Delivering a healthy working Basin for Australia: Water for the Future Local Story
Marthaguy, New South Wales
Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, 2011
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Program: Irrigation Modernisation Planning Assistance and
Private Irrigation Infrastructure Operators Program NSW
Funding recipient: Marthaguy Irrigation Scheme
Water for the Future Grant: $9,407,190 (PIIOP) and $80,000
(IMPA)
Project commencement: 2009
Project completion: December 2011
Thanks to a successful planning project, the Marthaguy Irrigation Scheme now has substantial funding to upgrade irrigation infrastructure and achieve significant water savings.
In 2009, the Marthaguy Irrigation Scheme received an Australian Government Irrigation Modernisation Planning Assistance grant of $80,000 to carry out a three-phase project, to reduce transmission losses in its system.
Scraper used to refill the decommissioned channel on the Marthaguy Irrigation Scheme
Photo: Courtesy of Tom McKeon, McKeon Associates, Project Operations Manager
Along with four other irrigation water providers, the Marthaguy Irrigation Scheme used the grant to get independent professional advice and conduct workshops to help develop its modernisation plans.
The modernisation plan became an integral part of an application for funding where the scheme will receive up to $9.5 million through the Australian Government's Private Irrigation Infrastructure Operators Program in New South Wales to carry out infrastructure works. The Commonwealth will acquire water entitlements from the water savings generated by the project's efficiency measures.
Project manager of Marthaguy Irrigation Scheme, David Duncan, said the funding means the restructured scheme will be able to operate very efficiently.
"In February 2011, we began decommissioning sections of the irrigation channel, which involved filling it in and shutting off the irrigation supply to a number of members at the bottom of the channel," he said.
"That's complete and we're now constructing a pipeline to carry stock and domestic water, to allow for a more reliable water supply for those farmers in the scheme."
Irrigators in the scheme hope the planned restructures will see losses reduced by 5 per cent and provide significant water savings.
"It has returned water to the system, which is a good thing," David said.
Inspecting pipes removed from a decommissioned section of the redundant Marthaguy Irrigation Scheme channel.
"We expect to see nearly 5000 megalitres of water saved per year."
"The project has had flow on benefits for the local community too, as local earthmoving contractors from Warren undertook the decommissioning work, and the pipeline is being installed by businesses based in Narromine and Dubbo."
"The remaining scheme – what's left after the restructuring – should be able to operate with low water losses and much greater financial efficiency. This will be of benefit to the community, in that the scheme will be viable long-term, able to operate with a wider range of water availability, and have more flexibility and continuity of service to its members. That's going to help maintain the jobs in the area," David said.
Governments at all levels are working with Basin communities to achieve a healthy river system that supports strong and viable communities. Central to this is the strengthened involvement of local communities in the design and roll out of government programs.
The Australian Government is also committed to 'bridging the gap' between current water diversions and any final sustainable diversion limits in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, through water savings generated by infrastructure investments and voluntary water purchases.
The second stage involved carrying out a climate change risk assessment to identify future risks under four scenarios.
"The scenarios ranged from a wetter phase similar to that experienced before 1998 through to a 'big dry' like the one we've just had," Jim said.
According to the project's second report, under all four scenarios, NGSC could be challenged by financial constraints and struggle to find the resources to fulfil its water responsibilities and maintain existing infrastructure.
"Our community is susceptible to the impacts of climate change," Jim said. "We've had a decade of drought and we've been affected by extreme weather events like the bushfires in 2006, floods in September 2010 and January 2011, and other storm events."
Inspecting the coffer dam at the Merenele Weir in preparation for decommissioning the scheme's offtake from the weir
Stage three of the project is now underway, with the consultant engineers working with council to identify ways of reducing risks to council water assets under a range of future conditions.
NGSC is keen to pursue further funding opportunities to assist in the implementation of this much needed work.
Governments at all levels are working with Basin communities to achieve a healthy river system that supports strong and viable communities. Central to this is the strengthened involvement of local communities in the design and roll out of government programs.
The Australian Government is also committed to 'bridging the gap' between current water diversions and any final sustainable diversion limits in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, through water savings generated by infrastructure investments and voluntary water purchases.
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