CICL Update October 2019
Dear Members,
This newsletter provides Members with an update on key water issues affecting CICL and its Members’ businesses.
In this month's newsletter -
External Issues
Department of Industry Allocation announcements
1/10/2019
High Security 95%
General Security 6%
The next allocation announcement is on Tuesday 15th October 2019.
CICL announcement and offer
Additional Offer 6%
Member Benefit 6%
Additional Member Benefit 4%
Waterways
Please note Waterways is not operational for placing water orders which must be placed by ringing Water Operations M: 0427 544 269 or via Reception during business hours T: 02 6954 4003.
http://www.colyirr.com.au
T. 1300 850 105
Inter-valley Trade
Trade out of the Murrumbidgee is closed.
For up to date information on the IVT go to https://www.waternsw.com.au/customer-service/ordering-trading-and-pricing/trading/murrumbidgee.
Annual General Meetings
Our AGMs are approaching quickly. The CIMCL AGM will commence at 3.00pm on Thursday 24 October at the Coleambally Community Club. The CICL AGM will follow commencing at 3.30pm and will be followed by the General Meeting. Thereafter, light refreshments will be provided.
Ordinary business for the CIMCL AGM includes the announcement of Adrian Hayes and Matthew Toscan as member directors each for another three year term. Ordinary business at the CICL AGM includes the re-appointment of Keith Burge as a member director for another three year term. Members will also be asked to endorse the re-appointment of Bruce Brown, independent director CICL, for a further three year term.
At the close of the CICL AGM the Chairman will invite members to attend a General Meeting. Our guest speaker is Wilfred Finn from Aither. Wilf has been invited to talk to members about future water demands, water markets and Aither’s 2018/19 water markets’ report.
Water-use intensity policy
Members are advised that a new updated policy has been approved by the CICL Board for immediate implementation. The new policy allows for averaging agreements between unconnected farms and a new ‘Special Consideration’ category for new developments. Changes in agricultural practices, farm ownership structure, crop types, rainfall and significant reductions in the volume of available water necessitated a review of the policy. The review was conducted against the backdrop of a continuing improvement in the water table with the area under 2m now well below the targeted 10,000ha.
The policy is available on CICL’s website, https://www.colyirr.com.au/policies. Members are reminded that the water use intensity limit for the current season was increased from 7.2ML/ha to 8ML/ha. Please contact Bernard Star, Environment and Compliance Officer, via reception on T: 02 6954 4003 for further information.
Government fixed charge drought assistance
CICL understands the NSW Government’s drought assistance of up to $4,000 per farm fee waiver of the general security fixed government charge is available to irrigation corporation customers in 2019/20. CICL will automatically pass onto members this fee waiver in our end of year tax invoice up to the $4,000 limit.
Rural Financial Counsellor
Airlie Hoskins is the local counsellor for our area. Airlie’s contact details are M: 0429 396 729,
(Monday –Thursday).
Water Operations
As a result of low allocations and the high price of temporary water, the forecast demand for on-farm deliveries is low. The majority of deliveries so far this season have been for finishing winter crops and some pasture watering. Indications are that a very small area of summer crop will be planted, with the area planted primarily reliant on ground water and our channel system only being used as a supplementary or back-up supply.
Consequently, some channels have not been filled or are being run at low levels. This means Waterways is not available for ordering water. At this point in time our automated system and Waterways will not be switched on this irrigation season.
This means it is essential that any members planning to use water contact our Water Operations Team several days in advance to order water. Advance notice is required to allow time to fill channel sections for the water to be delivered on time.
Communication is the key, so if you decide to alter your plans, either by no longer proceeding with a summer crop or deciding to plant a crop, we request you inform Water Operations.
Water Operations can be contacted via M: 0427 544 269 or via Reception during business hours T: 02 6954 4003.
Stock and garden water delivery
Stock and garden water will be delivered, however, we request several days’ notice to enable us to group deliveries where possible.
Planning on installing a new stock and garden supply
If you are, you are required to contact CICL before proceeding.
There have been a number of instances where members have installed their own stock and garden supply points or altered their supply point without authorisation by CICL. This is a breach of our Rules.
CICL understands there are challenges on some farms maintaining a stock and garden supply when there is no irrigation program and we shall work with members to develop solutions. However, we require members to contact us first and not just proceed to undertake works on our infrastructure.
All inquiries regarding stock and garden outlets should be made to Shane Taylor, Operational Quality Assurance Officer, via Reception on T: 02 6954 4003.
Maintenance update
On the back of a busy winter works program, CICL is continuing its maintenance and improvement works, normally reserved for the winter shut down, on channels that remain dry.
This work is another reason for members to communicate with us if they change their minds about their summer irrigation program.
A looming challenge is the increasing incidence of Black roly-poly, a short-lived perennial of the Chenopodia family. Seeds germinate in autumn after rain and plants develop a deep tap root during winter.
Mature plants flower throughout the year. The seed develops within the spined woody burr that is firmly attached to the stem. Each burr contains only one seed but large bushes produce many burrs. When a plant dies its tap root breaks allowing the dead bush to roll in the wind. Seeds are distributed as stem segments and burrs break off. CICL encourages members to seek agronomic advice to control the seedling roly-poly.
Drought assistance
You can visit the NSW Drought Hub for information on NSW Government and Australian Government assistance and eligibility criteria https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/climate-and-emergencies/droughthub
Emergency water infrastructure assistance
The NSW Government’s Rural Assistance Authority (RAA) administers grant funding for emergency water infrastructure. Members can contact the RAA to see what grants, subsidies or rebates are available to support their farming operations during this drought. You can access their website at https://www.raa.nsw.gov.au/grants/emergency-water-infrastructure-rebate-scheme.
Unauthorised use of CICL Assets and Infrastructure
This is a continuing issue and members are reminded that unauthorised use of CICL assets, including land, channels, and drainage areas is prohibited. CICL will continue to conduct an extensive compliance program during the 2019/20 season to ensure that all arrangements are fully compliant with state law and CICL policy. If you have any concerns in this regard please contact Keith Thompson, Environment and Compliance Officer, on M: 0439 084 569.
Metolachlor users
Members that are users of Metolachlor are reminded to abide by chemical label conditions. You are reminded that a general prohibition on drainage into the CICL network remains in force for past and present users of Metolachlor. If you have not registered as a Metolachlor user and have changed your cropping program to include using Metolachlor, please contact CICL on T: 02 6954 4003.
This condition is to ensure that contamination levels are below CICL EPA Licence condition limits.
Watermart
WaterMart is in the final stages of testing the new banking back end processes and anticipates the platform being opened in the near term.
CICL appreciates our members’ patience during the delay, however, given the value of water being traded through the platform and change in management, CICL needed to be confident in the integrity and security of the platform’s operation to avoid CICL and its members being exposed to unacceptable risk.
The platform will operate in the same way as previously so CICL anticipates members will not notice any difference in its operation.
Some forms will need updating by WaterMart clients, such as the direct debit forms, and the transactions will appear on your statements as WaterMart.
Please contact Therese Chauncy, Executive Assistant, if any more information is required on T: 02 6954 4003.
Customer Communication contact details
Have you changed your email address, mobile number or telephone contact? If so, and you have not advised us, you will be missing out on receiving timely information.
CICL relies on the contact details in our systems being correct. Members can elect to have information communicated via SMS and email and we use these options to communicate important information in a timely and efficient way, particularly operational and water availability information.
Please contact Therese Chauncy via reception on T: 02 6950 4003 to receive a copy of our Customer Communication Form. The form can also be accessed from our webpage https://www.colyirr.com.au/forms
Non-owner authorisation form
This form is available on our webpage https://www.colyirr.com.au/forms. It MUST be completed if anyone other than the owner wishes to order water, access information, trade or transfer water or gain any private information about the property. This includes all family members, other than the owner, as well as managers, sharefarmers etc.
The authorised non-owners of the farms can also be added to the email and SMS lists to receive updated information from CICL.
External Issues
Murray-Darling Basin Plan
Implementation of the Basin Plan in a way that does not further reduce the volume of productive water available for production in the southern basin is one of our key goals. We continue to argue to both the NSW and Commonwealth Governments the importance of delivering on the ‘supply’ projects which reduce the volume which needs to be recovered from agriculture by 605GL.
ACCC Murray-Darling Basin Water Markets Inquiry
The ACCC’s inquiry into the markets for tradeable water rights in the Murray-Darling Basin is about to kick off in earnest with the release of an Issues Paper in October and public stakeholder forums in November. Further information about the inquiry, including the terms of reference, can be accessed at
https://www.accc.gov.au/focus-areas/inquiries/murray-darling-basin-water-markets-inquiry
If you are interested in receiving updates from the ACCC on this inquiry please contact waterinquiry@accc.gov.au.
The approach CICL takes to this inquiry will depend on the substance and detail in the issues paper and the extent the issues raised are likely to impact on our operation and our members’ trading activities.
Independent Social and Economic Panel
Thank you to those members who attended the community ‘drop in’ session in Coleambally on Monday 30 September. Coleambally is fortunate to have had one of the 12 ‘drop in’ sessions.
Panel member Bruce Simpson argued the Panel is looking for answers from the lived experience in communities which may be masked by other social and economic work which is done at a larger scale. Time will tell whether the work of this Panel results in a different approach from governments, however, it is important we take the opportunity to communicate our views and concerns to the Panel.
The Panel is also asking individuals to complete a ‘community experience survey’ which can be accessed at the following address.
This survey asks a series of questions about the community, its challenges, risks, opportunities and what role government could play in supporting communities. The questions are the same as the questions asked at the ‘drop in session’.
Murrumbidgee Water Resource Plan (WRP) and revised Water Sharing Plan (WSP)
CICL understands the Water Resource Plan and revised Water Sharing Plan are on track to be completed by December 2019. As noted in our August newsletter, the Stakeholder Advisory Panel process for development of the WRP and WSP has been disappointing. CICL awaits the release of the final WRP and WSP.
Improved availibility of water market information
Waterflow™, a product funded by the Commonwealth Government to the tune of $1M, and developed by Marsden Jacob, was launched on 2 September.
Designed from the ground up for water market participants, Waterflow™ provides up-to-date, independent source of water market information. The website can be accessed https://www.waterflow.io/ Price alerts and trade notifications can be tailored for both annual and permanent trade.
WaterNSW Water Insights
WaterNSW is trying to improve the amount of information in the public arena on current water availability and flows. The first catchment which includes live data is the Murrumbidgee. Water Insights can be found here https://waterinsights.waternsw.com.au/murrumbidgee
Information available includes river flows at key sites, including CICL’s off-take, daily storage inflows, IVT trade account status and volume allocated against different licence types etc. One of the goals of development of Water Insights is to improve the transparency around all water in the system.
Conclusion
It is disappointing we have experienced another year of low spring rainfall resulting in challenging conditions. I thank our members for their co-operation with our modified water supply operations as we endeavour to deliver water efficiently.
I encourage all members to attend our AGMs which are an important opportunity for members to keep abreast of the co-operatives’ financial and operational performance. There will also be an update on our work on external issues. Our guest speaker, Wilfred Finn from Aither, an Australian consultancy business with expertise in the Australian water industry, will bring useful insights about current issues in the Murrumbidgee and extended southern Murray-Darling Basin.
I expect Wilf’s presentation will be interesting and thought provoking for members and I look forward to meeting with members following the AGMs.
Clifford Ashby, CEO