ࡱ> =?<!` bjbj\\ .(>>  2  $?h  ^  :,l iz \ 0 R))l)l V. "      POMONA IRRIGATION TRUST P.O. Box 311, WENTWORTH. N.S.W. 2648 Telephone (03) 50273526 Fax (03) 50273682 Public submission to water market rules position paper by POMONA IRRIGATION TRUST (PIT) on 15th August 2008 The Pomona Irrigation Trust is a small irrigation entity 12kms north of Wentworth on the Darling River. The Pomona Irrigation Trust was officially formed and Gazetted on 12th June 1931. Pomona is a content, close knit community of families, some who have lived here for generations. The Pomona Irrigation Trust is responsible for delivering water to its 60 ratepayers, who are irrigators and domestic & stock water users. The Pomona Irrigation Trust holds the Water Access Entitlements under the NSW Water Management Act 2000. Trustees are appointed to manage the trust and a part time Secretary is employed to deal with administration matters. The Trust is aware of the conditions in the Federal Water Act 2007 that relate to all infrastructure operators. In 1997 to 2000 The Pomona Irrigation Trust was successful in receiving funding from the Natural Heritage Trust to replace all of its open earthen channels to a 14.5 Kilometre PVC & Poly pipeline system. The people of Pomona provided the labour to install this system. The Community worked together, ensuring the future sustainability for Pomona. This system has in turn given opportunity to individual growers to upgrade their own irrigation systems from furrow to drip or low level water saving practices. Land is of little valve in Pomona without the ability to apply water. Pomona recognises water trade is now an accepted part of business and has traded water on the annual market for years. 2/ - 2 - Transformation and/or trade of water rights The Pomona Irrigation Trust believes the recommendation by the ԭ of transformation of its bulk water access entitlements to individual irrigators water access entitlements will make the Trust financially unviable and lead to the long term demise of the pipeline pumping infrastructure system. This system supplies water to all irrigation enterprises and households in the Pomona Irrigation Trust boundaries. The current Pomona Irrigation Trust twin pontoon pumping system was installed in 2006 fully funded by the Pomona Irrigation Trust. This system is a high-tech fully automatic pressurised system delivering water on demand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The following points are the detrimental effects on the assets and business of the Pomona Irrigation Trust if transformation is to go ahead :- The Trust loses the power of debt recovery of outstanding rates as there is no assest left to recovery against. The Pomona Irrigation Trust has in the past been involved in debt collecting agencies. This is a very slow process and not successful. Full recovery of debt has only ever been accomplished with the ability to temporary trade part of the irrigators water allocation. If the PIT (Pomona Irrigation Trust) doesnt have control to recover debts it will not have the cashflow it needs to continue to operate at a high level, as it does now. The future of agriculture/horticulture irrigation will be at risk in Pomona. The Pomona Irrigation Trust supplies water to local community facilities. Eg. Bush Fire Brigade, Pomona Primary School & Oval, School Endowment Block and Community Hall. There will be a detrimental social impact on the small community. The PIT is the binding factor of our community. Its the purpose of joint supply of water, whether to manage a family agriculture business or just to be a domestic water user. The cost to change rules and set up individual water access entitlements would be passed onto the irrigators in administration fees and charges. The irrigators would not be pleased if the water rates substantially increased for cost recovery. The PIT operates as a successful non- profitable organisation, keeping water rates and charges at a minimum which in turn promotes investment profitable farming. 3/ - 3 - Transformation means there is a key issue in who reads the meters, who charges the water usage per irrigator, who keeps the water balance? Water would have to be traded back into the Trust each time an irrigator wanted to use water. The irrigators and household water users would not have a delegated body of authority to represent or support them as a whole at a broader local or national level in the agriculture/horticulture industry. The Pomona Irrigation Trust provides its ratepayers with a local and personal contact base, providing general information on water saving practices, irrigation upgrade funding and temporary water trading statistics. Water users of the Pomona Irrigation Trust would lose the security that water would be supplied to them if transformation of bulk water access licences were made individual. The only source of water supply to Pomona water users is through the pipeline that is owned and controlled by the Pomona Irrigation Trust. The PIT will accommodate those irrigators who wish to permanently trade their water within the guidelines without the need for transformation. It does not want to restrict trade for its irrigators but it needs the bulk water access entitlements to give security to the pumping system that supplies the water to the irrigator enterprises within the Trust boundaries and allow the efficient running of the business. Contact : Roger McLean Chairman Cathryn Dawes Secretary Email :  HYPERLINK "mailto:p.i.t@bigpond.com" p.i.t@bigpond.com F ĺĴ͚ͥ hucc0JjhuccUjhuccU huccCJ H* huccCJ hucc5CJ H*\hucc5CJ \hucc huccaJhuccCJaJhucc5CJ\aJhucc5CJ \aJ hucc5CJ$\aJ$)Fe~~yyyw$a$&$$d%d&d'dNOPQa$,$ 9u $d%d&d'dNOPQa$,$ !$d%d&d'dNOPQa$    OP'(QH< & F  & F $a$$a$qKLn$a$ & F$a$$a$,1h. 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