CICL Update May 2022
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 Planning & Environment Allocation announcement
1/11/2021
High Security 100%
General Security 100%
Groundwater 100% (Lower Murrumbidgee)
CICL announcement and offer
Member Benefit 10%
Additional water offer 4%
The WaterMart platform can be accessed here.
WaterMart will close at 4pm on Tuesday 31 May. The Platform will commence trade for the 2022/23 water season on Friday 1 July 2022.
Inter-valley trade
Up-to-date information on the IVT is here. The undelivered IVT trade volume of currently 125.4GL will carry forward as a commitment to the Murray in the new water year and may impact on opening general security allocations.
You can register for WaterNSW IVT alerts here.
Casual usage charge
Customers are reminded the casual usage charge of $17.84 per ML applies to any water use greater than 110 percent of delivery entitlements. The charge applies per farm, or if the farm is in a single farming unit (SFU), per SFU. Details of CICL’s charges can be found here. The casual usage charge (if applicable) will be included in your CICL annual invoice sent in June.
Your number of delivery entitlements held is available in Waterways.
Water Operations end of season
The main offtake will be closed on Monday 23 May 2022 in preparation for winter maintenance. After the main offtake closes, supply is no longer guaranteed, however, delivery of orders will continue subject to water availability at a customer’s outlet. Draining of supply channels for the winter period will begin from Tuesday 31st May.
You are reminded to contact Water Operations to discuss your end of season water orders or provide an update if your plans have changed. If you do not place your order prior to the announced offtake closure, preference will be given to filling orders placed by irrigators prior to the offtake closure.
The contact for Water Operations – Business Hours T: 02 6954 4003 – After Hours M: 0427 544 269.
Carryover into 2022/23 water season
The carryover provisions in the Water Sharing Plan for the Murrumbidgee Regulated Water Source apply to CICL water entitlements. This means that:
A volume of up to 30 percent of general security water entitlements can be carried over from 2021/22 to 2022/23.
Carryover is not available on high security, G class or stock and garden water entitlements.
The maximum account limit on general security water entitlements in 2022/23 including carryover and the announced allocation is 100 percent.
Members with more than 30 percent available in their general security water allocation account, or water remaining in their high security water allocation account, should note the closing date for WaterMart and annual transfers of 4.00pm Tuesday 31 May 2022.
Member director vacancy October 2022
Member director, Keith Burge, has advised the CICL board he does not intend to seek re-election for another term when his current term concludes in October 2022. Keith has been a valued director of CICL for three terms having first been elected in 2013.
CICL thanks Keith for his significant contribution to CICL and willingness to share his decision not to nominate for another term, opening an opportunity for a new director to join the board after the Annual General Meeting in October 2022.
Members are encouraged to consider nominating when CICL calls for nominations for member directors in August. Director terms are for three years and being a member director is an opportunity to contribute to CICL’s strategic direction and governance.
Further information will be available later in the year, however, in the interim any member who is interested in knowing more about being a director of CICL, please don’t hesitate to contact any of the current directors or the Company Secretary.
Single Farming Unit (SFU) end of season accounting closes 4.00pm Tuesday 31 May 2022
It is your responsibility to contact Therese Chauncy, ea@colyirr.com.au prior to 4.00pm Tuesday 31 May 2022 to distribute any unused allocation between all farms in your SFU. This will ensure you:
maximise your 30 percent carryover limit on individual farms (even if operating within an SFU); and
avoid being unnecessarily penalised for a negative water balance on individual farms.
For legal reasons, CICL’s staff cannot balance your water accounts without your input and written authorisation.
A new face in reception
CICL is pleased to have recruited Jacquelyn (Jac) Marks as Receptionist/Finance Officer. Jac will commence with CICL on Wednesday 25 May. Jac’s appointment is to prepare for Christine’s planned retirement later this year. Jac will also be trained as a Finance Officer. Jac has had extensive experience in customer service and administration with the ACT Government and will be a valuable resource to the finance team and CICL. Jac and her partner will be relocating to Coleambally from Canberra. Please make Jac welcome to Coleambally.
Water use intensity policy
Members are advised that total farm water use (including on-farm bores) should not exceed 8ML/ha for the 2022/23 water season unless they have entered into Water Use Averaging Agreements with CICL. These agreements allow for averaging water use between unconnected farms and exempting farms from water use limits for horticulture, permanent plantings and other approved primary industries. Members must make an application in writing to CICL for a Water Use Averaging Agreement and the Agreement must be finalised before the mid-December allocation announcement for the Agreement to apply for the current season. Please contact Keith Thompson via reception on T: 02 6954 4003 for further information.
Peizometers destroyed
CICL staff have again observed recent incidents where our groundwater monitoring installations (piezometers) have been damaged by indiscriminate stubble burning and or destruction by farm machinery (see below). These incidents generally go unreported and in the majority of cases require repairs to be undertaken at a cost to all members. The piezometer network is critical to mapping our groundwater conditions annually and reporting to government as part of our licence conditions. Please take care with operations when working near any CICL infrastructure and report any damage observed or caused by you.
Staff profile - Luke Fox - Mechanical Channel Technician
Introducing Luke Fox - How long have you worked for CICL and what is your role? - I have worked for CICL for about 15 months as a Mechanical/Channel Technician
What were you doing before you joined CICL? - I was working as a Miller Assistant at the Coprice Blends Plant here in Coly.
What does your job entail? - In the workshop I work on Flumegates™ and fit them out with a new gearbox, sometimes new cable drums and various other parts. As for the Channel Technician side of work, I go out in the field and float between regions helping the regional officers with field work.
What’s a common question you get from customers/members? How many Flumegates™ have you fixed since you started? Does it take long to fit a new gearbox?
What do you like to do when you are not working? I like to go fishing/hunting or go to a few Ute/Car/Truck shows and the odd B&S Ball. I hope that in the near future I’ll be able to take my HZ Premier to a few car shows.
What is your favourite quote? - Good, better, best. Never let it rest, until your good is better and your better is best.
Winter works - The new gate control equipment for the river offtake, that arrived too late last winter due to COVID related delays, will be installed this winter. Zinc metal spray protection is scheduled for the gates at the river offtake and some other regulators along the Main Canal. Extensive de-weeding and desilting will be undertaken on the Channel 9 system during this winter shutdown in addition to our routine winter works, which include bridge inspections and preventative repairs, channel bank repairs, regulator repairs and farm outlet repairs, particularly where they have been undermined by yabbies.
Staff profile - Kellie Pound - Financial Accountant
Introducing Kellie Pound - How long have your worked for CICL and what is your role? - I have worked for CICL for 3.5 years. My role is Financial Accountant.
What were you doing before you joined CICL? - I started working as an accountant in Albury over 10 years ago then moved back to Coly and worked at a local accounting firm. Just prior to starting at CICL I was at home with the kids whilst bookkeeping for our farming business.
What does your job entail? - My role entails all things from payroll to financial statement transactions with a little bit of reception thrown in every now and then.
What’s a common question you get from staff? Is it pay week this week?
What do you like to do when you are not working? - Travelling and spending time with my family.
Winter works
The new gate control equipment for the river offtake, that arrived too late last winter due to COVID related delays, will be installed this winter. Zinc metal spray protection is scheduled for the gates at the river offtake and some other regulators along the Main Canal. Extensive de-weeding and desilting will be undertaken on the Channel 9 system during this winter shutdown in addition to our routine winter works, which include bridge inspections and preventative repairs, channel bank repairs, regulator repairs and farm outlet repairs, particularly where they have been undermined by yabbies.
External meter validation audit
Confidence in the accuracy of measurement onto farm is important to CICL and its members. We have a robust approach to quality assurance. This includes CICL checking the set up of our farm meters twice yearly, fully “commissioning” 20 percent of our farm meters each year, and engaging an external certified meter validator to audit a representative sample of our gates each year.
CICL recently engaged an independent external contractor to do tip tests on around five percent of the Flumegates™ in use this season. Two were found to have moved out of specification since the completion of the second round of internal tip tests completed in January, due to structural movement, and a third was out of specification due to fluctuating water levels in the supply pool. These meters were recommissioned and are operating within specification. No account adjustments were required.
External Issues
NSW Dept of Planning & Environment 22/23 outlook
The NSW Department of Planning and Environment, (the Department) in their Water Allocation Statement (15 April) was forecasting carryover of 680GL or approximately 30 percent of general security and conveyance entitlements and indicative starting allocations for general security of 25 percent.
Assuming median inflows, the forecast 1 November general security allocation is 51 percent. If wet conditions persist, a situation similar to earlier this water year is likely to arise where, due to full storages, allocations stall, as there is no space available to capture new resource. Only when liabilities reduce through water usage, and that airspace is refilled, can allocations increase.
Regional Water Strategies
The Department of Planning and Environment has released its draft Regional Water Strategy for the Murrumbidgee, which is here. The draft strategy includes a list of 53 potential options which may be progressed to address the seven challenges government have identified facing the Murrumbidgee catchment.
Consultation during the development of the draft strategies has centred on local governments and Aboriginal people. The irrigation sector, which drives regional economies west of Wagga Wagga, is only now being consulted. The strategies focus on understanding the potential worst-case impacts of climate change on water resources in the Murrumbidgee and include a long list of potential options.
CICL supports co-ordinated regional planning to ensure safe and secure water supplies for town water supplies in the Murrumbidgee catchment. However, CICL is concerned the draft strategy does not acknowledge the results of the very significant changes in water management in the Murrumbidgee over the last 20 years. CICL is also concerned that there seems to be little integration between the options on the long list.
Another water inquiry
The NSW Legislative Council has established a Select Committee Inquiry into the status of water trading in NSW. The Committee will report by 30 November 2022. An obvious question is why is this inquiry needed just after the multi million dollar ACCC Murray-Darling Basin Water Markets Inquiry has just been completed and governments are working through implementation of the recommendations?
Southern inland metering compliance deadline
The deadline for compliance with NSW metering standards is 1 December 2022. CICL groundwater users who own their meter are responsible for ensuring their metering equipment is compliant with the new standards. Significant information to help you navigate your requirements is available here.
Conclusion
Please note the closure dates for our off take of Monday 23 May, with water supply not guaranteed after that date. Please also note the 4.00pm Tuesday 31 May deadline for closure of annual water trading and WaterMart and finalising your account balances between farms in Single Farming Units.
The next Commonwealth government will face some critical Murray-Darling Basin Plan implementation issues with key deadlines looming. The irrigation sector and CICL is preparing for whoever is in government federally to find solutions which do not require further water recovery from our footprint.
We are excited to recruit a new person to our business, please make Jac Marks and her partner welcome to Coleambally.
Clifford Ashby
CEO
