands have been altered or degraded through activities within them or within their catchments. These activities have profoundly changed the wetlands’ water regimes and the quality, composition and distribution of vegetation communities and dependent animal species. Of particular concern is the degradation of wetlands on river floodplains – the most predominant type, in terms of numbers and area – within the basin.”

Examples of problems facing wetlands in the Murray Darling basin are:

·       University of New South Wales observers counted tens of thousands of water birds in the Macquarie Marshes 20 years ago, but less than 1000 in the year 2000, and less than 20 birds in 2004. Professor Richard Kingsford said the decline was caused by diversion of water flows from the marshes into dams and irrigation, combined with the effects of the drought (Sunday Telegraph 19.6.2005).

·       The Gwydir Wetlands breeding failure in 2005: 6000 straw-necked ibis chicks didn’t hatch. The birds had not bred since 1998. The cause of non-breeding was the release of too little environmental wate