The Draft Report characterises the modelled impacts on downstream water users as relatively small and manageable – we do not accept that characterisation. While the modelling indicates that high-security entitlements remain unaffected, it identifies potential reductions in general security diversions of around 2-3% in drier years and reductions in end-of-year allocations of between 1-3%.
This is not an immaterial number given the significance of these systems, especially in dry years, nor do these impacts take into account for the cumulative impact of other changes affecting entitlement reliability in the Murrumbidgee.
The NFF’s full submission can be found here.