Thread by @SlatteryJohnso

1/ Our full report into the growth of private storages, and by extension floodplain harvesting is available here:
irnnsw.files.wordpress.com/2021/02/21022-…

The bottom line is private dam storage has grown 2.4 times in the Northern NSW MDB since 1994
#Auspol #MurrayDarling #NSWPol #NSWFPH

2/ With publicly available satellite data we mapped the surface area of water storages and used LiDAR technology to determine cross-section and depth. We calculated growth in number and capacity of on-farm storages on the NSW Northern Basin floodplain.

3/ We found an increase in capacity from 597 GL in 1994 to 1,443 GL in 2019/20.

Or using the MDB’s official unit measurement, on-farm dam storage increased from 1.2 to 2.9 Sydney Harbours in 25 years.

But what’s the significance of 1994?
#NSWFPH

4/ In the early 90’s a state of emergency was declared on the Darling River after a mass blue green algae outbreak, (sound familiar?)

Private dams were growing up Nth, with them, river diversions. In 1995 MinCo put a cap on the overall diversions at the 1994 level of development

5/ The 1994 cap model is both Federal and NSW law
A review in 2000 stated that degradation would be significantly worse without the cap and recommended that floodplain diversions and overland flows be included in the cap accounting as a matter of priority.

Fast forward to 2021

6/ NSW is in the process of licensing and legislating floodplain harvesting. Our figures match @nswenviromedia estimates of dam storage.
The qn is how much take will @melindapaveyMP licence and with so much growth in dam storage, how will they show it complies with Cap?
#NSWPol