Pumping water from the river or piping it from the Roxburgh dam were two options discussed.
Ettrick farmer Harry Brenssell suggesting piping the water down from the dam to Ettrick.
Roxburgh could access the pipeline along the way and another farmer suggested taking it all the way to Millers Flat.
Mr Brenssell said a group had been formed to look at irrigation and it had achieved 100% agreement already that irrigation of the whole valley was a good idea.
Almost 30 farmers and other water users gathered at the Ettrick Hall to hear the latest update from the council on how the review of its water plan was proceeding.
Sourcing water supplies and securing them for the future was one of the main topics discussed in the forum held after initial outlines presented by council staff.
The cost of metering was another hot topic and some farmers questioned the council's reasoning in increasing the charges for reporting, which are rising from $22.50 to $40, as it only required the council receive a letter and open it to retrieve the data.
Cr Gerry Eckhoff chaired the meeting and told farmers if they wanted things to change they should put their case to the councillors at their next public forum before the council meeting.
"You'll get a 10 to 15 minute slot to make these points and you need to convince council that the policy is right or the policy is wrong.
"Go to Dunedin. Get a carload and tell the full council what your concerns are," he said.
A couple of farmers believed metering had a positive aspect as it prevented neighbours from challenging the amount of water that was being taken.
Ensuring water takes from one area would not prevent the replenishing of aquifers further down stream was another topic of interest.
Outside industries were seen as future threats as they could come in and take water to other areas and farmers did not want that to happen.
Cr Eckhoff chaired the meeting and he told farmers it was up to them how the future of water was developed.
"It's not the council that will drive it - it will be up to you guys," he said.
Farmers were told there would be a change in the way consents were looked at and they would be required to furnish more information, such as what alternative sources of water were available in the immediate area, and what the water would be used for.
"We are looking at water as a total resource and looking to allocate it as a whole," ORC policy manager Dale Meredith said.
