By Olivia McInnes
Irrigators in the Lachlan Valley are concerned about the recent release of the proposed Murray Darling Basin Plan (MDBP).
They say the Lachlan River and those who reside on it are being left out of millions of dollars worth of investment in water efficiency projects.
A State Government consultation recently held in Forbes on the impact of the MDBP, provided farmers with an opportunity to voice their concerns.
Ted Morgan from Jemalong Irrigation says the federal government has spent a lot of money on water buybacks in the Lachlan, but little on improving efficiency.
He says he has applied for funding twice and has been knocked back both times.
“The Lachlan River in general is a significant water valley in New South Wales, I feel that it has been totally disadvantaged by what has gone on so far in the whole modernisation buy back strategy of the federal government,” he said.
Mr Morgan says there has been no balance between water buybacks and investing in efficiency measures.
“All the other valleys have had hundreds of millions put into schemes and into on farm efficiency programs.
“I think the Lachlan has had $6 million that I’m aware of in on farm efficiency and nothing into schemes to improve them and modernise them.
“This should be all about modernising irrigation across New South Wales, not just some valleys.”
Water users in Lake Cargelligo say they are being left out of the plan because they are not directly on a river.
The Chairman of the Lake Cargelligo Wetlands and Lakes Council, Peter Skipworth, says the town cannot be ignored.
“We need it because there’s a lot of stock and domestic users, there’s an environmental issue with the drought refuge and the wetlands in the back of the lake that nobody’s ever seen much of.
“(From) the social point, because there’s a cultural heritage thing there, there’s a large Aboriginal community there, and it’s the social point for the town, because there’s a lot of houses built around the lake invested in living and retiring in Lake Cargelligo.”