MDBP: Mick Keelty to visit region in January

Inspector-general Mick Keelty will on Monday call for input from southern basin communities to help guide the inquiry into the management of Murray Darling Basin water resources.

Mr Keelty was granted limited powers of inquiry at last Tuesday's ministerial committee of state and federal water ministers.

Mr Keelty will hold town hall meetings from January 13 in Mildura, Shepparton, Griffith, Deniliquin, Langhorne Creek, Renmark and Echuca, but exact dates are yet to be confirmed.

Southern Riverina Irrigators chair Chris Brooks said it was disappointing Mr Keelty was not given the full powers of investigation sought by the group.

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"It was a wasted opportunity because we really did have good support from (Water Resources Minister David) Littleproud after our Convoy to Canberra," he told supporters after the meeting.

"The states were suppose to give him the powers to complete that investigation and clarify our claims that there has been too much water taken from this region, over and above 2750Gl.

"He didn't get the full set of powers but he did get sufficient powers."

Mr Littleproud's office said the inquiry would look at the impact of changing distribution of inflows to the southern basin on state shares under the basin plan.

It will also look at any consequential impacts on state water shares resulting from reserves required under the basin agreement.

On Tuesday, Mr Keelty said it was difficult for people to understand the complexities of water sharing arrangements.

"People don't understand why, for example, general license holder have had no water allocations for the last two years," he said.

"And I think the role of an inquiry is to actually simplify that and to take the politics out of it, and just report very factually on what the situation really is."

Input can be made at www.igmdb.gov.au/inquiry.