Hundreds of illegal dams have been built or enlarged in the Adelaide Hills in the past 10 years.
Around 400 new dams were built in the mountain lofty areas and around 300 enlarged significantly without permission.
Despite a moratorium to build new dams in the areas, this has happened since 2013.
Michael Garrod, General Manager of Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board, said that the organization is aware of some illegal dams, but was surprised by the selection of the problem.
“Many of the catchment areas in the mountain runs were already allocated and under stress, so that these new dams that were built without authorization refuse the water to reach the legitimate dam owners,” said Garrod.
“The capture of water in an illegal tribe corresponds to water theft.“
There are 22,000 legitimate dams in Mount Lofty Ranges.
Mr. Garrod said, although the drought in the Adelaide Hills has exercised water on the water, there had been no special increase in illegal dams in the past two years.
A single dam in a dry paddock in the mount is enough in 2021. ((Delivery: landscapes hills and fleurieu)))
The landscape authority has worked with landowners to either reduce the total volume of the water volume recorded on a property to the amount before the illegal dam was built, or demands that they remove it.
Mr. Garrod said with drier and more variable conditions, fair and responsible water management is more important than ever.
This photo shows several dams on the same property of the Mount Lofty Ranges in 2022. ((Delivery: landscapes hills and fleurieu)))
“We have to find new and better opportunities to store and use water, build more dams and lose more against evaporation is just a recipe for less water for everyone,” he said.
In view of the need that landowners are resistant to the changing climate, Mr. Garrod said that it could be an option to use groundwater.
“Our groundwater resources are much better than our resources of the surface water, so it would be a logical change,” he said.
Kangaroo Island Dams also in the spotlight
Kangaroo Island (AI) was the other hotspot with about 350 non -authorized insulation, which were also found after changes to the dam building were made in 2017 when the current water plan came into force.
The chairman of Agki, Peter Cooper, said the organization was aware of the problem.
Before 2017, Mr. Cooper said that the dams on kangaroo island, which kept less than 5 megalitres, did not require permission, so that some people had built dams that did not notice that the rule had changed.
“So in this process it was about training how the regulations work and what has to happen in the future,” said Cooper.
The dams dried over the mountain lofty areas at the beginning of this year. ((ABC South East Sa: Caroline Horn)))
In view of the groundwater, Mr. Cooper said that dams for primary production on the island were of crucial importance.
“The farmers want profits to improve the water infrastructure and the ability to be more resistant in the coming years.
he said.
The Kangaroo Island Landscape Board wrote to landowners who built dams that were not authorized but would have been if they had applied for approval to explain what they should have done.
However, the 10 landowners who had not been approved have not yet been contacted.
“We (Agki) asked for this to be delayed until we open the season to reduce the stress that farmers we had to have on the season,” Mr. Cooper.
Jo Sullivan, manager for sustainable landscapes, said the landscape board never intended to start compliance work until the season was broken.
She said the main motivation for work was to improve the understanding of the rules.
“We really encourage the community to contact ourselves if you have any questions or concerns about building insenses or water availability,” said Sullivan.
Compliance officer continues to check dams and an automated change of change is developed so that the landscape board members can identify new and enlarged dams more easily than in the past.