GREAT RESERVOIR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21792, 5 May 1934, Page 11

GREAT RESERVOIR

AUSTRALIAN SCHEME FUTURE IRRIGATION SAFEGUARD FROM DROUGHTS WORK NEARING COMPLETION By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received May 4, 7.35 p.m.) SYDNEY. May 1 The immense Hume clam near the border of Now South Wales and Victoria will be completed at the end of next month. It will have a capacity of 1.250,000 acre-feet when full. Victoria will bo entitled to use half the water impounded fox-irrigation, and at least 1,000,000 acres of land on the New South Wales side will be irrigated. The Riverina and Victorian pastoral and wheat areas will be safeguarded against droughts. Upwards of 15 years have been occupied in the construction of the works, the total cost of which is £5,500,000. The Hume, or Mitta Mitta, dam is part of an extensive scheme providing for conservation on the Upper Murray and locking tho river below Echuea. The funds were provided by the Commonwealth Government in association with the Governments of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Wlien the Victorian Government, during the 'eighties, adopted a progressive irrigation policy. South Australia feared that the proposals would affect navigation in the Murray, and in ISB7 appointed a commission to investigate the subject. This was merged later into an inter-State commission, and negotiations were begun between New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia (and later the Commonwealth) for tho conservation amd distribution of the waters of the Murray and its tributaries.

An agreement reached in 1914 was embodied in a River Murray Waters Act, which was passed by the several legislatures and came into force on January 31, 1917. This Act provided for the construction of the works by the Stato authorities under the control of the River Murray Commission, which includes representatives of each State and of the Commonwealth. Tjater provision was made for thp construction of (1) the Hume, or Mitta Mitta, reservoir, and 17 weirs and locks on the Murray River between Echuca and Wentworth; (2) nine weirs and locks on the Murrumbidgee River; (31 a storage scheme at Lake Victoria, and nine weirs and locks on the Murray below Wentworth. The Hume reservoir is situated at the junction of the Murray and Mitta Mitta Rivers. Originally it was designed to have a storage capacity of 1,100,000 acre-feet, but this has been increased, as stated in the cablegram.