In a significant escalation of a water divide that has plagued Riverina farmers for years, Collingullie landholders have finally dug in their heels and say imminent environmental flows have the potential to risk lives and force the river to swell up to seven metres.

“That’s a minor flood height in Wagga,” Troy Stone said. “They are making a man-made flood on my farm – and what right do they have? But the thing that really irks me is the risk to my family’s safety.”

The next environmental discharge is set to occur by the end of the season. Known as a “piggy back” flow, it doubles down on recent rain to reach downstream wetlands.

But caught in the crosshairs are properties that are designated “flood easements”.

“They’ve said ‘you beauty, we’re going to water some frogs down the back of Hay’. That’s great, but between Tumut and here they are going to screw the river and screw us,” Mr Stone said.

Farmers were supplied with figures last Thursday outlining the extent of the flow, but they accused state and federal governments of just “ticking boxes” and making the issue too complex to understand.

“They call them consultations, but I call them insult-tations,” Mark Korgitta said. “Only 10 blokes turned up. They’ve got all our emails, all our phone numbers, but they probably asked eight people to the meeting.”

The Collingullie farmers have also knuckled down on the impact of environmental flows on land values. 

Adding insult to injury, John Petterson said, was the “massive” cost to clean up after a man-induced flood. 

“You have to spend a gut load to get going again,” he said. 

NSW Office of Environment and Heritage was contacted for comment late afternoon, but a spokeswoman said she could not immediately answer Advertiser questions.