Menindee Lakes Water Release Increase Sparks Resident Outrage

Residents have been left "gobsmacked" and disappointed by the decision to dramatically increase the amount of water being released from the Menindee Lakes.

In late May, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) revealed the volume of water drawn from the system would rise from 200 to 400 megalitres a day.

Menindee resident and Australian Floodplain Association vice-chair Graeme McCrabb said the decision was "quite upsetting".

"I was gobsmacked, to be honest," he said.

Mr McCrabb and other residents living along the Darling River are worried the decision could drain the area's drought reserve over the coming months and risk a repeat of 2018/2019 when large parts of the river ran dry.

"That any agency could risk putting us back into that situation, of cease to flow … I can't describe the pain," he said.

As the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, Simon Banks manages water for the environment on behalf of the federal government to support the rivers and wetlands of the Murray-Darling Basin.

He said the decision was made to support populations of Murray cod and golden perch downstream of Menindee.

Dr Banks said the increased flows would help improve water quality, result in more food and improve the overall habitat of native species.

Dr Banks said the decision was based on recent survey results in the Lower Darling which indicated "the presence of relative abundance of native fish".

The surveys found 23 Murray cod and more than 200 golden perch.

"What we're trying to do is support the whole system," he said.

He confirmed the water being released had been recovered and was specifically set aside for the environment.

"The Commonwealth government … as part of the [Murray-Darling] Basin Plan has gone through a process of recovering environmental water," he said.

"What was irrigation licenses and rights, and made that available through voluntary purchase programs."

Dr Banks says a maximum of 18 gigalitres from the system, or roughly 3 per cent of the current water storage, is being removed over the winter months.

'Pulling a bit too hard'

Dr Banks said it was a "fortunate position" to have water available to use for the environment at Menindee.

But farmer Rachel Strachan, from Tunley Point Station south of Menindee, said while there was "a lot of cod in the Lower Darling", she would have preferred the water to stay in the lakes.

"I think it's more imperative that we actually keep water in the Lower Darling for a longer period rather than letting it go now and then having nothing come spring and summer," she said.

Ms Strachan said the decision did not "add up" for residents living along the river.

"[It is] pretty disappointing, the increase in flows … I think it shows a little bit of arrogance from the side of the CEWH," she said.

"We're worried they're pulling a bit too hard on the drought reserve."

Mr McCrabb said he raised concerns over a lack of consultation in decision-making.

"We shouldn't be surprised, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder … has been renowned for the lack of transparency and the lack of working with community," he said.

Dr Banks disagreed and said there was "no jumping over" community consultation.

"I understand there will be different views about whether we should be doing this or not, but look, we've got the science … that has underpinned the decision-making," he said.

He was also hopeful rainfall would generate flows in the coming months, although he admitted there was a potential risk of a cease-to-flow event if this did not occur.

Griffith University School of Environment and Science professor and Australia Rivers Institute researcher Fran Sheldon said the CEWH was between a rock and a hard place.

"You never really know what's going to happen," she said.

"Use the water now and then everybody will be saying, 'Oh you shouldn't have used it' if it gets really dry, but at the same time, if [you] don't use it, hold it there and it just evaporates over the summer and there's massive [fish] deaths and we have poor fish recruitment again, it would've been a poor decision."

But Professor Sheldon agreed that it was important to increase the population of Murray cod in the Lower Darling given the extent of recent mass fish kills.

In a statement, the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) said the increase in water releases was supported by the state government.

A spokesperson said they understood concerns about the potential impact on drought reserves and water storage levels at Menindee.

"We want to assure the community that we will continue to closely monitor conditions," they said.

The CEWH said it would also closely monitor climatic conditions like El Niño and respond to conditions as they unfold.

"If that transpires into drier conditions, that is a concern for the entire Murray Darling Basin," Dr Banks said.