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Valley irrigators see red over water fee hike to pay for dam works
Written by Steve Kelly.
KING River irrigators will be slugged with an 18.2 per cent hike in fees, compounding over the next three years, to pay for a $7.4 million upgrade to Lake William Hovell.
The increase will involve a rise in entitlement storage fees and delivery fees.
The news, broken to a group of 50 irrigators at a meeting with Goulburn-Murray Water (G-MW) in Moyhu this week, has shocked some landholders, and infuriated others.
It’s a financial burden King Valley resident Malcolm Carson said would impact farmers in the area for years to come.
"Funding for the upgrade should not be lugged totally on the shoulders of irrigators," Mr Carson said, noting how the river and lake are used by all and sundry, particularly for recreation, sport and firefighting.
"It’s daunting when you look ahead to the bills we’ll have to pay in three years’ time.
"The impact of this will see farmers not able to afford water to grow crops and we’ll see food prices increase.
"Farm asset renewal will also suffer as a result and farmers will find it more difficult to get through future dry seasons.
"This decision has set the King Valley back years and outside agriculture, community development and town infrastructure will be hit hard."
Mr Carson said to make matters worse G-MW plans on selling water out of the region from July 1 next year.
"G-MW said we were getting water cheaply as increases didn’t factor in Lake Buffalo," he said.
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