Water talk april 2016 (low res)

ountry News Co

Water Talk Reaching Australia ’s richest agricultural region

E 12-PAUG RE FEAAprTil 2016

The future of the G-MW Connections project rests in the hands of these two men: a German-born infrastructure executive and a project engineer.

Responding to pressure from irrigators frustrated with progress in the $2 billion Foodbowl Modernisation Project, the Victorian Government has put them in charge of a major reset, and given them 12 weeks to come up with a plan. See page 3.

Frank Fisseler

Mike Walsh

Basin forum postponed — page 2 | Water outlooks challenged — page 4 | Iconic water carts on show at Moora — page 10

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PAGE 2—‘Water Talk’, April, 2016

water talk

Senator impressed by resilience fter a series of meetings in A the Southern Riverina, Federal Agriculture and Water

Resources Assistant Minister Anne Ruston said communities were showing great resilience amid implementation issues with the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, but one lobby group felt insulted after the visit.

At the meetings in Deniliquin, Jerilderie and Coleambally on March 24, farmers, irrigators and community members aired their concerns about water issues to Senator Ruston, who toured alongside Federal Member for Farrer Sussan Ley. ‘‘I was really delighted with how positively all the communities were approaching what has been a really challenging time for all communities in the Murray-Darling Basin,’’ Senator Ruston said.

While Senator Ruston said the meetings were productive, Speak Up spokesperson Vicki Meyer believed there was not enough focus on water policy and some food producers were surprised at being snubbed during such a crucial phase in the debate. ‘‘There should have been at least one discussion with either Southern Riverina Irrigators, Murray Valley Private Diverters or a delegation of grassroots irrigators,’’ Ms Meyer said.

The meetings were a chance for Senator Ruston to hear first-hand from communities about their thoughts on what the Federal

Rachel Kelly, Perin Davey, Sussan Ley, Anne Ruston, Jenny Hehir, Phoebe Gulliver, Ruth Kydd and Helen Mortlock at the lunch in Jerilderie.

Government could do with policy setting to make these communities as viable as possible in the future.

Senator Ruston was impressed after the meeting in Deniliquin which highlighted the community’s goal to expand its water industry. ‘‘There are two major new businesses on the horizon — the expansion of the abattoir and the ethanol plant . . . these are the future economic drivers of their community,’’ she said.

The Deniliquin visit also included a meeting with council

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representatives and Murray Irrigation to look at the basin plan and how to limit the social and economic impact on river communities during its implementation.

In Coleambally, Ms Ley and Senator Ruston toured the Murrumbidgee Shire Community Farm to discuss how the community had modernised its water infrastructure and irrigation systems to increase efficiency and minimise water losses.

Senator Ruston said both meetings were interesting and demonstrated the diversification

away from traditional water pursuits, the application of technology and the ways in which the community could promote the transition.

The meeting in Jerilderie was a lunch with women in agriculture to discuss the economic opportunities of empowering women. ‘‘We realised the economic benefit in getting more women actively participating in the industry . . . the women of the community were ones championing that,’’ Senator Ruston said.

This was the first time she had formally met with Southern

New appointment to basin authority he Murray-Darling Basin T Authority has welcomed the announcement of Susan Madden as its newest member.

Authority chair Neil Andrew said Ms Madden was an excellent appointment and would bring valuable experience and knowledge to the role. ‘‘Susan has actively contributed to important discussion on basin matters for several years, with a particular focus on the northern basin,’’ Mr Andrew said. ‘‘The strength of Susan’s background in agriculture and natural resources management will be highly valued as the MDBA continues the important task of implementing the basin plan in the coming years.’’

Ms Madden will join Mr Andrew, Phillip Glyde (chief executive), Barry Hart, Dianne Davidson and George Warne on the six-member authority.

The MDBA members have a breadth of expertise and experience in water, economics, the environment, natural resource management and agriculture.

National Farmers’ Federation water taskforce chair Les Gordon said Ms Madden brought not only her more recent experience in the irrigation sector to the

New member of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority Susan Madden.

MDBA, but also many years of working with natural resource management groups and communities across the basin to resolve complex natural resource challenges. ‘‘We also congratulate Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and the MDBA Ministerial Council ministers

for their decision to appoint Ms Madden,’’ Mr Gordon said. ‘‘The next few years are a very important time in the implementation of the basin plan and we are pleased to see the value of real world experience being applied to this process has been recognised.’’

Riverina communities after her appointment to the assistant minister role six months ago.

Although she understood Senator Ruston and Ms Ley could not fit in meetings with every interest group, Ms Meyer said it was still ‘‘not good enough’’. ‘‘To bring the federal Assistant Water Minister to this district and not meet with grassroots representatives is beyond belief,’’ she said.

Senator Ruston acknowledged the basin plan implementation would be an ongoing issue and the government would look at ways of implementing the plan in a way that ensured the possible outcome and minimised any negative social and economic impacts.

Constant review and learning from ‘‘real life examples’’ was key to ensuring the basin plan issues were resolved, she said. ‘‘When you put a plan together, it’s based on theories, but we need to review this to get the best outcome.’’

Senator Ruston acknowledged the basin plan’s impact on river communities could not be underestimated, however, the optimism of the community was encouraging. ‘‘The communities are being very positive in the way they’ve been reacting to the consequences of the plan and we are very keen to work with them to get the best possible outcome that we can.’’

Water forum postponed water forum featuring Federal AMember for Farrer Sussan Ley

and NSW State Member for Murray Adrian Piccoli in Deniliquin on April 6 has been postponed.

Mr Piccoli advised he would be unable to attend and organisers Speak Up decided to postpone the event until both Ms Ley and Mr Piccoli were available.

The postponed date has not been confirmed.

Speak Up spokesperson Shelley Scoullar said the postponement was disappointing, because the region’s political representatives would have been given the opportunity to explain what they were doing to help food producers.

Mrs Scoullar said Ms Ley’s time would not be wasted, because a small, closed group wanted to meet with her in Deniliquin to discuss concerns with the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. ‘‘We hope she will meet with a delegation and help us achieve these goals,’’ Mrs Scoullar said.

She said Speak Up apologised to people who had registered for the water forum and would be inconvenienced by its postponement. ‘‘We will keep the public informed of developments and hopefully be able to announce a new date.’’

➤ For more information, email speakup4water@gmail.com or phone Shelley Scoullar on 0414 960 785 or Karen MacDonald on 0429 825 984.

‘Water Talk’, April, 2016—PAGE 3

water talk

Driving the Connections project

By Geoff Adams

F

rank Fisseler knew the Connections project was in trouble when he applied for the job of project director.

The infrastructure executive had read the critical mid-term GHD report and still decided he wanted the gig. ‘‘I am always there for a challenge,’’ he told Country News last week. ‘‘It’s clearly a lot more challenging than starting with just a white piece of paper,’’ he said, referring to other roles in brand new start-ups. ‘‘GHD pointed out a range of issues that we have to address and I am really keen on addressing those.’’

Mr Fisseler, a lawyer by training and a project director by experience, has promised to leave no stone unturned in a quest to find a better way forward for the troubled Foodbowl Modernisation Project.

And he has to do that in very quick time.

His project control group chairman Mike Walsh and Victorian Water Minister Lisa Neville have made it clear they want a plan for a reset of Goulburn-Murray Water’s Connections within three months.

His deadline arrives some time in June. ‘‘We are working towards a timeline of three months with ideas on how to solve the problems,’’ he said.

Mr Fisseler is now in the middle of identifying the issues, trying to understand the problems and discover the real status quo of the $2 billion project. ‘‘It’s not just a piece of infrastructure in one area, it’s about 7000 customers. Every project is in a different state. So we have to find out the status quo.’’

Mr Fisseler grew up on a hobby farm in a tiny German village in the 1970s where his family grew potatoes, and was educated as a lawyer.

He later completed a PhD on stock options for rewarding staff and enjoyed negotiating and debating, and developed a particular interest in notions of fairness.

He studied in a number of European countries and later became interested in venture capital and new enterprise startups, eventually starting a family business in venture capital raising.

From June 2007 he was involved with the Victorian desalination plant and went on to manage the Sunraysia Modernisation Project.

He believes his experience in private-public partnerships will be

Connections – where is it up to?

As of March 24, the project has completed: ➤ 5993 meter installations. ➤ 858 km of channel rationalisation. ➤ 196 km of channel remediated. ➤ 225 Gl/year of audited water savings.

Source: Connections, G-MW

Frank Fisseler: ‘‘I will make it successful. I am pretty determined.’’ an advantage in sorting through the Connections project. ‘‘We have to go back to basics — what is this about? Why are we getting funding? ‘‘This is essentially around money for water savings, and upgrading infrastructure to get there. ‘‘The desal, was a ppp (publicprivate partnership).

Extraordinarily complex with a myriad of stakeholders to deal with. ‘‘It’s complex, demanding in time, and requires an attitude of doing what it takes to get a job done, and being able to see through the complexities and see a pathway through it. ‘‘Fundamentally, what’s important is that when people give you a piece of paper, test the assumptions and re-look at them on a regular basis.’’

Although he’s on board with his mission, he’s a little uncomfortable with the name ‘Connections’ and prefers ‘modernisation’.

But he says, with a laugh, he’s not about to cause any angst by demanding a change.

‘‘It’s really about upgrading and modernising.’’

Mr Fisseler would not comment on whether he would be seeking extra time for the project, which is due to be delivered by June 2018.

Critics of the progress so far, say that due to various delays over the years, the project cannot be completed by that time.

Although more time may often mean more money, Mr Fisseler is cautious about jumping to the conclusion that if more time was needed, more money would be needed.

He sees the need to spend a lot of time on engagement and communications with stakeholders, offering ‘‘real news’’. ‘‘Clearly the project is needed, no-one is arguing against that. ‘‘The project is wanted and we want to work with the farmers. ‘‘It’s a legacy project for the area. ‘‘The key message is not leaving one stone unturned to maximise value for money — I know it sounds cliched, but I want to find cost-saving opportunities and deliver the project in the most efficient way.

Frank Fisseler in his Ferguson Rd, Tatura office of the G-MW Connections project. ‘‘This means the landowner engagement process; I want to find out what works and what doesn’t and try to understand this. ‘‘I’ve been talking to landowners and hearing them say, ‘someone talked to me and six months later I haven’t heard anything’. ‘‘Absolutely unacceptable. It’s too long. People don’t want to fly blind. If I was a landowner, I would be annoyed.’’

He has a keen appreciation of the broader agricultural environment the project is being delivered into.

In the Sunraysia, he saw farmers working hard to grow avocados for a small fraction of the price they were eventually sold for in supermarkets.

He also said the project had not stopped during the 12-week evaluation process.

What the mid-term report on Connections found: ‘‘On current performance it is apparent GMWCP2 (G-MW Connections Project 2) will not achieve the outputs, outcomes and aim specified in the project schedule

by June 30, 2018 nor with the existing budget if the project continues as it is currently being implemented,’’ the report said.

The mid-term review found: Connections was impacted by more landowners wanting to remain connected, more interaction with landowners was required and the

lack of interest from landowners wanting to form syndicates.

The report was critical of communication with landowners as ‘‘confusing, inconsistent and delayed interactions’’. ‘‘A fundamental change in approach and delivery of GMWCP2 is required to be able to orient the project to respond to project risks as understood today. ‘‘Landowners are not signing up at the required rates, pointing to persistent challenges in

communicating the intention of the project and the process for selection and prioritisation of landowners for involvement in the project.’’

The performance of Connections was also impacted by: ➤ The inquiry by the Victorian Ombudsman. ➤ The transition from NVIRP to G-MW. ➤ Delays in the start of the project.

The report suggested the reset could include: ➤ Abandoning the 100 per cent

connections target. ➤ Different approaches to different Strategic Connection Plan areas. ➤ Some parts of the project need to be abandoned. ➤ Time extensions. ➤ More funding. ➤ Changing delivery options. ➤ Outsourcing of parts of the project. ➤ Compulsory powers applied to some situations.

PAGE 4—‘Water Talk’, April, 2016

water talk Murray System Outlook for Seasonal Determination of High-Reliability Water Shares Inflow Conditions

Jul 1, 2016

Aug 15, 2016

Oct 17, 2016

Dec 15, 2016

Lower storage inflows from ‘average season rainfall’

Feb 15, 2017 Goulburn System Outlook for seasonal determination of HRWS by February 15, 2017.*

2016–17 Inflow-description required to meet this allocation*

RMCG’s ‘more-likely’ projection of inflow required based on the last 20 years of inflows (approximate-only)

Wet

42%

69%

100%

100%

100%

Above Average

24%

47%

85%

100%

100%

Average

8%

35%

67%

91%

100%

Below Average

0%

27%

47%

72%

86%

100% Allocation

Wet

Wet

Dry

0%

15%

33%

44%

50%

100% Allocation

Average

Wet

Very Dry

0%

12%

29%

34%

37%

54% Allocation

Dry

Average

Extreme Dry

0%

0%

0%

0%

2%

21% Allocation

Extreme Dry

Dry

An example of the expanded water allocation outlooks on the Goulburn-Murray Water website.

Consultant RMCG demonstrate how different time periods impact on the allocation outlooks.

G-MW forecasts questioned

discussion is under way A over how Goulburn-Murray Water arrives at its irrigation

allocation outlooks for northern Victorian irrigators, in light of the dry conditions experienced over the past 20 years.

Farm consultant company RMCG has suggested that rather than use data from the past 110 or 120 years on inflows, a more reliable predictor would be inflow patterns in more recent years.

The result, on present figures, would be a more pessimistic forecast.

G-MW provides the outlooks to give irrigators an idea of what allocations might be in the future, based on current inflows and the historical pattern of inflows.

G-MW has been increasing the information contained in the outlooks in recent years, in response to irrigators wanting to be more informed. ‘‘Looking at the full range of statistics give us the whole package detailing what we can expect based on what we have seen over the last 120 years,’’ G-MW river operations manager Andrew Shields said.

The outlooks offer different estimations based on different inflow scenarios, such as wet, average or dry.

Only last month G-MW expanded the scenarios to include seven descriptors: wet, above average, average, below average, dry, very dry and extreme dry.

Inflows to the Hume Dam in February were about 38 per cent of average.

‘Extreme dry’ was only added last year to take into account the decline in inflows.

However, Mr Shields said it was difficult to say whether the pattern of the past 20 years was a longterm trend. ‘‘The best guide we have for the future is what has happened in the past,’’ he said.

Although inflows fell away at times of drought, such as during the Federation drought, Mr Shields acknowledged the

millennium drought created record low inflows.

The analysis by RMCG consultants Rob Rendell and Daryl Poole showed inflows into two of the biggest storages, Hume Dam and Eildon Reservoir, have been 23 per cent lower during the past 20 years than the long-term average inflows recorded over more than 100 years. ‘‘This has real ramifications for farmers planning for the irrigation season next year — and beyond,’’

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Mr Poole said. ‘‘Many irrigation farmers feel the last 20 years of inflow information is a better indicator of the future than the past 110-plus years of data, however, all the official projections from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and other water authorities, regarding the probability of various seasonal water allocations, are based on the 100-plus years of steam flow information.

‘‘The most obvious point is that right now in March 2016, the weather is really hot, the catchments are dry, the storages are much lower, and we are going to need well above average autumn and winter rainfall to get any sort of reasonable response from our catchments that converts into irrigation allocations for the 2016-17 season.’’

Mr Poole said recent official seasonal outlooks from G-MW confirmed both the Murray and Goulburn systems were predicted to achieve 100 per cent allocations for high-reliability water shares by February next year if they received ‘average’ inflows. ‘‘Many farmers would interpret this as meaning that average rainfall in our catchments will provide a full water allocation by February next year,’’ he said. ‘‘However, the projections published are based on the average annual stream-flows recorded each year since the 1890s, and do not really allow for the very dry catchments. ‘‘In addition, many people also feel that rainfall and catchment conditions have changed since the very wet periods enjoyed between 1950 and 2000. ‘‘We need to be focused on inflows and not rainfall as this determines ultimately what we get in allocations.’’ ➤ The expanded outlooks are available on the G-MW website.

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‘Water Talk’, April, 2016—PAGE 5

water talk

Update your water tool kit Dairy workshops designed to Murray help irrigators keep up to date and

make informed decisions regarding water will kick-off next week.

Murray Dairy has recently reviewed its Water Trading Tool Kit, which has useful information about how water is managed, water market information, and covers some of the policy changes that impact the way irrigators can manage their water risk.

To complement the Water Trading Tool Kit, Murray Dairy has organised water workshops that will further assist farmers in gaining a clearer picture of what it all means for their business.

The workshops, facilitated by Daryl Poole from RMCG, will provide information about the current season and next season’s outlooks, and will also look at some practical ways farmers can better manage their water risk.

The water workshops will also cover topics regarding: ➤ Water availability across the Southern Connected Murray-Darling Basin. ➤ How policy changes have impacted access to water. ➤ Future water availability — what climate change might mean for irrigators’ access to water.

➤ What water risk strategies need to be considered. ➤ Current and next season outlooks. ➤ Carryover — how it works and should we or should we not carryover water for next season. ➤ Water calendar — important decision point triggers.

The workshops will be held in Cohuna, Kyabram, Finley and Numurkah over the course of two Mondays.

The Cohuna workshop will be held at the Cohuna Football Club on Island Rd, Cohuna on Monday, April 11 from 10.30 am to 1 pm with lunch provided.

The Kyabram workshop will be held at Hurley’s Bar and Bistro Hotel, 217 Allan St, Kyabram on Monday, April 11 from 7 pm to 9.30 pm with supper provided.

The Finley workshop will be held at Finley RSC, 63 Tocumwal St, Finley on Monday, April 18 from 10.30 am to 1 pm with lunch provided.

The Numurkah workshop will be held at the RSL Hall, 40 Saxton St, Numurkah on Monday, April 18 from 7 pm to 9.30 pm with supper provided. ➤ RSVP to Murray Dairy on 5833 5312 or email admin@murraydairy.com.au for catering purposes.

Cool weather and rain are needed to improve dissolved oxygen levels in some local creeks, such as Gooram Falls on Seven Creeks.

Native fish at risk as dry weather continues

oulburn Broken Catchment G Management Authority says more rain and cooler weather is the only way

to prevent more native fish deaths in the catchment’s creeks.

Goulburn Broken CMA waterways manager Mark Turner said 12 dead native fish, including seven endangered Macquarie perch and five trout cod, were recorded on Seven Creeks below Gooram Falls by CMA and Arthur Rylah Institute staff conducting annual fish surveys last week.

The fish deaths are the result of the lack of water in the creek due to ongoing dry conditions, not black water or blue-green algae. ‘‘Seven Creeks had stopped flowing in parts and the pools below the falls were not connected, making it hard for fish to move to deeper, cooler parts of the creek,’’ Mr Turner said. ‘‘We hope the recent heavy falls of up to 80 mm recorded in some parts of the catchment, and this week’s lower temperatures, will improve the situation. ‘‘In the meantime, we worked with staff from Arthur Rylah Institute to move stressed fish to a section of the creek with deeper, cooler pools. ‘‘Fortunately no dead native fish were found during survey work along the Yea River and King Parrot and Hollands creeks.’’

Mr Turner said the effects of long spells of hot dry weather were felt most in unregulated streams — waterways without

weirs and dams that rely on rain and run-off for flows. ‘‘Unfortunately, climate change predictions suggest these unregulated streams will dry out more often in the future,’’ he said. ‘‘Generally native fish and animals are pretty resilient and tend to move to pools or shelter before waterways dry out completely. ‘‘This is why we continue to work with landholders, agencies and community groups along the catchment’s creeks and rivers to carry out activities such as revegetation and snagging to provide shade and shelter and create deeper, cooler pools for fish to use as refuge during hot dry weather.’’

Drying out of regulated waterways, such as the Goulburn River and lower Broken Creek, is less likely as environmental water can be used to maintain flows when water is not being delivered to irrigators and other users. ‘‘We will continue to work with the EPA, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, WaterWatch and water authorities to monitor water conditions in all the catchment’s rivers and creeks and address any problems, where possible,’’ Mr Turner said. ➤ Members of the community are urged to phone the EPA’s Pollution Hotline on 1300 372 842 if they see large numbers of fish that appear to be dead or struggling.

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PAGE 6—‘Water Talk’, April, 2016

water talk

Farmers speak up oncerns about the GoulburnC Murray Water Connections project and the Murray-Darling

Basin Plan have resonated throughout the region since a VFF meeting last month in Echuca.

Cropping and grazing farmer from Kotta Andrew Christian made a positive remark at the meeting about his experience with Connections.

But he said the outcome only came about when there were changes.

Mr Christian told Connections project control group chairman MIke Walsh that speed was of the essence.

Drawing on his experience, Mr Christian said he challenged the time schedules of a proposed pipeline.

Although there were 52 customers, the job was completed in time for them to have access to water at the start of the irrigation season. ‘‘It was fast, speedy and a very good job,’’ he said.

Alister Knight from Boort said he felt disenfranchised by the Murray-Darling Basin Plan when he saw low inflows and high river bank levels. ‘‘We need to go back to the science behind the plan and looking at simulating floods down

The Echuca meeting organised by the VFF to air water concerns.

the river, not pushing one in 10 year floods down,’’ Mr Knight said.

He urged Victorian Water Minister Lisa Neville to seek changes to the basin plan.

Ms Neville replied it may need better modelling and a better understanding of what was happening. ‘‘Victoria has been an advocate of that,’’ she said.

Colin Hipwell from Lancaster expressed concern about the ‘‘unsustainable’’ price of temporary water and the impact it was having on young people entering the industry. ‘‘They can’t come and compete,’’ Mr Hipwell said.

Victorian Water Minister Lisa Neville: ‘‘It is not an option to leave the system as it is. We have looked at the reports and in that time what I realise is that we have to do it differently. Nobody wants the (Connections) project to go away. That’s why we have a project control group and we have a stakeholder group.’’

At the Echuca meeting, farmer Bill Baxter complained about the performance of Connections.

‘Water Talk’, April, 2016—PAGE 7

water talk

GVEG critical of duck decision oulburn Valley Environment G Group has expressed its disapproval of duck hunting

this season on Black Swamp north of Wunghnu, following vandalism resulting in deliberate flooding in March.

In the past the wetland has been managed with a wetting and drying management plan in a bid to return it to something like its natural state.

This plan ensured that during this cycle the wetland would have environmental water added; water that would attract ducks and allow, under normal circumstances, hunting to take place.

GVEG said this was a win-win situation for the environment and hunters, made possible by environmental water if available, for use in accordance with the agreed watering plan.

However, the flooding, which GVEG believes was almost certainly the actions of duck shooters, has resulted in the drowning of establishing vegetation, the destruction of unique feeding and nesting opportunities in a drying wetland, and years of planning and works by the community wasted.

GVEG chair John Pettigrew said the Game Management Authority had an obligation and the opportunity to not reward these actions, but instead effectively condoned and rewarded them. ‘‘The GMA, DELWP and ultimately Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford should not have gone

GVEG believes deliberate flooding of Black Swamp in early March was almost certainly the actions of duck shooters. against local recommendations to close the wetland to hunting this season,’’ Mr Pettigrew said.

Mr Pettigrew said the flooding of Black Swamp was not an isolated case of rogue elements within the duck shooting fraternity blatantly breaking the law.

A similar case occurred in 2009 when a Field and Game Australia

official pleaded guilty at the Sale Magistrates’ Court to illegally taking and diverting water to the organisation’s private shooting property just a week prior to the opening of the duck shooting season.

In 2013 more than 2000 native water birds, including some 200 threatened freckled ducks, were

killed at the Box Flat floodplain by up to 150 mainly local shooters.

The 2016 duck shooting season began on Saturday, March 19 and will close on Monday, June 13.

Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority said native plants that provided valuable food and shelter for animals and birds, including some threatened

species, had died as a result of vandals damaging the regulator that controls water flow in to Black Swamp.

Goulburn Broken CMA wetlands project officer Jo Wood said it was disappointing the regulator was forced open and damaged, flooding the wetland. ‘‘As well as putting themselves at risk of injury, whoever did this has let in water, which should have been going to water users such as farmers, into Black Swamp at the time of the year when we plan for it to dry out,’’ Ms Wood said. ‘‘A period of dry is a natural and important part of keeping wetlands healthy. ‘‘During this drying phase, some plants will become dormant, while others, such as river red gums, establish. The exposed plants attract insects and provide food and shelter for birds and other animals.’’

Ms Wood said birds not seen for some time, including eastern great egrets and magpie geese, had recently been spotted at Black Swamp. The nationally endangered Australian painted snipe was also recorded for the first time at the swamp this year. ‘‘The birds have been attracted by the good feeding habitat that has flourished in response to the more natural wetting and drying patterns that have been developed through carefully managing the timing of deliveries of environmental water to the wetland.’’

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PAGE 8—‘Water Talk’, April, 2016

water talk

No change with algae ater users are still W advised to steer clear of blue-green algae-affected

waters along the Murray River as conditions remain unchanged.

Areas affected by the algal bloom include Lake Hume, Lake Mulwala, Lake Moodemere, Lake Boga, channels servicing the Murray Valley Irrigation Area, Cairn Curran and Laanecoorie reservoirs, Torrumbarry Irrigation Area — including all waterways east of the Loddon River, the number two channel west of the Loddon River in the Dingwall and Wandella districts and First Reedy Lake — Broken Creek, Nine Mile Creek and the Edward and Wakool River systems.

Benalla incident control centre duty officer Paul Horton said they were hopeful April would be the month the outbreak would subside. ‘‘Unless we get significant rainfall, it’ll stay the same,’’ Mr Horton said.

He said February’s rainfall was low and March wasn’t much better — but there was still hope for April. ‘‘The forecasts aren’t giving us a lot of guidance. But if we get water, it’ll be great.’’

He said until weather readings showed expected rainfall, the control centre would continue to issue updates.

Benalla incident control centre duty officer Paul Horton says unless there is significant rainfall, the blue-green algae outbreak will stay the same. ‘‘We will continue public awareness by social media.’’

The water temperature on March 24 read 22 C, but Mr Horton said to kill any algae bacteria the water would need to be below 15°C. The temperature could be artificiality dropped by allowing clean water from other water sources, but Mr Horton said this could create other issues.

‘‘We could release water from other dams that sit at six degrees, but because of a shock in temperature, it could kill the fish.’’

Goulburn-Murray Water recommends: ➤ Do not enter the water. ➤ Do not let animals into the water. ➤ People who come into contact with affected water should wash affected skin

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immediately with cool, cold water. ➤ Seek an alternative water supply for stock and pets. ➤ Do not use affected water for cooking, drinking, washing or showering. Boiling the affected water will not make it safe for these purposes. ➤ For more information, visit www.g-mwater.com.au

What’s going on? ➤ Why is this happening?

No simple answer to that one. Blue-green algae is part and parcel of freshwater environments and not unusual over the summer and early autumn period. It’s also unpredictable and we haven’t seen an event this widespread for some years.

Different types of algae favour different kinds of conditions. Some like calm water, with little or no wind and hot sunny days. Others like faster moving flows. Algae can also do well when water settles into layers, for example, a surface layer of warmer water that doesn’t mix with cooler, deeper water underneath. And it thrives on sunlight, clearer water and lots of nutrients.

Get the right conditions for a while and bluegreen algae cells (they’re actually a bacteria) will be present. If the conditions stick around, cells multiply and you get a bloom. ➤ So what do we do about it?

There’s little water managers can do except try to keep flows up and keep a very close eye on things to let people know what’s happening. It’s a matter of time before conditions change and we’ll do what we can to help them along, but until then the algae will stick around.

Algal blooms are different depending on local conditions so monitoring, public warnings and oversight is done by state and local authorities.

Good rain, cooler weather or less sunshine would be a help. ➤ Can this be fixed by sending water down the Murray River?

Murray River flows are pretty healthy and with these blooms and high temperatures forecast, we are aiming to keep them as high as we can.

Higher flows are unlikely to make a significant difference to blooms of this scale. We can make small adjustments to how we operate the river, but must balance those against making sure we have water in store for tougher times.

With storages falling and the states’ advice on water availability in the next year, we have to be cautious.

We did announce flows will vary over autumn because of a pulse of environmental and agricultural water that will make its way down from Lake Eildon. ➤ From www.mdba.gov.au/news/mdbfact-blue-green-algae

‘Water Talk’, April, 2016—PAGE 9

water talk

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‘We are your complete land development professionals’ Pasture still makes up a large percentage of a milking herd’s feed requirements.

Maximising on-farm feed

espite uncertainty in water prices, D farmers are being advised to continue their pasture renewal program

to ensure they have cost-effective highquality feed when they need it.

Getting pasture renewal efforts under way promptly can make a real difference in terms of availability and quality of feed — whether it is for grazing or to cut for hay and silage.

An industry expert at PGG Wrightson Seeds recommended starting sooner rather than later this autumn to ensure maximum production and performance through winter and into spring.

This is important even during current periods of water pricing uncertainty. ‘‘A recent study conducted by water market advisers Aither1 found that water prices in the southern Murray-Darling Basin area might increase by as much as 10 per cent in the next five years during low allocations,’’ PGG Wrightson Seeds’ product development team member Kelly Burke said. ‘‘But farmers should not be tempted to hold off on their pasture renewal efforts in light of this, or go with cheaper seed alternatives, as it could end up costing them much more in the long run.’’

Mr Burke said feed availability and quality was essential in winter to maintain optimum stock condition and growth rates. ‘‘Autumn is the optimum time to boost your on-farm feed production and start renovating your pastures with a high quality Italian rye-grass such as Concord II, because you can get full establishment of pasture up and running before we get into the midst of winter, and then hopefully the rainfall carries them through into spring.’’

Through PGG Wrightson Seeds’ trial research, the team found after start-ofseason rains, every one week delay in sowing could cost a farmer up to 1000 kg/ha of dry matter leading into winter.

Mr Burke said it was therefore critical to get rye-grass in early and utilise irrigation to get it up and going quickly.

One dairy farmer in northern Victoria remains committed to maximising his on-farm feed production even during periods of water pricing uncertainty.

Brendan Martin, of Allanby Pastoral in Bamawm, milks 800 cows, predominantly Holstein and Jersey, and grows mostly rye-grass pastures, lucerne, maize and some cereal silage across his 450 ha.

In a usually dry area, Mr Martin’s property experiences average annual rainfall of 400 mm/year, which means he relies heavily on irrigation, with 90 per cent on his property flood irrigated.

He normally buys in about 1000 Ml annually and all up uses about 2500 Ml/ year, with access to a deep-lead bore and reclaimed waste water from Echuca. ‘‘High water costs mean we have to carefully plan for our future requirements, and be really efficient in the way we use our water,’’ Mr Martin said. ‘‘This is the third year we have sown Concord II, and this year we will sow about 200 ha. ‘‘For us, water management is all about understanding our feed requirements, selecting our pasture, selecting our variety, and managing moisture requirements with moisture probes. ‘‘We do all the leg work before the end of March — pre-irrigating to close up some cracks in the soil before spraying out weeds and sowing. ‘‘This means the pastures are well established as we head into winter and we’ve got plenty of feed. ‘‘I’d say probably 40 per cent of the cows’ diets is direct pasture graze, 30 per cent concentrate and 30 per cent home-grown feed as pit silage or hay. ‘‘We’ve done the numbers over and over and I would say 95 per cent of the time it’s better to grow our own feed on-farm. ‘‘Water prices are a significant factor, but with good farm management home-grown feed is still the cheapest, highest quality option.’’

SHEPPARTON 5 Telford Drive, Shepparton Phone: (03) 5821 7171 Email: mail@onleys.com.au www.onleys.com.au SURVEY DESIGN IRRIGATION SURVEY DESIGN IRRIGATION SURVEY DESIGN IRRIG

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PAGE 10—‘Water Talk’, April, 2016

water talk

The Furphy legacy lives on

By Geoff Adams

A

deeply religious man, John Furphy established a successful foundry in Shepparton in the 1800s.

Starting out as a blacksmith and wheelwright, he soon branched out into agricultural machinery and his most famous development, was the Furphy water cart.

A large number were used by the army in World War I, and as the men who accompanied the carts often spread stories about the progress of the war and other topics, an unreliable story became known as a ‘furphy’.

His religious leanings often led him to include injunctions on his water cart to stay away from alcohol and to ‘‘drink water’’.

Cleverly, to reduce the amount of work in the lettering, he used Pitman’s shorthand. ‘‘Water is the gift of God, but beer and whisky are concoctions of the devil. Go and have a drink of water’’ was a common theme, with a few variations.

Another was a sketch of a stork delivering a baby with the words: ‘‘Produce and populate or perish’’.

Mr Furphy was involved in civic affairs and was a lay preacher with the Methodist Church.

He occupied a range of positions in the church and also wrote letters to the Shepparton newspaper on a range of topics.

There is a display of Furphy tanks at the Shepparton Motor Museum.

Above: The collection of tank ends owned by Huntly collector Shaun McGoldrick. The 1920 Furphy tank end closest bears the Pitman’s shorthand inscription: ‘‘Water is the gift of God, but beer is a concoction of the devil.

Don’t drink beer’’.

Right: Shaun McGoldrick from Huntly is pictured on a Furphy water cart made in 1930 and pulled by his Clydesdale cross, Molly, at the recent Moora Muster, near Rushworth. Mr McGoldrick describes himself as a collector and has a range of old water tanks and tank ends including the famous Furphy tanks made in Shepparton by J Furphy and Sons, and others made by Coxons of Numurkah.

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‘Water Talk’, April, 2016—PAGE 11

water talk

Wheat system results surprising he 2015 Finley Discussion T Group irrigated wheat system results were a surprise

with the highest yield and water use efficiency (WUE) system spray irrigation yielding 6.6 tonne/ha at a high WUE 1.9 tonne/Ml. This is in contrast to 2014 when the spray WUE was 1.4 tonne/Ml and the flood 1.5-2 Ml spring irrigated system had the highest WUE 1.9 tonne/Ml. A key factor for the highest yields in each system was the early sowing date for most crops from April 30 to May 7 and early emergence by May 15 to 20.

The early sowings flowered around the optimum September 25 target. Shorter height Cobra and Corack were the highest yielding varieties along with Suntop, similar to the irrigated variety trial results.

At recent group meetings farmers estimated the early October heat reduced yields by 1.5 tonne/ha when most crops were flowering or in early grain development by aborting flowers and young grains. This led to the flood systems yielding below target.

We hope 35°C temperatures are not seen again.

Ironically a few farmers with late sown crops which flowered after the heat had yields 7-8 tonne/ha from two irrigations.

Strangely the higher biomass 1.5-2 Ml (2-3 irrigations) spring flood system had a lower WUE of

Early sowing could be one of the key’s to higher yields on irrigated wheat.

1.4 tonne/Ml compared to the 1.5 Ml or less (1-2 irrigations) system of 1.6 t/Ml given the dryness of September and October.

We think it was more affected by the heat.

Some of the later sown 1.5 Ml system crops benefited from the late October rain which was the

equivalent of another irrigation.

Another factor reducing yields was severe lodging from all varieties from the late October/ early November high winds and storms.

Lodging was worse where crops had been irrigated within four days of the storms.

A number of high yielding crops

were sown at 90 kg/ha which was better than 100-110 kg/ha enhanced by the early sowing, good emergence and good plant populations. Lower sowing rates help to reduce lodging.

All of the spray system crops were sown after canola and higher yielding 1.5 Ml system crops had more crops sown after canola

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compared to the other systems which had more crops sown after wheat.

The spray system row spacing for most crops was 18-23 cm which was narrower than the other systems where 30 cm was common.

— John Lacy Consulting

PAGE 12—‘Water Talk’, April, 2016

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