Areas of the Central Murray Irrigation districts are going to be faced with a decline in the amount of irrigation water available, due to water buy backs associated with the Murray Darling Basin Plan. Murray Irrigation Ltd (MIL) already has a channel retirement program in place and irrigators are selling water and shifting to annual purchasing of water when conditions allow.
At the completion of MDBA initiated Water Community workshops held in May to August 2016, community leaders identified the need to form a community organisation to address the impact of Basin Plan water policy changes to the region. The Wakool Edward Strong Communities Initiative (WESCI) was formed to leverage positive attributes of the region and create a strong and prosperous future by exploring options that may have a transformative impact.