In recent years community interest in the development of the irrigation industry throughout Australia has increased significantly. furlong these industries it has been the cotton industry that has been most notable in its water infrastructure and management systems development. This has happened during a period in which governments, particularly the Federal Government, have retreated from infrastructure development. So we in the cotton industry, as well as those in other irrigation industries, have picked up the ball and undertaken massive private investment in water infrastructure development. Naturally the private investor has been most keen to invest in schemes that are not subject to government controls and legislation. As a result, we have seen particularly in Queensland in recent years, a dramatic increase in the numbers of on-farm storages built to harvest unregulated overland flow. Now in 1998 community scrutiny of privately developed water infrastructure is higher than ever before and the development of appropriate regulation measures, if any at all, has become a major challenge for every State government.