New South Wales water chief police officer says the days when the state was the “wild west” with illegal water use are over.
Grant Barnes was appointed to lead the Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) four years ago.
It was formed after a 2017 Four Corners program issued allegations of widespread non-compliance with NSW water laws.
Wild west wild
When he arrived in Australia from New Zealand, the NRAR regulator found the state to be similar to the “wild west”.
Satellite data using NRAR has increased processing rates in New South Wales. (ABC: landline / Pip Courtney)
“North, south, east and west [NSW]in unregulated and unregulated rivers (groundwater, surface water, any kind of crop), we found that non-compliance is widespread, ”Barnes said.
“If you run into a jurisdiction where there are no consequences, it’s natural for people to take risks.
“The Wild West could be a way of describing things.”
An investigation convened days after the Four Corners story reported six weeks later found that compliance and enforcement of WaterNSW and DPI – Water were “ineffective and required significant and urgent improvement.”
Barnes says those days were long gone and attributed a huge increase in water license compliance over the past four years to the government’s NRAR independence.
“There is no mechanism by which a water user can now turn to politicians and say, ‘We want certain results here,'” he said.
Anger at the New South Wales government’s poor oversight of its own Water Act arose in a 2017 ABC Four Corners story (ABC: Fixed / Pip Courtney)
“I think we have done a lot more [in terms of prosecutions] in four years of what was done in the previous 20 “.
The NRAR says it has carried out 34 prosecutions since April 2018.
There were 23 convictions and fines totaling $ 1,170,550. Two cases were unsuccessful, two were withdrawn and one was withdrawn and dealt with by an executive commitment.
Thirteen cases, including two appeals, are currently before the court.
The value of technology
Technology is helping to increase compliance, with regulator staff able to access a wide range of information from airborne technology, specifically satellites, drones and aircraft.
NRAR can view water application, intake, and storage anywhere in the state. (ABC: landline / Pip Courtney)
“This has happened by leaps and bounds in recent years. These are tools, not toys, that make us better and a more efficient regulator. I love these things,” Barnes said.
Compliance officers and researchers can compare a farmer’s water bill information with the conditions of his water license and satellite imagery, drones, and laser surveys taken from airplanes.
“We closed the loop on that, and that was a pretty eureka moment for us about 12 months ago,” Barnes said.
This bathymetric grade boat calculates the volume of the dam. (ABC: Landline / Pip Courtney)
Database and space analysts can track water flow, use and storage, soil movement, and even whether crops are growing when available information says they should not be used. ho.
“We can detect very quickly and easily if someone has been filling a dam at a time when they are not supposed to. We can also control the direct application of water to crops and use a similar technique to find fields. They have been applying water when they don’t have a water order, “said NRAR Spatial Information and Modeling Specialist Dr. Ivars Reinfelds.
Improving satellite coverage has made the data more contemporary than it was six months ago. (ABC: landline)
With satellites now providing images daily, not monthly, comparisons are easier to make.
Clouds have long been the enemy of water detectives, but satellite technology has advanced, so there are now very few blind spots.
“Newer satellites have on-board radar technology, and we’re starting to use radar imaging to be able to see through the clouds,” Dr. Reinfelds said.
NRAR ground personnel need easy-to-use technology, which is where drones have proven invaluable in gathering evidence that will be held in court.
The state’s top water policeman says four years ago the state was like the wild west. (ABC: Landline / Pip Courtney)
“When you blow up a drone, you can record in photos or videos what you’ve watched, and that stays in the file, and you get really good pictures of all that functionality,” said NRAR researcher Alex Bowlay.
Researchers are also using depth probes, traditionally used in the fishing industry, to calculate the volumes of water in dams.
When this information is cross-referenced with laser surveys of terrain features, Dr. Reinfelds and his team can produce 3D images of a dam to see if it has been deepened without approval.
Grant Barnes says those who drink water to which they are not entitled are not committing a crime without victims.
Field officers such as Sarah Walsh and Samantha Ross visit farmers to confirm that they meet the conditions of their license. (ABC: landline / Angel Parsons)
“When you take water that is not yours, you take it from fellow farmers, you take it from the environment and you also take it from local communities, and that is why we are here to reaffirm. This justice for all and eliminate this benefit. of criminal behavior, “Barnes said.
With statewide compliance, it predicts that the river systems in the Murray Darling Basin will be more robust when the next drought arrives.
“Through our work, there is a recognition among most water users that they can’t take that extra drop, that every drop counts, especially in drought circumstances.”
Wee Waa-based irrigator David Phelps welcomed the creation of NRAR and did not care about the regular visits of field officers who checked that their meters and pumps complied with the code, and their dam water is aligned with its annual allocation.
“Our water group in the Namoi Valley has been pushing for this since 2012, four or five years before the [Four Corners] the story is over, so yes, we’re glad to see it, “Phelps said.
The total water allocation for cotton grower David Phelps is 15,000 megaliters. (ABC: Landline / Angel Parsons)
“I’ve found a lot of staff and they’re all polite and friendly people, and if you’re doing the right thing, there’s no problem.”
Watch this story on ABC TV’s landline at 12:30 on Sunday or on ABC iview.
Posted 14 hours, 14 hours ago, Friday, June 17, 2022 at 9:03 PM, updated 14 hours, 14 hours ago, Friday, June 17, 2022 at 9:18 PM