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An update on some cotton industry water issues ■ By Michael Murray, National Water Policy Manager, Cotton Australia WITH the ink drying on the finalised Murray-Darling Basin Plan it is worth considering a range of water issues impacting across Australia’s cotton growing regions – issues in which Cotton Australia has been actively engaged. Murray-Darling basin plan Starting with then Prime Minister Howard’s Australia Day announcement in 2007, the Murray-Darling Basin Plan became law last month, and now enters the implementation phase. The final basin plan has a headline water recovery of 2750Gl of surface water, but this could be adjusted between the range of 2100Gl and 3200Gl. Just prior to the finalisation of the plan, legislation passed through Parliament that will allow environmental works and measures to be assessed by the MDBA, and allow a maximum downward movement in the sustainable diversion limits (SDL) to 2100Gl, provided it can be demonstrated that environmental outcomes are as least as great as those that can be achieved with 2750Gl. Conversely, the required SDL reduction can increase to 3200Gl, as long as it can be demonstrated that the additional water has been acquired in a manner that has had no greater social or economic impact than the acquisition of 2750Gl. To assist with achieving greater acquisitions, the Commonwealth as allocated an additional $1.77 billion, and has extended the timeframe for the final acquisition of water, over and above 2750Gl, to 2024. The table below shows for the major cotton growing catchments the current baseline diversion limits (BDL), the new SDL, the reductions required, and the reductions either acquired or contracted for to date. In groundwater, the only major change for aquifers that support the Australian cotton industry is with the central Condamine alluvium, where the current BDL is 81.4Gl and must be reduced to an SDL of 46Gl. But it must be noted that movement towards this reduction had already commenced with State water planning policies. In all other cotton valleys the new SDL are in line with existing state water sharing plans. In the northern basin considerable effort will be put into refining the scientific understanding of the basin between now and 2015, and this may result in further adjustment of surface water SDLs. To this end ‘localism’ groups are actively running in the border rivers and lower Balonne to help direct research priorities, and the MDBA has formed a Northern Advisory Committee to act as an interface between ‘localism’ groups and the MDBA. At the time of writing state governments were negotiating with the federal government an inter-government agreement, which will allocate resources to the states for implementing the plan. While Cotton Australia is far from convinced that the basin plan represents a ‘good’ plan, it is very proud of the work it did both directly, and in conjunction with groups such as National Farmers Federation, National Irrigators Council, Queensland Farmers Federation and NSW Irrigators Council to ensure: ■ Irrigators have a choice as to whether to transfer irrigation entitlement to the government or not. ■ If they choose to participate through selling entitlement, they receive full market price for their water. ■ Irrigators have the ability to access federally funding on-farm irrigation efficiency projects. Catchment BDL SDL Reduction Acquired to date Difference Northern zone Condamine/Balonne 978Gl 878Gl 100Gl 28Gl 78Gl QLD Border Rivers 320Gl 312Gl 8Gl 4Gl 4Gl NSW Border Rivers 303Gl 296Gl 7Gl 4.6Gl 2.4Gl Gwydir 450Gl 408Gl 42Gl 50Gl –8Gl * Namoi 508Gl 498Gl 10Gl 17Gl –7Gl* Macquarie 734Gl 669Gl 65Gl 89Gl –24Gl* Barwon-Darling 198Gl 192Gl 6Gl 22Gl –16Gl* Southern zone Lachlan 618Gl 570Gl 48Gl 65Gl –17Gl # Murrumbidgee 2501Gl 2181Gl 320Gl 173Gl 147Gl NSW Murray 1812Gl 1550Gl 262Gl 243Gl 19Gl Lower Darling 60.5Gl 52.5Gl 8Gl 2.8Gl 5.2Gl Northern shared reduction zone* 143Gl 64Gl 79GI NSW southern reduction zone # 458Gl 0Gl 458Gl * NOTE: Apart from the contribution needed for within-basin requirements, the Gwydir, Namoi, Macquarie, Barwon-Darling and others must provide 143Gl of downstream flow for the northern shared reduction zone. #While more water has already been accrued in the Lachlan than necessary, this does not count in the requirement for the southern reduction zone because the Lachlan is a closed system. 10 — The Australian Cottongrower December 2012–January 2013
NOW REGISTERED FOR SILVERLEAF WHITEFLY. CANOPY. THE SIMPLE SOLUTION. Managing early season sucking pests just got a whole lot simpler. That’s because Canopy ® has added yet another string to its bow with registration for suppression of silverleaf whitefly in cotton. So give your resistance-risky insecticides a break, dodge secondary pest flaring, and maybe avoid an expensive late season clean-up spray by using Canopy ® at every early season spray opportunity. This way you’ll keep on top of aphids, green mirids, and now silverleaf whitefly all at the same time. With registered uses through the whole cotton season and beyond into winter cropping, Canopy ® is clearly the simple solution. Download a free QR Code reader App from your App store and scan this QR Code with your smartphone. This will take you directly to the most up-to-date information about Canopy ® for cotton. For more information contact Caltex Precision Spray Oils: David Johnson, 0401 140 536 or www.precisionsprayoils.com.au
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