Thread by @MaryanneSlatte1

A quick explainer thread about whether the Watergate water is "real".

The Commonwealth Water Holder owns water licences for Overland Flow licences at Kia Ora and Clyde.

The licences are "real".
1/
@jmil400
@r

While the licences are "real", there are two problems with the licences, that ATM make them useless.
1. OLF are attached to land. Ie., they only exist at the property, in this case Kia Ora & Clyde.

The C/W no longer owns the water, outside the farmgate.
@jmil400
2/

The C/W could overcome the issue of legal ownership, via licence changes, goodwill or agreements w/ States &/or landowners. But, second problem:

2. ATM the water cannot physically get off the property.

There were no negotiations wrt removing levee banks at Clyde.
3/

Clyde is nth of Narren Lakes - V important ecological site, esp for waterbirds.

The water from Clyde could be highly valuable for Narren, IF it can leave the property & not be extracted downstream.

Water from Clyde was used in 2008 to sustain a 50k bird breeding event.
4/

That was a purchase of water in Clyde's dam at the time & released by the landowner into Narren.

I think this was part of Barnaby's rant to @PatsKarvelas earlier this week.
5/

Water on Kia Ora is more difficult.

Dept was asked to decommission levee banks to alleviate flooding at St George (not for env watering).

There is no evidence that levees changed.

Proposed changes at top of Kia Ora, other banks on property still in place.
6/

These issues could be overcome - but in my experience, it takes a major public outrage for the C/W to fix water stuff.

The C/w is now up to its 4th (maybe 5th) MOU/IGA w/ States to develop policies to protect env water from extraction. Big $$$$ w/ ea. agreement.

7/

Pre watergate, the C/W had no workplan to get the OLF water off properties & protected from extraction.

I'm guessing that it's a high priority now - hopefully it won't involve more taxpayers $$$.

8/8