IT WILL be a slightly different start to the new irrigation season.
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The commencement dates have been staggered to enable customer access to water as early as possible in each area of the network with normal supply operations to resume by Saturday, which is over a week ahead of schedule.
Murrumbidgee Irrigation (MI) chief executive officer Brett Jones said the company had been working closely with WaterNSW to expedite water availability across the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area.
“Demand for water is high at the moment due to both the extended irrigation shutdown and dry winter, so we have been working to open the network as soon as possible,” he said.
“Thanks to the cooperation of WaterNSW and the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH), who are currently managing an environmental flow down the Murrumbidgee River, we will be able to commence the season sooner than expected.”
Mr Jones thanked all customers for their patience during the extended winter works period.
“This has been a once in a life time opportunity to modernise our Main Canal and set up the region for the future,” he said.
“With the upcoming commencement of the irrigation season, we look forward to working together again with our customers in what we hope is a prosperous season for everyone.”
MI has also announced in the past week it will be providing a four per cent additional annual water allocation to eligible customers as a result of company water savings and efficiency measures.
The staggered commencement dates are something all irrigators should take notice of.
However, they should also note there are isolated pockets of works currently being completed.
This may cause minor delays in the commencement of water delivery services to some parts of the system.
Commencement dates
August 1: Leeton area (upstream of Boundary Regulator). Supply available to support town and critical crop needs. August 2: Sturt system open on a limited supply.
August 3: Griffith area (downstream of East Mirrool Regulator). Supply available to support town and critical crop needs. August 5: Resume normal operations for the Main Canal system and August 7 for the Sturt Canal system.
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