Pubdate: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) Contact: http://www.smh.com.au/ Author: Matthew Russell, Local Government Writer CANNABIS COWBOYS LEAVE TOWNS HIGH AND DRY A gang of cannabis growers is believed to be responsible for leaving a large area of south-western NSW exposed to bushfire damage as summer approaches, by stealing vital water regulation equipment across nine shires and using it to irrigate marijuana crops. Several 15-metre steel radio towers, large television towers, radios and assorted electronic equipment have been spirited off during the night from remote roads over the past two years. The gang appears to be well-drilled, selecting its targets precisely and operating with military precision. Some of the large towers - which have taken a dozen men a full day to install, using a truck and a crane - have been dismantled in the middle of the night and taken away by dawn, without a trace. There have been no witnesses to the thefts, and the cost of replacing the equipment is running as high as $100,000 in some cases. The organised gang has swept through rural shires covering 22,000 square kilometres, selectively stealing equipment which can be used to operate water pumps by an electronic signal from hundreds of kilometres away. Undeterred by security, the thieves have used cutting torches to rip through steel doors to steal some equipment. The general manager of the Goldenfields Water County Council, Mr Paul Ballard, said local police believe the equipment is being stolen for the express purpose of regulating the irrigation of remote marijuana crops. Mr Ballard said that if the pumps are switched off when the equipment is stolen, firefighters are left without water if a bushfire threatens homes in the area. If the equipment is stolen while pumps are still switched on, water levels can drop dramatically because the pumps cannot be turned off until new equipment is installed. This has caused serious problems for small townships, leaving them stranded without water for days or under the imposition of water restrictions. Goldenfields Water County Council covers Bland, Coolamon, Cootamundra, Harden, Junee, Narrandera, Temora and Young shire councils, and is considering posting a reward for information about the thieves. Neighbouring Parkes shire has also been plundered and concern is rising as summer approaches. "It could really wreck us in the middle of the summer because the demands are so much heavier on the water supply," said Mr Robert Parsons, water supply supervisor with Parkes Shire Council. - --- Checked-by: Patrick Henry