SAVE THE MURRAY

Travelling through part of Victoria in 2008, I was horrified to see open ditch irrigation channels and flood irrigation of laser levelled paddocks so far from the Murray. This usage of a precious resource seems both inappropriate and inefficient.

Since then I have pondered protesting against the ruinous waste of this vital resource.  To this purpose I have jotted ideas that could help restore the health of the Murray Darling system and bring about more efficient and equitable usage of that resource.

Political will is needed, and yes there will be some losers. It is highly questionable whether some of these “losers” should have gained in the first place.

Ideas to keep the Murray a living waterway and enforce greater efficiency in the use of its water.

Restrict use for irrigation to within 5km (or some realistic distance) of the river.

                This is a form of rationing.  Reasonable levels of traditional horticulture could be maintained.

Prohibit open ditch reticulation.

                A blatantly wasteful practice, particularly over long distances. This is even more blatant with channels that allow both seepage and evaporation.

Ban Flood Irrigation.

                To the layman this method would appear to be pure greed. To use this method to grow crops that can be grown elsewhere is not necessarily in the nation’s interest. This is particularly abhorrent when it is used on laser levelled paddocks so far from the river.  I suspect this usage also in cases occurs outside of normal seasons when evaporation rates are higher.

Charge for water at point of exit from river.

                This will encourage greater efficiency in reticulation methodology. Users will pay for wasteful or inefficient use of water. A realistic equitable commercial rate for all users may stop wasteful usage.

Remove and ban earthworks and like that artificially retain “flood” waters.

                We all hate fire and floods. Flood mitigation methodology that redirects flood waters away from the main source should also allow the water to flow back as the flooding of the main source subsides. Installing earthworks and the like that retain these floodwaters or indeed just retain water from high river levels is almost tantamount to raping the system. It deprives both users downstream, and the environment of valuable flow important to the ecology of the system and the lower lakes survival.

Prohibit open storage off river.

                Restrict off river storage to header tanks required for practical reticulation. Open storage such as earthen dams or redirection by artificial means should be the domain of government, and then kept to a minimum.

Fill from the bottom.

                Serious consideration should be given to mandating that the bottom of the system (eg lower lakes) receive water  first . Locks, weirs and the like would then be progressively closed as adequate water levels are reached. Revert to a progression that  more closely follows nature.