SPECIAL REPORT WATER
WATCHING WATER As much of NSW still suffers from drought, and as we prepare for El Niño to follow on from La Niña, more focus needs to be placed on one of our most precious resources: water.
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Words TONY BLACKIE
F
or most farmers a rain gauge is one of the most important tools, and these days they are quite sophisticated. They are not just a container nailed to the fence post but rather an electronic device operating on Bluetooth which provides progressive rainfall read-outs, humidity levels, dew concentration, wind speeds and temperatures. They have been working hard of recent time. Rain gauges which had stood dry for years in some cases, were overflowing. There were days when areas of NSW had up to 200mm in one day, and in many parts, more rain than we have had in years. It has been a time to celebrate. However, we can’t forget that we live on the driest continent on Earth. Two years of La Niña weather patterns and climate change have brought the east coast of Australia drenching rains but there is no room for complacency. We know that the spectre of drought is not far away. A spokesperson for NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) explains the severity of the drought in some regions: “The 2017-2020 drought was the worst on record for most of the state’s key rural valleys. “During the drought, many regional towns faced severe water restrictions, with some coming dangerously close to running out of water entirely. Dams were at record lows and farmers and irrigators saw some of the lowest allocations ever. “The town of Walgett was among the worst hit, recording no flows for 364 days,
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THE FARMER
MAR - APR 2022
marking the longest cease-to-flow period ever recorded in the Barwon Darling River. “Water sources across the state hit record lows, with Wyangala Dam falling to just 8 per cent capacity, Burrendong Dam dropping to 1.5 per cent capacity and the Menindee Lakes left virtually empty with only 1 per cent capacity.” PREPARING FOR EL NIÑO
The Bureau of Meteorology predicts changes in rainfall patterns with a steady decline in summer, winter and spring rains, but with a rise for autumn falls. New strategies are needed to safeguard the resource. A lot of work is going into solving the problem which will inevitably arise as La Niña turns into El Niño and the abundant rain patterns ease. The fact is, without water there will be no food from the farms and therefore the equitable sharing of this precious resource has to be high on the agenda for both regulators and government. The jury has been out on some of the past water management policies on our major rivers and catchment areas which have highlighted some questionable practices in distribution. That is history and now is the time to review and revitalise where necessary. A FRESH NEW STRATEGY
In September 2021 the NSW Government launched the NSW Water Strategy – a 20-year blueprint to deliver resilient and sustainable water resources to communities across the State. As part of that plan the NSW Department
DURING DROUGHT
Wyangala Dam with less than 50% water level.
