The Queensland government has announced plans to release 145,000 megalitres of water into the Flinders River by the end of the year, with irrigators and mining companies competing for allocations.
Water Minister Glenn Butcher toured the area earlier this year looking at potential irrigation developments near Julia Creek, and Richmond.
Butcher said while all of the sites would be considered in the next round of allocations, irrigators were competing with mining companies for the water and that the two industries should not be competing for water and there should be enough for all of them to operate.