Turning off the tap - NSW farmers feeling the pain as cuts hit home

THEY are the regional NSW towns under threat and at the heart of the latest political war over the bid to save the Murray Darling Basin. 
 
Farming communities such as Griffith and Deniliquin in the Murrumbidgee Valley in the state's south are expected to shoulder the burden of water savings under the federal government's long-awaited new blueprint.

The release of the Murray Darling Basin Authority's draft plan yesterday triggered a fresh water war, with claims the report did not go far enough to save the river system; and that it went too far and would cripple farmers and force up food prices.

The plan outlined an annual water savings target of 2750 gigalitres by 2019 - down from the 3000 to 4000 gigalitre range originally flagged - but could be substantially reduced if the states can find extra water savings.   Read Full