Barren Box Study

17 March 2003

Chairman of Murrumbidgee Irrigation, Dick Thompson, today welcomed the announcement by the NSW Government that it will officially endorse and recommend as a priority project a plan developed by Murrumbidgee Irrigation to build a levy in Barren Box Swamp.

Mr Thompson said the first hurdle in getting the project up and running had now been crossed and that it was now up to the independent Joint Government Enterprise to recognise its value.

Mr Thompson was responding to the visit by Ian Macdonald, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister John Della Bosca, to Barren Box Swamp today. Mr Macdonald was in the area to review the state of the storage given the current drought, and reinforced their government's intention to have the proposal submitted to the Joint Government Enterprise at the earliest available opportunity. Mr Thompson welcomed the affirmation by the NSW Government of the importance of the project to water savings for the State, for the Snowy and for all people in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Areas.

The proposal also sees a significant commitment by the irrigation community to the restoration of the wetlands ecosystems as well as providing realistic research opportunities for biodiversity adaptation.

Mr Thompson reminded everyone that there is still a range of studies to be undertaken before progressing with the proposal and these will obviously involve many individuals and groups in the local irrigation community. There are taxation and water sharing matters, and other issues that must go hand in hand with any major works at the Swamp, including smaller en-route storages and better water management arrangements within the MIA channel system.

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