CSIRO cottons on to water damage

ORGANIC wheat farmer Bryce Woods has watched in despair as the wetlands that once flourished on his property in northern NSW have been reduced to a barren landscape, dotted with dead trees and almost devoid of bird life.

The water from the Gwydir River that should be getting to his property, and flooding his wetlands, has failed to eventuate for the past four years.

But the drought is only part of the story. The other part can be told through the figures in a report released yesterday, showing that more than 40 per cent of water is removed from the river for use in agricultural irrigation, mainly by the cotton industry.

The reduction in the Gwydir's flow is potentially disastrous for environmentally significant wetlands, the CSIRO report says.

Mr Woods has lived for most of his 31 years on the Gwydir, and said it had been "shockingly" over-allocated for as long as he could remember.

"It's a free-for-all," he said.

He said the consequences of the over-allocation had been devastating for farmers, for the environment and for the community.

"Out here, water is money," he said. "But the natural water course has been diverted for decades now, and it is of benefit to a small few, rather than the farming community in general."