This means Carnarvon irrigators in Sub Area A can access unlimited groundwater from the riverbed sands aquifer throughout June 2021 without this affecting their annual water entitlement.
“The river level at Nine Mile Bridge gauging station is currently at 4.4m and is not
expected to get much higher,” Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) Mid West Gascoyne regional manager Fleur Coaker said.
“This is the fourth significant river flow this year so the aquifer has been well recharged, which means we can provide the horticultural industry with another opportunity to access additional water for irrigation”.
“We encourage growers to take advantage of the unrestricted pumping period, where they can take water from the riverbed sands aquifer.”
Ms Coaker said the department would closely monitor the catchment and river levels and continue to provide updates. A decision on whether unrestricted pumping can continue beyond June 2021 will be made at the end of the month and depend on water quality and river levels.
Unrestricted pumping was most recently in place from February to March 2021.
For further information, contact DWER’s regional office in Carnarvon on 08 9941 6100.
