Renewed calls to “find a better way” to push water to South Australia have risen as Old Man Creek farmers say they are still suffering the effects of last spring’s floods.

Farmers were told the inundation from environmental flows would last only two-to-three days, yet 54 days later the floodwater receded. 

Former Collingullie farmer Mark Kargitta said he gave up on his land – the perfect irrigation and livestock rearing property – following repeated "mismanagement" of the Murray Darling Basin Association (MDBA).

After the floods of 2012, Mr Kargitta couldn’t face what he said were unanswered questions and lies of the government and the MDBA. 

“It’s ridiculous,” he said. “They took my water and drowned me with it.”

Since the drought broke in 2010, Mr Kargitta said he’d lost hundreds-of-thousands due to crop damage, fencing and repairs and almost lost his life in the raging waters which severely impacted his mental health.   

“We know the impacts of natural floods,” he said. “You’re watching Blowering and Burrinjuck dams and you know when it peaks everything’s safe – then you wake up and there’s another 60 to 90 millilitres of water damaging your stocks, machinery and pumps.” 

He said the devaluing of his irrigation farm had forced him to sell as “dry land”. 

Neighbouring farmer and friend David Goldman said the creek-farming community had pleaded with authorities to release the dam prior to the downpours that flooded the river as they knew it was close to capacity. 

“It was a high natural flood but when there was so much water and no air space,” he said. “It’s just criminal.”

Mr Goldman said reports that the river was dying – the reason for the environmental flows – were untrue. 

“If you look at the data from when the dam was built until now, it’s clearly not the case,” he said. “It’s hard to say they’re here to fix the environment when they’ve killed Old Man Creek.”

He said he struggled to justify the need for the plan when the stress from the speed and volume of the spills had caused erosion of the river banks and only 40 per cent of the water actually arrived past the South Australian border. 

The farmers also said the lack of answers and adequate compensation was “rotten”.

In 2016, Water NSW spokesman Tony Webber responded to an initial call for airspace in the dam. He said intentionally reducing the amount of water held in storage to manage flood risks was a bad idea and with any “prereleases” WaterNSW had to be confident water would be replaced.