Upper Namoi Water in the Landscape Initiative seeks industry support

Representatives from community activist groups, local and state governments, and the University of New England (UNE) came together on Monday, May 8, to launch the Upper Namoi Water in the Landscape Initiative (WILI).

The group is designed to advocate for protection, research and education into groundwater.

"This initiative is all about keeping more water in the upper parts of our landscape, making our Upper Namoi Valley work like a big sponge so that the water comes in, stays, and trickles out slowly rather than rushing out in a torrent," Tamworth Regional Landcare Association (TRLA) chair Wayne Chaffey said.

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Speaking at the initiative's launch, Tamworth Regional Council's (TRC) Director of Water and Waste Bruce Logan said one of the biggest roles local governments can play in this initiative is getting industries on board with cutting their water consumption.

He said three or four companies in Tamworth use "about 50 per cent" of the council's water.

"Do they have a role to play in here in the sustainability and conservation of our local water supply? Absolutely," Mr Logan said.

The group will also be offering workshops for local landholders and farmers to learn about regenerative agricultural processes and holistic-planned grazing management.

"One of the things we asked when we started was: 'Can we harness the university better so we can give better information to landholders who are trying to do the right thing?'" TRC's General Manager Paul Bennett said.

UNE Professor and WILI founding member Martin Thoms said climate change could reduce rainfall in the New England region by as much as twenty per cent per year, so locals will need to learn how to do more with less water.

"To do that we need to look after not just our water, but our landscapes. Farmers are a big player in that space, but it's not just about farming, you also have councils and big industries, and the only way to address it is collaboratively with mining people, ag people, university people, the council, and Landcare all working together," he said.

Mr Thoms said the initiative has "goals on a number of levels," from bringing in research and investment into the region to work shopping water-saving solutions with local community groups.

At the launch, ideas proposed ranged from giving land legal rights and protections, to encouraging the growth of native vegetation.

"The biggest thing is trying to keep every piece of ground covered by vegetation. One hundred per cent cover, one hundred percent of the time to soak up that water," Mr Chaffey said.

The TRLA president said the vast number of groups committing to be involved in WILI gives him hope for tackling the issue of water security on a system-wide level.

"We've got a whole range of organisations from big-picture Murray-Darling Basin right down to individual land care groups," Mr Chaffey said.

The full list of organisations involved in the collaboration so far include; the University of New England, Murray-Darling Basin Authority, NSW Landcare, Tamworth Regional Landcare, Hydro Terra, Mullon Institute, Tamworth Regional Council, Gunnedah Shire Council, Liverpool Plains Shire Council, Peel Valley Irrigators, Department of Planning and Environment, Local Land Services NSW, Proagtiv, NorthWest Water, Adaptiv Landscapes, and OzFish.

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