A Federal Government program to cap bores has been scrapped, and farmers say millions of litres of water are now being wasted every day.
The Great Artesian Basin Sustainability Initiative (GABSI) has so far repaired around 650 bores - many sunk about 100 years ago - since being introduced by the Howard government.
Until now the project has been helping farmers utilise underground water sourced from the Great Artesian Basin to sustain their families and livestock.
But hundreds of bores remain uncapped, allowing water to seep into open drains, with estimates about 98 per cent is being lost to evaporation and seepage.
Queensland farmer Peter Lucas says he is angry and disappointed over the program's scrapping and is calling on the Federal Government to finish the job.
Mr Lucas, who owns Cliffdale, located about halfway between Cunnamulla and Charleville in Queensland's south-west, warns the decision not to cap remaining bores is wasting millions of litres of water every day.
"They reckon about 98 per cent of all the water that runs into those drains - at the rate of up to 4 million litres a day - is lost to evaporation and seepage," he said.
"[The bores] are one of the best things that's happened out here - a real godsend.
"Artesian water opened up this country completely. Prior to these bores, the only waterholes were the main rivers and most of them were 100 kilometres or more apart.
"The bores and the drains that carried water out across properties enabled sheep and cattle to be introduced to the rangelands and, as a result, helped develop inland towns like Charleville and Cunnamulla."
Bore drains inefficient, need 'constant maintenance'
Mr Lucas says while the bore drains are effective in providing stock with water, they are not efficient.
"The drains need constant maintenance and they become a haven for weeds and feral animals," he said.
Mr Lucas's property has two bores. The first was sunk into the Great Artesian Basin by the property's original owner and founder of the Cobb and Co coach company, William Franklin Whitney.
One was repaired in 1999 when GABSI was introduced. But plans to fix the second have been scuttled since the Government pulled the plug on its share of the program's funding - about $5 million a year.
It follows the previous Labor government signalling its intention to wind up the scheme.
Drilling teams and support staff have already been redeployed since the program ended on June 30.
"Most of us just presumed it would be rolled over and continued on until all the free-flowing bores were repaired and reticulated," Mr Lucas said.
"I just don't understand why all of sudden it's dead in the water."
Under GABSI, it is estimated it costs around $1,600 to save one megalitre of water, compared with about $2,500 a megalitre under the the Murray-Darling Basin buyback scheme.
Charles Burke, chief executive of Queensland rural lobby group AgForce, says the scheme has delivered spectacular results in terms of water savings, environmental improvements and on-farm productivity.
"This has been a very successful three-way partnership between the Commonwealth, three state governments and individual landholders," Mr Burke said.
"Without Canberra's support and horsepower behind it, this program is at risk of lapsing indefinitely."
Calls for Federal Government to continue funding for scheme
Queensland's Natural Resources Minister Andrew Cripps is hoping the Federal Government will have a change of heart.
"Unfortunately the program can't survive just on State Government and landholder contributions," Mr Cripps said.
"We can't get the critical mass of funding and technical expertise into the program unless we have that Commonwealth Government support and that's why we have been lobbying very hard with successive Federal Environment ministers to re-commit to GABSI.
"Unfortunately the reality is that the people that made GABSI tick - particularly those on temporary and contract positions - have moved on to new assignments.
"We haven't completely ruled out the possibility that the Abbott government will have a change of heart, but for now there's no money to go on."
Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt says the previous Labor government gave GABSI a limited lifespan, terminating at the end of last financial year.
"This has long been the case that we have never promised to add to a program which the previous government had intended to finish," Mr Hunt said.
Mr Lucas is urging the Government to reconsider.
"I mean its like putting a new road into Birdsville and only going halfway and then saying 'that's far enough'," he said.
"Road to nowhere basically."