Winery fined for stealing 146 Olympic pools worth of water from pipeline in NSW

A vineyard had been hit with a report high quality after stealing water from a significant irrigation pipeline in the course of a drought.

The corporate was discovered to have stolen just below 365 million litres of water – sufficient to fill about 146 Olympic swimming swimming pools – with a market worth of as much as $305,000.

The water was secretly swiped from the Western Murray Irrigation pipeline and siphoned off to 2 properties close to NSW-Victoria border.

Completely different-sized pipes have been used to faucet into the primary water provide and bypass metering tools.

The unlawful pipework was buried underground and allowed unmetered water to be taken and used for irrigation on the properties.

However Western Murray Irrigation detected the set-up after anomalies appeared in routine metre readings.

Additional investigations revealed proof the pipeline had been tampered with and the matter was reported to the regulator in 2020, which launched a prosecution in 2023.

It was the primary time an organization had been taken to court docket for breaching sections of water-management regulation supposed to guard provide infrastructure and cease water being taken illegally.

In her judgment on Wednesday, NSW Land and Atmosphere Courtroom decide Sandra Duggan stated the offences fashioned “a part of a deliberate or organised felony exercise” that befell over a protracted time frame.

“I discover that the conduct was intentional, reasonably than inadvertent or negligent,” she stated.

“The infrastructure was at such a depth that earth-moving tools had for use to uncover it … this allowed the offending to go undetected for a interval.”

Jindalee Street Wines was convicted and fined $326,500, whereas Littore was convicted and fined $172,500.

The defendants have additionally agreed to pay the regulator’s prices of $95,000.

The mixed high quality for the vineyard and its former supervisor is the biggest achieved by the Pure Assets Entry Regulator (NRAR) because it was established in 2018.

NRAR investigations and enforcement director Lisa Stockley stated the court docket discovering was vital for all water customers.

“Communities throughout NSW have stated they need a good, clear and enforceable water-compliance regime in place to forestall illegal water take,” she stated.

“NRAR will take sturdy regulatory motion when required.

“Those that commit critical, substantiated and wilful acts of non-compliance will face the total drive of the regulation.”

Jindalee Street Wines has been contacted for remark.