Welcome to our final edition of Water News for 2020
It has been a big year. We saw welcome rain across much of the state, but bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic affected many communities. With the new year on the horizon, we would like to wish you a happy, healthy and safe holiday season.
It has also been a big year for water policy and projects, and we are still working on some key areas. We note the recommendations of the recent Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) report and are pleased to report that we are well-advanced on addressing many of the findings. And we are committed to consulting widely on the floodplain harvesting policy.
In this edition, we have updates on the rollout of active management and metering. We are also seeking your feedback on how we share water market information, groundwater management and the Central Coast water sharing plan. Plus, we look at a prosecution by NRAR and the outcomes from the latest Ministerial Council meeting.
Statement from Jim Bentley Deputy Secretary, Water – putting the record straight
The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment reaffirms that the government’s Floodplain Harvesting Policy will be implemented by 1 July 2021, making NSW the only state to comprehensively licence and measure floodplain harvesting. Implementing the policy in the northern Murray–Darling Basin is essential to protecting the needs of the environment and downstream water users within statutory constraints.
As Deputy Secretary, Water, I am committed to leading on this critical reform. I have every confidence in our Healthy Floodplains team, headed by Dan Connor, which will continue this work in 2021 with support from across the water sector. Our work is informed by objective, transparent and peer-reviewed assessments. I am proud of the hard work that staff are undertaking to implement this difficult and pioneering policy reform that will allow floodplain harvesting in NSW within legal limits.
Stakeholders across NSW want floodplain harvesting to be strongly regulated, enforced, measured and transparently reported on. This is what the current reforms will enable. This is what the department’s staff are committed to achieving.
We have heard concerns from some stakeholders that our approach to implementation may not be consistent with the Water Management Act 2000 priorities. This is not the case. The assessments I’ve referred to above have been undertaken to ensure that implementation of the policy and floodplain harvesting licensing will be consistent with the Act.
To provide greater clarity on this issue, I will be chairing a public webinar in February 2021 that will specifically address these concerns as they relate to floodplain harvesting. Details about the webinar will be available in mid-January 2021.
Some stakeholders feel that we are not consulting widely enough. We have rolled out a comprehensive communications campaigns across print, radio and social media, as well as through email to our registered interest groups and individuals, to ensure that everyone is informed, and anyone can have their say.
For more information on the important reforms in floodplain harvesting licensing, visit our website.
Drought update
Rural water storage levels have largely increased across the state. Storage levels in the Central West and South West regions have increased significantly, and storages in the North West and Far West remain at relatively low levels. General security allocations are now available in all the regulated valleys except the Peel and the Belubula.
All the regulated river valleys are now in Stage 2 (recovering) or Stage 1 (normal operations) under the department’s drought stages. For the latest map showing the drought stages and information on the valleys, please visit our Drought update webpage.
Hypoxic blackwater: water quality impacts native fish
Dissolved oxygen levels in the lower Lachlan around Booligal have dipped at times to below 3 mg/L, which is a risk to some native fish. Water releases for the environment in December should improve these dissolved oxygen levels in the lower Lachlan. We are also looking at using the water quality allowance from late December or early January to improve flow and dissolved oxygen levels over the summer months.
New non-urban metering rules take effect from 1 December 2020 for licence and approval holders of surface water pumps 500 mm or larger.
The new rules will see hundreds of landholders connected to modern telemetry systems for the first time. The technology will improve user functionality and provide more accurate information. The new metering rules will also create regional job opportunities for certified meter installers and manufacturers.
The Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) expects water users to show they have taken reasonable steps to comply by the deadline. NRAR has published its compliance approach to the metering regulations. This includes what NRAR expects from water users and how it will enforce the metering rules, including when people cannot comply for reasons outside their control.
Watch the video to learn how to prepare for the new metering rules.
Need help? If you were recently notified about your new metering conditions, you can call WaterNSW on 1300 662 077 with your questions. You will need to have the work approval number from your Statement of Approval ready.
Update on Murray–Darling Basin Ministerial Council
The Hon Melinda Pavey, Minister for Water, Property and Housing, represented NSW at the Murray–Darling Basin Ministerial Council online meeting on 27 November.
Ministers discussed the management of the basin and noted the welcome improvement in storage levels across it since last year. Ministers received updates on the progress of the Murray–Darling Basin water markets inquiry, the outcomes of environmental watering activities, and work on understanding and managing the risk of delivery shortfall in the River Murray.
The Ministerial Council also discussed the challenges of delivering sustainable diversion limit adjustment mechanism (SDLAM) projects by the legislated time frame of 30 June 2024.
Minister Pavey argued that the 2024 time frame should be more flexible, as there is a high risk that some projects will not be completed on time. Although the Ministerial Council could not reach an agreement on adjusting the time frame or a future date to reconsider, all ministers agreed that the SDLAM projects will provide river health outcomes without reducing water entitlements to farmers.
Active management conditions in the Gwydir and Macquarie Bogan Unregulated Rivers
We have sent licence holders in the new active management areas letters formally notifying them of active management conditions that apply to their licences from 1 December 2020.
Active management protects environmental water in the river system by changing when and how much licence holders can pump. Active management also clarifies how flows are managed and when licence holders can and cannot access water. This will reduce the need for temporary water restrictions to protect environmental flows.
WaterNSW will announce when pumping is prohibited or when daily volumetric limits apply. Licence holders must monitor these announcements from WaterNSW. In some areas, licence holders must also submit an expression of interest to take or protect water.
In the Gwydir, active management will apply in all management zones in the Gingham Watercourse water source, and in the Mallowa Creek management zone in the Mehi River water source.
In the Macquarie Bogan, active management will apply in the Lower Macquarie upstream, Lower Macquarie downstream, Lower Marthaguy Creek and Gum Cowal management zones.
Central Coast water sharing plan open for feedback
The draft replacement plan for the Central Coast Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources is on public exhibition from 30 November 2020 to 31 January 2021. The NSW Government is consulting on the proposed rules for the management and operation of water licences under the new water sharing plan.
Webinars were held on 3 December and 8 December 2020. You can view a recording of the webinar on our website.
We invite Central Coast water users and the community to submit feedback on the draft plan until 31 January 2021.
NSW accepts nine recommendations from the review of the Northern Basin first flush event
In December, the NSW Government agreed, or agreed in principle, with nine of the ten recommendations from the independent panel that reviewed the management of the 2020 northern Murray–Darling Basin first-flush event. Many of the panel’s recommendations closely align with or are already happening on existing projects.
The panel released its final report in September. The report found that although there were positive outcomes from the event for the environment and community, NSW could improve its management of first-flush events. The panel recommended improving communication of water restrictions, decision-making processes and the preparedness of water managing agencies.
Indigenous compliance officers join NRAR in latest recruitment blitz
The Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) has begun prosecution against a Hawkesbury market garden and a person connected to the market garden company.
NRAR alleges that the company committed 12 offences against the Water Management Act 2000 (WM Act) from October 2018 to August 2019. The water regulator also alleges that a person connected to the market garden personally committed two offences in breach of the WM Act from July to August 2019.
The market garden and the associated person both face a maximum fine of $22,000 for each offence. Read the full media release.
Last month, the Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) kicked off its routine monitoring program, with 28 new field officers deployed in Dubbo, Tamworth and Deniliquin.
The new recruits reflect the diversity of our communities, with a quarter identifying as Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander and a fifth over the age of 50.
Kelsie, a field officer and an Indigenous woman from Wiradjuri land, says protecting the ‘precious resource’ of water is personal. ‘I feel like so many people on this Earth just take, so I want to give back and try to help out as much as I can with my community and resources,’ she says.
Have your say: what information should we share about water ownership and water trading?
The NSW Government is working with communities to improve access to water market information. Greater transparency will mean water users can be confident that markets are operating effectively and according to water sharing rules.
In 2018, we asked for input on transparency in water trading. In response, we developed water market information tools, including dashboards and the WaterInsights Portal.
We are now seeking feedback on our water market information tools to understand how we can make the tools better and easier to use.
To provide feedback, complete our survey or submit written feedback by 5 pm on 1 February 2021. You can also participate in a webinar. For more information, visit our website.
Strategic planning for town water
For the first time, the NSW Government is co-funding integrated water cycle management strategies for councils and local water utilities under the Safe and Secure Water Program.
A 30-year integrated water cycle management strategy is essential for affordable, cost-effective urban water services that meet community needs and protect the environment. NSW has committed more than $3.8 million to deliver strategies for 20 councils and local water utilities. The government encourages remaining councils to get onboard.
Regional councils and local water utilities without a current integrated water cycle management strategy are eligible to apply for funding. The Safe and Secure Water Program team can help those wishing to take advantage of this important opportunity.
You can contact the Safe and Secure Water Program team on 1300 176 011 or at sswp@dpie.nsw.gov.au.
If average groundwater extractions exceed the extraction limits in water sharing plans, we may need to reduce average extraction to the limits. We are seeking comment on how to reduce average extraction from licence holders in the following sources:
Great Artesian Basin Eastern Recharge
Lower Murrumbidgee Deep
Upper Macquarie
Lower Lachlan
Upper Namoi Zone 3 and Zone 5
Upper Murray.
To reduce average extraction back to the extraction limits, we may do one or both of the following:
reduce the amount of water going into accounts
reduce the amount licence holders can take or trade from accounts.
We are seeking comment from licence holders in these areas on the method that will best suit their water source. Check our website for more information.
We will also hold COVID-safe local information sessions in early February 2021. To attend a session, you must register. You can also email us or call (02) 9338 6600 for more information.
Market engagement policy for metering and telemetry
Under the NSW non-urban metering and floodplain harvesting measurement rules, water users will transmit their water take information to government with telemetry, using local intelligence devices. NSW’s data-acquisition system, the Eagle.io cloud platform, will capture data from the local intelligence devices.
The department encourages telemetry manufacturers and service providers to develop local intelligence devices and other telemetry goods and services that are compatible with this telemetry system. We also recognise that many diligent water users have already installed on-farm or third-party telemetry systems to help them monitor and manage their water use.
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