At last! Here is someone who really understands the Australian climate and how sensible our forefathers were in the way they organised irrigation. The "mob" acceptance of the conventional wisdom that our rivers are "unhealthy" due to excessive extractions needs to be challenged. We should stop confusing the results of a typical Australian dry period with "ill health". In wet periods such as now, the need for more storage capacity is clear.

Yes, some sense at last.

However don't expect this to get to any of the urban greenies, sipping their lattes in that sidewalk cafe. The only stuff you will see in the usual media is the ranting of greenie activists, & B grade scribes.

" Then given that Adelaide and adjacent towns will have to continue to rely on water from the Murray, we put in place an interstate agreement that provides for this." This given should no longer be considered as a given, for the following reasons:

Adelaide's water should be sourced from its desalination plant. If capacity is insufficient, then it should be expanded. Environmentalist ideology (there is no scientific evidence to prove that global warming has been caused by anthropogenic gas emissions) should not stop full-time operation of such a plant.

Other States should not be expected to subsidise the supply of Adelaide's water ad infinitum.

There is no strong economic argument to justify giving Adelaide preference in Murray-Darling Basin water allocation over the residents of the Basin.

The quality of the drinking water that Adelaide receives from the Murray is atrocious in any case.

The folly of locating and supporting a population centre at the semi-desert location of Adelaide, should not be perpetuated. Now is the time to act to stop Adelaide sponging off the Murray Darling Basin. It must be weaned off Murray-Darling water.

"Truth is that the flow in the lower Murray has little to do with the Coorong."

Whilst it is true that the lower lakes and the Coorong are now somewhat separate, the river and the Coorong do share a common entrance to the sea and before the advent of the barrages, particularly the Tauwitchere barrage, it was connected to Lake Alexandrina.

See http://www.coorongcruises.com.au/pano_map.html

It is highly likely, that because of the negligible flows through the mouth, because of the presence of the barrages, there has been no flow of seawater into the Coorong, hence its current state.

I would also suggest that Ron Pike gives some attention to the deteriorating state of the artesian basin which he and his fellow irrigators have been drawing down for the past ninety years.

Dvaid

There seems to be a fair bit of fanciful opinion masquerading as "Truth" in this article. I note that former rice farmer Ron Pike doesn't allow for any environmental flows in his plan, but that's no great surprise.

Personally, I attach much greater credibility to the truths presented by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, the Wentworth Group and other scientifically based organisations, than to the unreferenced assertions of a retired irrigator. Or is this another case of those evil scientists manufacturing research data in order to advance some amorphous UN-inspired socialist plot?

Nah. Personally, I think it's more of a case of 'he would say that, wouldn't he?'.

Dear CJ Morgan

You can't dress up the premis these groups (the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, the Wentworth Group) make in their "scientific" studies as scientific or the truth. That is, preserve a limited set of environmental assets created by the building of dams, weirs, and irrigation as well as the sedimentation resulting from a rabbit plague, all during a period of historically high rainfall, at the expense of the community.

As a resident of the murray-darling basin, I believe it is valid to regard the irrigation, farms, and jobs as equal to the other built environment, such as many of these wetlands and the resulting flora and fauna, and deserve balanced support during water allocation decisions.

VK3AUU,

I agree, the barrages have modified tidal movements. The Murray has had little influence on the Coorong in the past, but with the creation of the barrages the Coorong is now more dependent on freshwater flows. The question is should we store valuable freshwater to solve a problem that nature used to be to able handle? Certainly the desire to keep the lower lakes fresh and at nearly a metre above sealevel
for all time is unnatural.

Incidently, the Artesian basin water quality is entirely unsuitable for irrigation - though lawns do survive on it.

Common sense went out the window when we allow Green religion to think the extinction of some bug no one has heard of is more important than feeding humans. Sorry Ron you can't argue truth with the Greens. They know not what you mean.

Rojo, I visited a farm near Griffith a couple of years ago, and the owner had a 750 megalitre permit to pump water from the ground. He wasn't using it to water his lawn, he was growing crops with it.

David

vk, then you aren't talking about the Artesian basin, but alluvial aquifers.

There is a distinct lack of knowledge about the MDB, especially by those who have had little to do it. Often typified by responses like someone elses here that because someones a "ricegrower" their opinion is automatically disreputable. Sadly local knowledge built on years of real experience are rendered inconsequential because a computer model is given more credence.

Some would rather put their faith, and I mean faith, in an equally unreferenced Basin Plan. Unless providing a list of 1200 sources the authority may or may not have based decisions upon counts as referencing these days.

Who is to say the current bureaucrats at the MDBA are any more capable than those distributing water entitlements in the first place? The difference today is that the environment is a hot topic and where govt funds are flowing. Let's not forget the Basin Plan is a reaction to the Water Act 2007, a plan written in the middle of an unprecedented period of low Murray flows, prior to world food shortages and financial crisis.

It's still not clear how much modification there will be to the Basin Plan now that, after years of work and a Plan unveiling PR disaster, it turns out that social and economic imperatives could be given genuine consideration after all.

Runners Great mind said...

"Common sense went out the window when we allow Green religion to think the extinction of some bug no one has heard of is more important than feeding humans. Sorry Ron you can't argue truth with the Greens. They know not what you mean.
Posted by runner, Monday, 15 November 2010 6:35:55 PM

Runner. That some little bug your refer to maybe a key link in the food chain, which in turn may assist the growth of food crops that your over-abundant people growers need to survive.

Your another one that likes to blow your little trumpet, but Iam afraid humans are the last thing this planet needs more of.

Have a good look at reality.

http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CCUQtwIwAg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DOHf_XbKQwCI&rct=j&q=%20murray%20river%20enviroment%20youtube&ei=Fl_hTIr7BcSPccqxyJkM&usg=AFQjCNGlFu4naEYqS6VC0XmwH9pQ6tPPIA&cad=rja

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQa7QMIboZ4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SLRLZVmffI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBczDn4shTw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV8n_yS9mDE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9s_A0G7oUU&feature=related

Runner! Its your country too you know.

Help...not hinder.

BLU

What! runner..nothing to say. Need your online bum buddies to back you.

I'll tell you all what! Come to Harvey bay and see me to my face.

Hey......I will do one better............ Since your all on-line gutless F..ks..........I will give a E.mail address so you can attack me from be-hind that fits in with your big-small mouths.

And you know whats the irony about all this.........I'll let you work it out for yourselves.

And you know me. lol.

Try talking! And stop judging from distances that make you look....again! I'd better stop there.

Then again! This can make me alot of money.

mmmmmmmmmm...........I'll sleep on it.

Ron ,
All of the average size swamps are drained around here- this was to stop the Salinity from over Irrigation . A lot of the swamps are now dry and suffering .Wildlife is restricted to "Islands" of restricted biodiversity .
As a farmer I get no Environmental Allocation - why not in the present circumstances ?
Our local Water Authority told me the Environment was "not their problem" .
And Fair go runner, you wanting to respect people above anything else alive on the planet ?.Remember the seating arrangements on Noahah's Ark ?
We happily spend Trillions of Dollars killing people we can not understand [and don't want too ]!
We spend next to nothing on preventable diseases and Poverty and just to make our lives more comfortable, we encourage Abortion when it suits us .
Wake up and Give more water to the Environment !