While NSW Farmers has welcomed the State Government's announcement of a commitment to fast track the upgrade of Wyangala Dam, the chair of the Upper Lachlan branch of NSW Farmers would prefer to have seen a big picture vision rather than what she calls a "short-term solution".
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The dam upgrade will draw from a promised $245 million, which will also go towards building two other dams in the north of the state.
Dr Robyn Alders, a merino sheep producer as well as a veterinary scientist, believes that a better investment would be in helping farmers manage their land.
"Ensuring there is water is good for the area, but any time you build a dam, its useful life is impacted by the silt that flows into it," said Dr Alders.
"If you can't control the silt, the life of dam is reduced."
Dr Alders said that farmers in the Upper Lachlan need support to manage their land so that siltation doesn't make the dam look like an expensive and short-sighted waste of money.
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"They're putting all this money into raising the level of the dam wall, but instead catchment area farmers should be helped to reduce their soil loss, so that there is less run off and siltation," she said.
"Community consultation shouldn't just be about those impacted by rising water levels - it should be about how we manage the land in the area."
She said this was just one of several initiatives that rely on farmers being able to manage their land well, something that may not be possible due to financial or time pressure, or lack of appropriate resources and training.
"Prevention is much cheaper than the cure in the end," she said.
"To ensure food and fibre continues to be produced, we have to be smart."
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