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2.1 Implementation of the Coleambally LWMP

The Coleambally LWMP will be implemented over a period of 30 years. Government contributions will be limited to the first 15 years and landholder contributions will be expended over 30 years. The Coleambally community approved the draft Coleambally LWMP and commenced implementation of the LWMP options in March 1994. Although negotiations with Government on cost-sharing arrangements were concluded in 2000, partial funding has been available for LWMP implementation since 1996.

On 26 May 2000 the Heads of Agreement (HoA) between CICL and the NSW Government was signed to conclude the cost-sharing arrangements for implementing the Coleambally LWMP.

Formation of the Community Environmental Committee (CEC) and the LWMP Management Committee

On completion of cost sharing negotiations for the HoA, the Coleambally LWMP Committee formally discharged its role. Subsequently, the CEC was established. This committee has the responsibility of providing community input to CICL for the implementation of the LWMP.

The CEC has nine members; six members who are elected by the landholders to represent the five regions, including the Kerarbury Channel Area (KCA) (Figure 1.2); and one member each for Coleambally Landcare, Murrumbidgee/Jerilderie Shire and the CICL Management Board. The CEC commenced its duties in August 2000 and meets at least every three months or as needed.

The HoA requires a LWMP Management Committee to be established to coordinate information for the implementation of the LWMP, and to coordinate the formal review process of the LWMP. This committee has five members; two representing NSW Government (one representative each from the Department of Land and Water Conservation {DLWC} and NSW Agriculture); two representing CICL and one independent auditor.

CICL and the NSW Government have agreed that an engineer from DLWC will be the independent auditor. This arrangement will save money that can be used for more on-ground works.

The LWMP Management Committee meets at least every three months or as needed. In its first three meetings the committee significantly contributed towards two major implementation issues; recycling systems and LWMP works on horticulture farms. The committee has also been successful in resolving issues related to previous LWMP expenditure, and in identifying some processes that need to be formalised.

Progress of regional groups

In June/July 2000 CICL changed its organisational structure to become more focused on the implementation of the LWMP. Five regions were set up based on the groundwater dynamics and hydrogeology of the Coleambally Irrigation Area (CIA). Each region within the CIA consists of around 80 to 100 farms, with around 15 farms in the KCA (which are additional farms for the Boona Region) and 40 farms in the Outfall District.

During 2000/2001, the regional structure was further strengthened with an increase in face-to-face contact with the landholders. This has been reflected by an increase in the uptake of LWMP options.

Recycling system and horticulture LWMP negotiations

CICL has requested that the Land and Water Management Plan Assessment Team (LWMPAT) consider revising the requirements for the government-funded recycling system incentives (see CICL’s proposal for change in recycling incentive). The HoA requires that the recycling systems have storage capacities of four mm/ha for capturing farm runoff. CICL has submitted a proposal that achieves the same outcome. It is proposed that recycling systems have storage capacities of two mm/ha for storing farm runoff and have a minimum recycling pump capacities of six ML/day.

A separate request has also been made to LWMPAT to allow horticulture growers within the CIA to access “Waterwise” incentives administered by NSW Agriculture. Under the Coleambally LWMP no specific incentives have been negotiated for horticulture farms. Incentives under the “Waterwise” program are available to all landholders, excluding those landholders within LWMP areas.

2.1.1 Implementation of Net Recharge Management (NRM)

For the implementation of NRM it is envisaged that all landholders will be involved in decision-making processes. To achieve this, the following steps have been taken:

The CIA has been divided into four regions for NRM.
Each region has been appointed one LWMP Officer (to implement NRM) and
Each region has been appointed one CEC landholder-elected representative.
Each region has been divided into two to five zones, as required.
Landholders have been elected as, or have volunteered to be, landholder representatives to help guide and facilitate the implementation of NRM in each zone.

Underpinning NRM implementation are the following objectives:

1. Landholders in CICL’s operational area use NRM models and techniques to plan cropping rotations and the management of their farms.

2. CICL uses NRM models and techniques to develop policies and strategies that maintain sustainability within its operational area.

How this is to work with individual landholders

For 2000/2001 the Swagman Farm model was demonstrated for 42 farms (shown in Figure 2.1). This involved running simulations of the cropping programs on each property and estimating the effects of the cropping programs on annual net recharge. At this stage the landholders are gaining confidence in the NRM process and in the Swagman Farm model. The next step will be to extend the use of the model to influence cropping decisions, allowing CICL members to manage watertables more effectively than has been done in the past.

Figure 2.1 Location of farms where NRM implementation has commenced

When landholders have confidence in the NRM system, CICL will enter into agreements with individual landholders. Each agreement will state the allowable net recharge on that property. The allowable net recharge will be set in consultation with stakeholders and landholders. Ultimately net recharge targets could be set on a zone basis. On conclusion of the irrigation season an audit will be conducted to determine how the farm performed on the basis of its net recharge objectives. At present two farms are under this system, but by the end of 2001/2002 it is likely that 30 farms will have participated.

NRM is the start of a new and progressive environmental management system for the management of watertables in the Coleambally area. It gives landholders the ability to assess the impacts that they are having on the watertable. The Swagman model also allows informed decisions to be made on managing watertable fluctuation within a zone. The use of the NRM program will promote responsible crop production and irrigation, without causing unnecessary economic hardship for the landholders.

Table 2.1 shows the number of farm units in each region where NRM has been demonstrated to landholders.

Table 2.1 Number of farm units where NRM has been demonstrated to landholders

2.1.2 Landholder contributions towards the on-farm options of the Coleambally LWMP

(Referenced from Sinclair Knight Merz, 2001)

Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) were engaged by CICL to undertake a survey of landowners to determine their total private financial contribution to works prescribed under the Coleambally LWMP for the 2000/2001 financial year.

A questionnaire covering land and water management issues was prepared by CICL and sent out to a sample of approximately 80 landowners throughout the CIA. Over a period of four weeks, CICL staff assisted landowners to complete the survey where necessary, and to ensure survey results were both realistic and consistent across the region. Due to numerous landowners being unavailable at the time of the survey, 60 responses were collated. This represents approximately 19 percent of the 320 landowners in the CIA.

As shown in Table 2.2, the results of the survey indicate that CIA landowners contributed some $5.3 million towards LWMP works in the 2000/2001 financial year.

Table 2.2 Landowner contributions to LWMP works

Landholder awareness of LWMP and water quality issues

During the survey landholders were asked to name at least one LWMP incentive to assess their awareness of LWMP issues. Seventy-five percent of landholders correctly answered the question.

To assess water quality awareness landholders were asked two specific questions; which agency does CICL report on water quality issues to and where does the farm drainage water go? Ninety-five percent of landholders correctly answered that CICL reports to the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) on water quality issues and 93 percent of landholders correctly answered where their farm drainage goes. This survey indicates a significant increase in the awareness of water quality issues.