Tamworth water restrictions: Irrigators could be cut off from Chaffey Dam in the coming months

Livelihoods could be on the line for general security licence holders who rely on Chaffey Dam to sustain their crops.

One of those irrigators is Tom Wollaston, who faces a failed sorghum crop without water.

“I gambled on assistance from above and I missed out,” he said.

“I will have a failed sorghum crop, I’m running out of water at a rapid rate.”

Most of Tamworth’s town water supply comes from Chaffey Dam, now at just 31.9 per cent residents face level three water restrictions in the coming weeks.

Upgrades to the dam in 2016 mean it can hold 100 gigalitres and every year in March or April the state government looks at how much water is likely to flow into the dam.

From that water is allocated for the town, farmers and irrigators, in drought that allocation can be reduced to buckleys for general licence holders.

This water year irrigators were given a 38 per cent allocation.

WaterNSW manages Chaffey Dam but does not determine water allocations.

“Broadly speaking water customers must operate within the terms and conditions of their water licence and the valley water sharing plan,” a WaterNSW spokesman said.

“At 32 per cent capacity, Chaffey storage is in a better position than other WaterNSW dams in the region which has been impacted by intense drought conditions and very low rates of inflow into dam storages.”

Winton irrigator David Gowing made the switch from Chaffey Dam to the Peel Alluviam underground water and fractured rock source.

Town water users have criticised irrigators for daytime operations, but Mr Gowing said its the only way they can keep crops alive.

“If irrigators don’t use water they go out of business,” he said.

“We really can’t get enough water on quick enough to keep in production due to the dry conditions.

“I physically can’t get enough water on the paddocks by only irrigating at night.”

Already his cattle herd has been reduced by a third and it takes 45 hours for his irrigator to adequately water a crop.

Read also: Peel Valley water allocations slashed by 71 per cent for 2018

While he would prefer to only water at night, if he cuts his work time in half his crop will die.

“The government needs to start thinking big, devise schemes to bring water over the range and from the north,” he said.

“I really feel that the time has come where this needs to be done.”

Other dams in the region face even bigger problems, with Copeton at 12 per cent, Pindari at 7.7 per cent and Lake Keepit at just 0.5 per cent, the lowest it has ever been.

The Deparment of Industry – Water manages the water allocations given to irrigators each year.

The Leader contacted the department with questions about when entitlements might be reduced but did not receive a response.

What do you think should be done about water allocations in Tamworth? Let us know below