The Nature Conservation Council has expressed grave concerns over the fast-tracking of water engineering projects in the Southern Murray Darling Basin, warning that more interventions in the system will result in less water for the environment overall and authorities picking winners and losers.
“The poor track record of water engineering projects means we are very concerned that the fast-tracking of these projects will result in community concerns being ignored, and the avoidance of proper environmental scrutiny and business case assessment,” said Nature Conservation Council Chief Executive Chris Gambian.
“More engineering works to increase the ability of authorities to control rivers does not magically create more water for the environment and moves us further away from restoring the natural flows that are critical to reviving our rivers.
“Projects like Yanco Creek do not have community support, will degrade the environment of Yanco Creek, and the ‘extra productive water’ being promised by the minister is likely to end up as extra irrigation water for big corporations further down the Murrumbidgee.
“Money that was put aside to provide water for the environment must not be used as rural stimulus on projects that only benefit irrigation corporations.
“Building fishways on existing weirs and screening pumps is critically important work, but it does not create extra water for the environment.
“Much of the water these projects seek to save or divert is water that is currently serving the environment.
“The appalling track record of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and the NSW Government on water projects means these projects should be subject to great scrutiny, not fast-tracked.
“The money allocated to revive the rivers and wetlands of the Murray-Darling Basin should be used to return real water to the rivers, not to build more and more infrastructure to retain water for irrigation. Beware the smoke and mirrors trick.”