In late January and early February, the heavy rainfall and resulting high river flows took place along the NSW coast, and towards the north of the state. There was also some good, localised runoff in the upper and lower Namoi Valley and parts of the lower Gwydir.
Forecasts show that flows in the lower northern valleys are likely to extend river flows along the full length of the Barwon–Darling River to the Menindee Lakes by mid to late March. This is great news, as catchments inflows have been minimal, resulting in no major inflows entering the Menindee Lakes since 2016.
Inflows to regulated river storages higher up in the northern inland catchments have been disappointingly small, meaning that the storages remain at low levels and most of the northern inland valleys remain in critical drought.
Most water extraction, including floodplain harvesting, in the northern NSW basin was restricted by the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment from 17 January to 28 February to keep the rainfall-runoff water for town water supplies, domestic and stock needs, high security licences, and to restart the river systems as far downstream as possible. Some limited water take was permitted for licence holders where critical needs had been met and this was unlikely to significantly affect downstream flows.
We've produced fact sheets outlining the reasoning for imposing or easing these temporary restrictions in the Northern Basin.
Expressions of interest open for the Cap and Pipe the Bores program
The NSW and Australian governments have committed more funding to the Cap and Pipe the Bores program for the Great Artesian Basin. Expressions of interest (EOI) forms are now available via the program’s webpage. Submissions will be accepted until 27 March 2020.
In place since 1999, the program helps to improve water savings in the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) by partnering with landholders to replace failing artesian bores and bore drains with more efficient water supply systems. The program is part of the Great Artesian Basin Sustainability Initiative.
The GAB is one of the largest underground freshwater resources in the world. It lies below 22% of Australia and more than 8,000 bores in NSW tap the basin. Water pressure across the basin has declined since it was first tapped because of overuse and uncontrolled flowing bores. In recent years, as a result of the Cap and Pipe the Bores program, water pressure has increased up to 10 metres in some areas and 78,500 ML of water is saved every year.
The NSW Government is also running a GAB Bore Survey Project. The survey gathers information on bores across the state that access the GAB. Over 660 bores have been visited since the project began in 2018. The information gathered by the project helps to assess pressure recovery and plan future water management strategies. It will also inform the renewal of the water sharing plan for the basin.
The village of Bribbaree, west of Young, connected to a new water source in mid-January 2020, thanks to the local community and government working together.
The water supply was made possible by the construction of a pipeline from an existing bore eight kilometres west of the village to a new 250-kilolitre storage tank in town. A pump maintains constant pressure in the distribution network and a separate 250-kilolitre storage tank next to the bore uses a solar-powered transfer pump.
The village’s 130 residents used to get their non-potable water from a ring tank topped up with water from a roadside collection point. The water quality was poor and the source often failed, requiring water subsidised by the government to be carted in.
The $127,000 project, funded by the NSW Government as an emergency water supply measure, delivers long-term cost savings and has had a positive effect on the community’s future.
The Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) is reminding water users to make sure they know the rules that apply to them.
Every licence and approval has terms and conditions designed to help protect other users and the environment, that need to be followed every time water is taken.
Common licence and approval conditions include requirements to:
use a meter
record water-take in a logbook
stop pumping when flows fall below a certain level
place a water order with WaterNSW in regulated rivers.
Rules also set out when water can be taken, how much, and what the water can be used for.
It’s your responsibility to be sure you are operating within your licence and approval conditions, and to check that no restrictions are in place before you start pumping.
Holders of water access licences and approvals for pumps and other water supply works can review their conditions and share components online at the NSW Water Register or by calling WaterNSW on 1300 662 077.
Share your savings
What are your favourite ways to save water? Whether it’s catching extra water in the kitchen sink to use on the garden or using a cup of water for rinsing your toothbrush, we want to hear your favourite ways to save.
Public exhibitions and information sessions in March
Public exhibitions
The draft replacement water sharing plans for the Bellinger River Area Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources, and the NSW Great Artesian Basin are now on public exhibition.
Visit our website for more details, or attend one of the information sessions to learn more about:
the individual draft replacement water sharing plan
proposed changes
how to make a submission.
Drought information sessions
The department will also run drought information sessions in Casino and Bellingen. These sessions will include information on water availability, the drought outlook and proposed measures to help manage our river systems.
The Minister for Water, Property and Housing, Melinda Pavey, recently announced that water resource plans for eight surface water areas will be taken back to stakeholder advisory panels for comment prior to submitting to the Commonwealth for accreditation. These consultations will include:
Murray Lower Darling – Deniliquin
Murrumbidgee - Griffith
Barwon Darling – Bourke
Namoi – Narrabri
Namoi – Tamworth
Gwydir - Moree
Border Rivers – Goondiwindi
Lachlan - Parkes
Macquarie – Dubbo
More information will be available on our website in the coming weeks.
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