Coastal graziers watering stock or growing pasture for stockfeed can build more dams on their first and second order streams to capture up to 30 per cent of the rain that falls on their farm.
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The state government changes to harvestable rights legislation will increase ability to capture runoff three-fold - up from 10 per cent, as originally set-out when the laws were passed to create the NSW farm dams policy in 1999, doing away with unlimited ability to construct farm dams.
Coastal producers like Chris Magner, Tatham; chairman of the Richmond Wilson Combined Water Users Association, say it's a good thing.
"But the devil is in the detail," he warns, highlighting the difference between allowable harvesting for extensive agriculture, like grazing but not for intensive operations like piggeries or poultry farms.
A separate announcement of new bore water allocations state-wide might cater for that sector - at a price.
Increasing harvestable rights east of the divide makes sense given the enormous difference in annual rainfall. Included in the new legislation will be a graded matrix of allowable harvesting depending on which catchment and whether a farm is upriver or down. A more detailed review will be carried out next year.
"This was never meant to be a replacement for licenced irrigation," Mr Magner said.
Dams will still require development approval with site inspections required to determine correct first and second order streams suitable for siting a dam.
"Cattle ran out of water in the drought and had to be sold for low value," reminded Mr Magner. "This will alleviate that. And of course more dams are good for fire fighting.
"But they will also put more water back into a landscape that has had considerable drainage. Even the natural landscape with water holding melon holes is gone, replaced with laser-levelled paddocks."
The split between extensive and intensive farming came as a surprise to water users.
"During the submissions there was no inkling that this would be split however the increased harvest rights are definitely a step forward," Mr Magner said.
NSW Farmers has been instrumental in gaining the increased allocations for coastal producers.
John Ainsworth, a retired Macksville farmer and member of the NSW Farmers Water Taskforce, was quoted by NSW Farmers' media officer Michael Burt as saying: "It's taken 20 years to have the first substantial review of coastal harvestable rights. And this would not have happened at all if NSW Farmers had not stepped in. The Nambucca River and Macleay Valley Branches actively lobbied on this for years and secured a NSW Farmers policy that sought to increase it in coastal catchments," he said.
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