Lachlan Valley Water and Jemalong Irrigation Ltd have jointly called for urgent action on fixed charges for drought stricken farmers.

Jemalong Irrigation Ltd chairman, Ted Morgan, said that general security irrigators in the Lachlan have had zero allocation for six of the last seven years, and are now in their fourth consecutive year without water.

“The fixed charges are levied on the full water entitlement each year regardless of how much water is available, and it’s very tough for irrigators under these conditions to come up with thousands of dollars to pay for water they didn’t get,” said Mr Morgan.

“Next week the NSW Government will cut back releases from Wyangala so that flows will only get as far as Condobolin,” said Lachlan Valley Water chairman, Dennis Moxey, last week.

“At about the same time as the flows diminish, bills will arrive in farmers’ letterboxes for the first quarter’s water charges for this year. People along the Lachlan have been resilient in the face of this drought but this will be the last straw for some.”

“This is the worst drought in 100 years and the hardest hit river in the state. We’re asking Premier Rees and Minister Costa to help irrigators by waiving the fixed charges as a drought assistance measure,” Mr Moxey said.