Lake Cargelligo on the Lachlan River

The Lake Cargelligo Wetland & Lake System has been systematically dried by the NSW Government. This is not due to the "drought" but as a result of mis-management. The Lachlan River has been closed upstream at Condobolin and this incredible natural wetland & lake, home to 165 species has been left high and dry. Irrigation is still occuring upstream at Forbes and downstream at Hillston and the Cadia, Lake Cowal & North Parkes mines are still operating...

The NSW Government has failured to recognise this incredible natural wetland and lake system and protect the many threatened species - 15 at last count.

A call has gone out to NSW Premier Keneally to save this incredible natural system and declare it a protected Ramsar Wetland. To anyone who is touched by this video, please email : thepremier@www.nsw.gov.au and voice your concerns and support us in getting the Ramsar Wetland listing that will save this incredible ecosystem...

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• lake
• cargelligo
• lachlan
• dead
• fish
• river
• inland
• waterways
• wetland
• death
• kenneally
• premier
• water
• ramsar

[cookamidgera]

It's a fair point that the mines do take a lot of water, but don't forget that the rains have failed for the past ten years and this has played the biggest part in the state of our inland rivers. When it does rain and the water comes (which I believe some rain has recently with the Lake filling to 40%ish) will you continue to blame the mines?

[gregorymcinnes]

We are not blaming the mines, it is management of the River at fault. The Water Management Act covers drought scenarios & was not adhered to. I know mines want to make money & employ some people, but we mustn't forget there are 90,000 people in Lachlan Catchment & only a small % are employed by mines. Many have suffered so mines could continue to operate. Also at 40% the wetlands & Sheet of Water, a major part of the of the Lake Carelligo system do not get water & they are now letting it out.

[gregorymcinnes]

I don't really know what they will ultimately do, but it seems to me that the big boys (large scale corporate irrigators) are selling off their licenses. I hope that the smaller license holders and stock & domestic get their allocations back and they run the system sustainably, like it use to be. Hillston has a good mix of grazing, cropping, orchards, etc there are other land uses, not just large scale irrigation.

[gregorymcinnes]

Water priorities on the Lachlan river system are supposed to be people first, environment second and irrigation/ mining third. The limited amount of water has been over allocated - more allocated than the system can provide. The Government has prioritised mining and irrigation are being first. This is against the Water Act and as a result the River, communities and environments (like Lake Cargelligo )are being destroyed. Ordinary license holders are not getting the water they use to.

[spanishaustralian]

im interested because i was going to move to hillston but if all this shit is going down im not going near the place. what happens if they screw up the farmers what happens when they go broke thanks to all this irrigation or what ever?

[spanishaustralian]

what is the gov doing exactly to screw things up again. they always screw up they are so hopefless no matter what they do. no wonder big government countries like communist russia are so stricten with incompetents and corruption. so tell me what exactly is the gov doing that has wrecked th river. i dont relly understand this allocation of water. wernt they just using the water before so whats the dif?

[gregorymcinnes]

Big water interests, 3 mining companies, and Lake water becoming too valuable for us ordinary folk to have any. The Water Act that is supposed to look after everyones interests is being ignored, and priorities are being set by those with vested interests like mines and water traders.

Critical water committee on the Lachlan has mine reps but not community reps?

[gregorymcinnes]

What mine are you referring to? Mines are using huge quantities of water from the Lachlan & aquifers as a part of their operations. Thousands of megs and they need more as they expand. Lake Cowal Mine increased their allocation by another 15000 late last year. They used 6800 High. Security megs, plus ground allocations. Nth Parkes uses bores in its operations.

[gregorymcinnes]

Stopping irrigation altogether, is not the answer. Lake Cargelligo has irrigated for more than a hundred years. The problem is TOO MUCH allocation of water. The system worked until the last 10 years before the Gov worked out you could sell off the licenses and make more money. 3 Mines using the water also, means that there is none left for the river system we all live along, or our communities. People and towns -then irrigation, mining, as the Water Act says

[gregorymcinnes]

We have had flooding rains, and they are now putting water into the system. The problem is that the Management of the River gives priority to Water Traders & Mines. We have had water go past our system for the last 5 years going to irrigation.

This means that the people, communities and the environment of the River and lake systems like ours are prioritised last.

We are all hoping that the Murray Darling Basin Authority and NSW & Federal governments see sense and follow their own legislation...