Murrami grower Debbie Buller said “environmental flows” for the river system had served well in some areas, but believed it was creating serious issues also. 

Her comments came after the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) announced this week its forecasts showed active use of environmental water in the coming year would “extend the benefits already emerging from the wet conditions experienced across much of the Murray–Darling Basin last spring”.

Mrs Buller said irrigators had always acknowledged the need for a healthy river system, but huge flows would have some adverse affects.

“Already we’ve seen serious issues like black water, blue green algae, erosion and let’s not forget the huge increase in the ‘underwater rabbit plague’ in carp,” she said. 

“It’s all well and good to say there’s more birds and more frogs in the system because of the increased flows, but these are serious issues. 

“As irrigators we too see these native birds, frogs and wildlife thanks to the crops on our farms. 

“I think it’s just the usual spruiking (from the MDBA).” 

Water flows for 2017-18 will be shaped by ecological, climate and hydrological signals, such as the connectivity and flows, as well as the conditions for native vegetation, waterbirds and fish.

MDBA head of environmental management, Carl Binning, said the best results for the environment would be achieved by using available water to extend the benefits of the 2016 flows and build on the current good conditions.

“Last year we saw flows in the rivers and across the floodplains not experienced for a long time,” he said. 

“This has left water accounts for all entitlement holders fairly strong for the start of the 2017–18 water year.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity for environmental water managers to really boost the resilience of basin ecosystems as a whole, as well as specific plants and animals.

“Watering on a bigger scale than usual will extend the benefits of the 2016 flows and build the resilience of our plants and animals.

“A good example of this is watering the habitats of young waterbirds that hatched during last year’s breeding events, so they can mature and further boost bird populations.”

The basin-wide priorities for environmental water use will be released in June.

This year the MDBA is releasing multi-year priorities that identify specific sites, ecological communities and species that require support over the next three to five years.

These multi-year priorities will address potential climatic scenarios to ensure water managers are well prepared for changes before they occur.

Later this year the MDBA will also release a report that evaluates the economic, environmental and social outcomes arising from the Basin Plan over the past five years of implementation.

Mrs Buller said the MDBA seemed to have forgotten the impacts “taking” water from irrigators had. 

“Everything has fallen on us … we’ve had to fall on our swords,” she said. 

“As I said we’ve always acknowledged the environment is important, but so are irrigators. 

“The MDBA saying how good the flows are for the birds and the fish is just another PR (public relations) exercise.”