Water is at the heart of any number of environmental battles across Australia and can both unite and divide communities.
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Last week Glen Innes Severn Council approved an intensive development in the water catchment for Beardy Waters, Glen Innes township's water supply.
This development, only a few kilometres out of town, is for a 1000 head feedlot in a small space on top of a hill that runs down to a creek, just over 100m away, flowing into the Beardy Waters.
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Saying that the treatment plant can cope with it ignores the extra strain and potential increased cost.
This development was only possible because, over the last 10 years, council has not reviewed and updated its Local Environment Plan (LEP).
The "right to farm" mantra is often trotted out to try to silence opponents of inappropriate farming practices, as if farmers can do no wrong.
Any presumed "right to farm" is restricted by many laws relating to chemicals, vegetation management, transport and so on.
To dismiss the voices of residents at Stonehenge because they "chose to live in a rural zone" is unreasonable and wrong. They live in an approved development and their views, needs and rights are as worthy of consideration as those of anyone else.
Only after it was drawn to council's attention last year, did it review its Integrated Water Cycle Management Strategy ... even though it was scheduled for review in 2014!
It's more than sad when a council can't even ensure that plans and policies are reviewed in an appropriate timeframe.
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Successive councils have left Glen Innes township high and dry.
Even after the worst drought on record, and multiple climate change related natural disasters, we can still not have confidence that the council is looking after our town's water supply.
Other councils have had to respond to proposed intensive developments in water catchments because it's not just about feedlots.
One approach is to include a chapter on water in the LEP which, among other things, prohibits intensive developments in the water catchment.
Another is to develop a policy on development in the mapped water catchment areas and reference that policy within the LEP.
Both of these approaches would allow council to prohibit any intensive development in the water catchment.
The right of a town of 5000 - 6000 people to clean water far outweighs one family's wish to do what they like on their farm.
