NORTHERN BREMER CATCHMENT GROUP INC
Secretary, PO Box 221, WOODSIDE SA 5244
Phone : 08 8538 7009 AH Email : jansquire@bigpond.com
"The River Murray is dying" These headlines
are regularly appearing in our newspapers, and the subject is often discussed
informally at gatherings every time a few people get together. Our own
river, the Bremer, has had less water flowing in recent years compared
to the past, and what water there is seems to be of deteriorating quality.
Salinity levels are also rising in some areas. The Government has recently
stepped in to control water use in an area around Hartley.
These comments and events are being mirrored all over the River Murray
catchment, and much discussion has taken place in Governments and elsewhere
as to what must be done. The Interim Natural Resource Management
Plan for the South Australian portion of the River Murray catchment
is one such attempt to map out and implement an action strategy, and is
the subject of our workshop on Tuesday 25 March, at the Harrogate Hall
from 7:30pm. It is worth reading the plan, whether you come to our workshop
or not, and one source is on the web site www.savethemurray.com.au. http://www.savethemurray.com.au
The plan will seek to put in place strategies to ensure long term sustainability
of our natural resources (including land and water), together with the
continuing viability of businesses that are based on the land. Besides
water, the plan addresses weeds, feral animals and land use management
issues. It is expected that strategies will involve partnerships of communities,
landholders, businesses and Government.
The plan suggests that there will be some regulation imposed on us in
the near future, particularly over water use in our area. This has already
been done on the Marne River. There is a strong push from some quarters
now for the Government to take urgent action to regulate water use throughout
the whole of the Mount Lofty ranges, including the Bremer catchment, partly
because of the increasing water use for vineyards, but also because of
the growing belief that there is just not enough water to go around at
current usage rates. Governments at all levels need to know what people
in our community think about the management of our water resources, and
what we think about the possible imposition of restrictions or fees for
water use? Our group is being asked for input on water management issues,
and it is important that the differing views within our community can
be expressed.
Cathy and I recently attended a workshop in Strathalbyn to discuss this
plan, and to provide feedback to the consultants about some of the issues
that were of the most concern. Six workshops were held over the catchment,
and the top concerns included :
• Education, awareness and the availability of local resources for
remedial action
• Improving water quality
• Water use efficiency
• Control of animal and plant pests
• Restoring environmental water flows
This workshop was also very sceptical that this plan would translate
to actual work on the ground and in our local areas, with actions targeting
the special needs of each local area. It was feared that this exercise
would be another example of money being spend on consultants and within
Governments, with nothing much being seen by us. We hope that our workshop
will enable Harrogate residents and our surrounding river community to
make all of our views known, and that we all can contribute to discussions
on workable solutions that will result in action to benefit all of us.
A good attendance will demonstrate our commitment to achieve the best
for our environment, and will ensure your voice is heard. If you cannot
attend we would like to receive your written comments.
Other NEWS
We now have an Email list where you can find out about our activities,
receive meeting information and minutes, and be advised about Landcare
and Catchment Group issues regularly. Email me to be added.
There are concerns over public liability issues for crown land being used
by individual property owners. The council seem to be withdrawing from
their responsibilities and transferring liability back to landholders.
We are trying to clarify what responsibility landholders might have.
There are a number of booklets and reports in our library available for
loan, including a ‘Snapshot of the Murray-Darling Basin River Condition’,
and the ‘Recovery outline for the Southern Pygmy Perch in the Mt
Lofty Ranges’. These and others are worth reading.
Jan Squire, Secretary
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