Burdekin community addresses groundwater levels

Published Wednesday, 12 March, 2014 at 10:00 AM

Minister for Natural Resources and Mines
The Honourable Andrew Cripps

A range of solutions to help address rising groundwater levels in the Burdekin region has been developed after a two-year engagement process between the Queensland Government and key community groups.

Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Andrew Cripps said the collaborative approach had produced a report on irrigation and water delivery activities and their impacts in the Burdekin Groundwater Management Area.

“We are committed to ensuring Queensland’s water resources are used responsibly and productively for everyone’s benefit, while retaining certainty and security of water entitlements,” Mr Cripps said.

“We want to encourage a sustainable irrigated agricultural industry and supporting economic development and this report identifies how we can best manage our groundwater to ensure we achieve these goals.”

Mr Cripps said the Department of Natural Resources and Mines consulted with key stakeholder groups, landholders and relevant experts to produce the report.

“The report, which has undergone a rigorous review process, estimates impacts on groundwater and how we can best reduce these impacts,” he said.

“This includes increasing water use efficiency, encouraging more groundwater pumping, changing water pricing, implementing water plans, land use change and the environmentally responsible removal and disposal of excess groundwater.

“These options closely align to those suggested by the Burdekin River Irrigators' Committee's own five-year action plan.”

Mr Cripps said the Burdekin community had played an integral role in deciding the best way to address the issue of rising groundwater in the region.

“It makes good sense to draw on local knowledge and expertise to undertake groundwater management,” he said.

“The Burdekin community is best placed to assess the best options from the report and how to effectively implement, manage and monitor those options. We will continue to work with the community.”

Mr Cripps said the use of irrigation water from the Burdekin Falls Dam for sugarcane crops had caused groundwater levels to increase since 1987.

“Rising groundwater can cause salinity issues and water logging of land,” he said.

“Canegrowers can be affected through lower cane yields and, ultimately, lost agricultural land.

“Currently around 3,000 hectares of irrigated land was at risk with the Mulgrave and Haughton sub-areas being the worst-affected.”

A copy of the report is available from the Department’s Ayr office at Little Drysdale Street, Ayr during business hours Monday to Friday from 8:30am until 4:30pm.

[ENDS] 12 March 2014

Media contact: Kate Haddan 0418 373 516