PEEL Valley irrigators will pay 10 per cent more for their water following the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s final decision on Water NSW charges for regulated water users in the Murray-Darling Basin for 2016-17.
The watchdog’s decision, handed down last week, means Peel water users – both high security and general security – will pay a water usage charge of $58.26 per megalitre on top of their entitlement charges.
The decision comes after a long campaign from Peel irrigators and the Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) to change the valley-by-valley pricing structure.
They’ve questioned the viability of their agricultural businesses, arguing that the higher prices make them less competitive with producers in other valleys.
With only 200 users in the Peel, water supplied from Chaffey Dam is already the most expensive in the state, with Peel irrigators paying more than 10 times the amount charged to irrigators in other valleys
The Murrumbidgee has the cheapest water in the state and will pay just $3.79/ML for high security water, $1.56/ML for general security, and a water usage charge of $4.36. That compares to charges of $35.27/ML for high security water in the Peel and $3.88/ML for general security water.
TRC water director Bruce Logan was disappointed by the decision.
“If we use the average amount of water from Chaffey Dam, it’s about $80,000 more a year for council to pay,” Mr Logan said.
