Lower Hunter Water Security Plan on public exhibition

BY JARROD MELMETH

The NSW Government and Hunter water have released the draft Lower Hunter Water Security Plan and are inviting residents to have their say.

The plan has been three years in the making with a number of investigations and assessments undertaken as well as community consultation to ensure the communities concerns were heard and addressed.

A price increase for customers is anticipated due to the high cost of the planned infrastructure, however Hunter Water says bills will not change before July 1, 2024. Beyond that, there will likely be an increase to annual residential customer bills by between $75 and $120 per year. 

Hunter Water Managing Director, Darren Cleary says the recent drought helped highlight areas of concern which are addressed in the plan. 

“The recent drought rewrote the rules for many communities around New South Wales. New insights gained during the drought have confirmed that our region is more vulnerable to drought than we previously thought. The Hunter’s storages can go from typical operating levels to critical in less than three years. If drought were to continue beyond this, our region could run out of water.

"The plan looks at how we can ensure we can meet minimum water demands for the community through prolonged and severe drought and balancing the need to invest upfront with the need to not over invest given those events are rare, but certainly can occur," Mr Cleary said.

The plan does not include any new dams, rather making better use of existing dams and supporting a pipeline connection between Lostock and Glennies Creek Dams in the Upper Hunter which will allow the dams to transfer water stocks between the regions.

NSW Minister for Water Melinda Pavey says she is proud of the comprehensive work involving a whole of government approach to ensure we have sustainable and resilient water supply.

The draft plan is currently on exhibition for six weeks and information and feedback can found here. A webinar will be held on August 24 for those needing more information. Registrations are open at the link provided.

Pictured: Chichester Dam
Image: VisitNSW

Lower Hunter Water Restrictions Introduced for the First Time in 25 Years

BY MADELAINE MCNEILL and TYLER FARDELL

It's been confirmed water restrictions will be introduced to the Lower Hunter for the first time in 25 years.

Level 1 restrictions will begin on Monday, September 16 in the area's of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Cessnock, Port Stephens, Dungog and Singleton.

Image: Hunter Water Corporation

NSW Water minister Melinda Pavey's announcement comes as a response to the worst drought on record for NSW, which has reduced the region's water storage levels to just 64%.

"While autumn and winter are typically the highest rainfall seasons for the Lower Hunter, the rainfall has not eventuated, causing the region’s dams to fall to their lowest levels in more than two decades,” said Ms Pavey.

"With no significant rainfall on the horizon, the introduction of Level 1 water restrictions forms an important part of Hunter Water’s drought response to help reduce demand on the water supply."

Hunter Water Acting CEO Graham Wood said Hunter Water will be working with residents and businesses to better conserve water.

"Water is crucial to people in the Lower Hunter so we'll be working together with all of our customers to save this precious resource, whilst ensuring the continuity of their lives and businesses", he said.

Level 1 water restrictions include:

• Outdoor watering is permitted before 10am or after 4pm with a trigger nozzle hose

• All handheld hoses must have a trigger nozzle

• No hosing of hard surfaces such as concrete, paths and driveways

• All vehicles should be washed with a bucket, trigger nozzle hose or pressure cleaner

• No sprinklers are to be used.

Hunter Water Executive Drought Lead Darren Cleary says although they have the power to fine people for not adhering to these restrictions, Hunter Water is relying on cooperation from residents to ensure no excess water is wasted.

Grahamstown Dam

Hunter Water Levels Lowest in 13 Years

BY KAYNE STEPHENS AND MADELAINE MCNEILL

Drinking water will soon be drawn from the Tomago Sandbeds to fill a shortfall in the Hunter as water levels drop to their lowest in 13 years.

The sandbeds are part of the Lower Hunter's drought response systems and can provide 20 per cent of the region's drinking water when needed.

Hunter Water's Chief Investment Officer Darren Cleary says the water source is safe and is only used as a backup due to higher costs involved in treating the water.

Water from the sandbeds can be discoloured due to higher levels of difficult-to-remove iron and mineral manganese, but Darren Cleary says discoloured water doesn't pose a health risk and residents can try turning their tap on full for a few minutes to clear the pipes.

"We've got extensive water quality testing throughout the borefields to demonstrate that the water we're drawing from Tomago aquifer is safe to drink, and importantly we are not drawing any water from the Williamtown Management Area," said Mr Cleary.

"Our customers can have confidence in the controls that have been put in place to ensure their drinking water remains safe and meets the Guidelines."

Hunter Water will begin drawing water from the Tomago Sandbeds from Monday, June 3rd.

Hunter Farmers All Dried Up

BY TYLER FARDELL


It's one of the worst droughts parts of Australia have ever seen and the Hunter is no exception, with many farmers in the region struggling to continue with their livelihood.

But a silver lining has shown through in these dry times, with the community getting behind the 'Buy a bale' campaign.

A farm in Glen Oak has received the first bale of hay from the campaign for the Hunter and there's plenty more to come.

The campaign is being supported by the Rural Aid charity as well as local newspapers throughout the Hunter and raised over $20,000 during the first two days.

The donations of hay to the Glen Oak farm was a welcome gift for farmer Norman Stork and his hungry cows, but many farmers still need support during this dry spell.

Parliamentary secretary for the Hunter Scot Macdonald met with the Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair and Member for the Upper Hunter Michael Johnson to show them the severity of the drought in the Hunter.

"The pastures are in a very dire state", Mr Macdonald said.

"Great to have the Mr Blair and Mr Johnson here and showing them the effect the drought has had in the Hunter".

Mr Macdonald is confident seeing the drought first hand will result in Mr Blair taking the issue to parliament and sending more support to struggling farmers.

Hay being delivered to Glen Oak
Photo source; The Maitland Mercury

Upper Hunter Farmers Feeling the Pinch with No Rain In Sight

BY JESSICA ROUSE

It's dry.

Very dry in the Upper Hunter.

It's getting closer to winter as each week goes by and without barely a drop of rain for some time farmers are racing the clock to grow feed to last through the colder months.

Dairy farmers Brian and Debbie Parker live on a property just outside Denman and they're beginning to feel the pinch from a significant lack of rain.

They've been working the farm for 20 years now and currently have 200 head of Jersey and Illawarra cattle. The last time they suffered a really bad drought was in 2006-2007 and they fear it could get really bad again.

"It's very dry. We have not had any decent rain since Cyclone Debbie. We got a couple of inches then and that was March last year."

"We're having to search further afield all of the time to source hay, we'll be down in Victoria soon! We really want to get some decent rain before Autumn ends, that would be the end of May, that's when the feed just doesn't grow because its coming into winter so we've got to get rain before winter," said Brian Parker.

"As soon as we can grow it [feed] we are feeding it off. There is no surplus feed at all. Actually last week I had to buy in my first load of hay - there goes $12,000 for a b-double from Cowra."

That load of hay could be just the beginning, if no substantial rain comes Brian and his wife Debbie could be shelling out thousands of dollars every month for one b-double load, at least. That will add to an ever increasing power bill and pumping water through irrigation systems more and more.

Scone. Image www.scone.com.au

Some farmers in the Upper Hunter are questioning just how much the State Government are helping them.

In 2015, the government took drought declarations away replacing them with the NSW Drought Strategy. The drought declarations did trigger the release of some subsidies when it was in place including transport subsidies which is something farmers are really missing.

It's understood that now instead of being declared in a drought and assistance being triggered that way, farmers have to get in touch with Local Land Services for help, and if they don't then they won't know about it.

"As far as I knew we needed to be [drought declared], we've had no support tell us that we can actually access those things so I didn't even know anything about it to tell you the truth. And I'm totally unaware of any of that... I'm very unfamiliar with this new system," said Brian Parker.

"Back under the old system we got freight subsidies and that did really help, I don't even know if that is still available," and Brian said he has never had any contact from Local Land Services or the government at any level to tell him there are options available to him or even where to go to look for them.

"We're too busy looking after everything on the farm, and we just need some advice, even an email in laymens terms - something."

"I'm not one to ask for too much help, but just to be aware of what's out there, and if there is something that I see applicable I'd certainly look into it but I don't see anything that's out there."

Image nbnnews.com.au

In the end though, it goes beyond cattle and hay.

"You just can't control the weather I mean we're in an industry, farming, so we go with the weather and it's tough times now, very tough times, but all you've got to do is look after your mental health too," which Brian Parker says from experience, having had trouble a couple of years ago.

"It's the constant work and the stress of it all really and that's what takes its toll on you. And you just wonder when its going to rain next, you keep looking towards the sky."

Hunter Wetlands three million litre welcome relief

BY JARROD MELMETH

Hunter Water has thrown the Hunter Wetlands Centre a lifeline in the form of three million litres of water, following an emergency request to tup up the dry wetlands in hopes of protecting the local bird population.

The recent dry weather has had an impact on local bird populations particularly Egrets with young chicks being unable to keep cool and sadly perishing.

Hunter Wetlands CEO Dr Stuart Blanch said the birds need water in the wetlands.

"When the chicks started getting ready to leave the nest about two weeks ago, suddenly it was an emergency because all the wetlands were dry and the birds, because of that, were dehydrating because if heat stress. There was no food because there was no water and their parents were not feeding them so we were losing about 10, 20, 30 birds a day were dying."

Since the water has been turned on, Dr Blanch says the birds are returning.

"I was watching on Saturday morning. We started the water at 10am and about midday there were 16 Egrets walking over the baked dry ground to where the water was flowing out and they were literally drinking the water straight from the hose. From that moment on a lot of birds in the Wetlands have come into the one-hectare area that has been saved," Dr Blanch said.

The water is expected to get the wetlands through the rest of summer, but Dr Blanch said this is not permanent this is a stop-gap measure.

"This is a solution for this summer, but we can't do it next summer and the summer after that. The reason why we are getting these prolonged periods of no rain and very hot weather is that we are changing the climate. We all have to do more to rescue our wildlife and start really taking climate change seriously," Dr Blanch said.

Wetlands CEO, Dr Stuart Blanch & Hunter Water Managing
Director, Jim Bentley. Picture supplied.