| Macquarie Valley Cotton
Grower's Association Weather Station Contacts:
Information available on rainfall, temperature, humidity, wind speed and wind
direction. Warren Airport: 02 6847 3580
Trangie Airport: 02 6888 7684
Narromine Airport: 02 6889 5020
Kiameron (Warren): 02 6833 5472
Bushman's
Run (Nevertire): 0407 268 566
Kaaribu (Narromine): 02 6889 8301 Agricultural
statistics: 30% of the Macquarie Valley's value of agricultural production
comes from irrigation of 1% of the total land.
Less than 5% of the Australian
workforce is employed in agriculture - this 5% must produce food and fibre for
around 55 million people
Irrigated agriculture contributes $264million to
output, about $105million to value adding and employs almost 6000 people in the
Macquarie Valley
8 megalitres per hectare is used to grow the average cotton
crop
1 megalitre of water= 1 million litresof water
Burrendong
Dam and Macquarie River Facts: The Macquarie River Valley covers
an area of 73,000 square kilometres
Average annual rainfall in the valley
is 400mm. In the north west, rainfall is only 350mm.
Main tributaries are
the Turon and Cudgegong (above Burrendong Dam), the Bell, Little and Talbragar
Rivers (below Burrendong Dam)
Warren Weir was constructed in 1896, Gin Gin
Weir in 1896 and Dubbo Weir in 1929
The Albert Priest Canal was built in 1941
and this supplies the towns of Nyngan and Cobar. The Canal extends from the Gunningbar
Creek (near Warren) for 60 kms and a further 140 kms from Nyngan to Cobar. Nyngan
to Cobar is a pipe line
Burrendong Dam was completed in 1967; Marebone Weir
was built in 1975; Windamere Dam was completed in 1984
The Macquarie Marshes
were discovered by John Oxley in1818. They were declared a sanctuary in 1955,
National Park covers 18150 ha
The Macquarie River has always been a small
tributary of the Murray Darling Basin contributing less than 5% inflow of the
Darling
Due to high rainfall plus increased run off from land clearing in
the catchment, the average flow of the Macquarie has increased by 89% this century.
5% of rainfall in the Burrendong catchment area is captured as runoff, into the
Dam the remaining 95% is used in dryland agriculture, forests or nature reserves,
evaporation, groundwater recharge etc
There have been no new irrigation licences
issued since 1979 on regulated streams in the Macquarie Valley and since 1985
in the regulated section of the Cudgegong River Water
is allocated on a priority basis down the Macquarie River: Towns
Stock
and Domestic Water supplies
Maintaining water flow in the river system
Wetlands
Irrigation 
Macquarie
Valley Basin Catchment Information supplied by Kaye Martin, secretary, Macquarie
Valley Cotton Growers Association | 
