A Moree irrigator has been fined more than $350,000 after an investigation by the Natural Resources Access Regulator found the farmer built a dam without approval and knowingly pumped almost double their water allocation for years.
The company, Henry Payson Pty Ltd, operates 1,500 hectares of land at Binneguy Station, east of Moree on the Gwydir River, which includes 152 hectares of irrigated cotton.
