Damming of The Fitzroy
The Fitzroy River was diverted in the 1950s as part of the failed Camballin Irrigation Scheme to store the water to irrigate crops of cotton, sorghum and other feed crops.
This part of the river covers an area of 12ha when full.
There have been other proposals over time to dam the river at Dimond Gorge.
In April 2007, the then state opposition leader Colin Barnett announced plans to dam the river, should he become elected, in order to provide a water source for a new irrigation venture to replace the Murray-Darling Basin which has experienced significant water shortages as a result of the drought. His 20 year plan also included piping the water further south as an additional source for the Perth Integrated Water Supply Scheme. However, these ventures were not pursued when in government.
Read more about this topic: Fitzroy River (Western Australia)