Under current legislation, the NSW State Government retains control over water held in the Menindee Lakes, until such time as reserves rise above 640 gigalitres, at which point it comes under the jurisdiction of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission, which would dearly love to be able to access water from the lakes to increase environmental flows.

The stupidity of the this arrangement is that NSW water authorities are apparently permitted to extract water and transfer it to other storages as and when reserves in the lakes approach the 640 gigalitre level. 

Following the average to well above average rainfall in the upper Darling catchment over the last nine months, the small amount of run-off that evaded diversion into the vast private storages of the usual suspects,  flowed down the Darling and, as of January, into the Menindee Lakes.

The cynical attitude of the NSW Government to the current water crisis is evident on examination of recent data released by the Commission:

We will spare you the need to do the maths: 640 gigalitres corresponds to 38% capacity . . . .

Fair Water Use condemns the NSW Government for its small-mindedness in the face of this national crisis.

Get out of the gutter Mr Iemma: your country needs you.