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In this section you will find detailed information, including national overviews and state and regional level assessments, from the 2000-2002 National Land and Water Resources Audit theme assessments.
Water resources - Management and Development - New South Wales
New South Wales
What are the key water resource management issues facing New South Wales?
There are a number of issues that will effect NSW's ability to achieve sustainable management of its surface and groundwater resources. The following are some of the important issues.
- As the use of water in water resource management units approach sustainable development levels, there will be increasing need for experienced personnel, information and decision tools, particularly with NSW approach to management of environmental flows. Therefore the ability to achieve effective and reliable management across NSW may be difficult to achieve if governments continue to reduce budgets.
- The development and implementation of water resource management plans for unregulated flow rivers throughout the NSW will remain a high priority for a number of years. The challenge for water managers and the community will be to resolve the contentious sharing issues and adopt plans and implementation rules that are simple and easy to implement. Because of the small number of users in unregulated valleys many with marginal economic value, the cost of managing unregulated rivers for sustainable outcomes may be beyond the ability of user to pay.
- The development and implementation of groundwater management plans for those GMUs where current use or level of entitlements are in excess of the sustainable yield will remain a high priority for a number of years. A secondary level issue is to implement groundwater management plans in other areas so that allocations will be capped when the estimated sustainable level is reached.
- NSW will focus on achieving sustainable management of surface resources by managing the access to use over the full flow regime and not by using a cap on water use as the only management tool.
- As knowledge on the links between flow and the river environment is still developing, as is the operational implementation, NSW will not lock up valley sharing rules in perpetuity. However, as sharing plans enter their second implementation phase they will operate for periods up to ten years to give users security for financial planning.
- NSW will continue to market operation to offset the limits on additional growth through infrastructure development. A key issue for effective water trading will be clarification of access and use rights and the security of those rights. The proposed provision of a register of water entitlements with details of volumes, security, third party interests and full disclosure of prices paid will assist market operation.
- The expansion of dryland salinity in the uplands of the NSW portion of the Murray-Darling basin will place increasing pressure on maintaining flows within those river valleys for dilution needs. Dealing with the problem at its source is the preferred solution.
- As the implementation of flow sharing rules are being undertaken by separate operational bodies the water resource manager will require improved performance indicators for flow and environmental outcomes. Annual operating plans will be an increasing requirement of the regulator with annual disclosure of performance as an important compliance tool. Sanctions or penalties for non-compliance are an area that needs further work.
- It is unlikely that there will be many major government funded infrastructure developments in the foreseeable future. Water needs to be freed up for sustainable development through privately funded water savings and new development schemes facilitated by transfers. The community attitude to reclaimed water needs to be improved and on farm water use efficiency needs to be accelerated.
- Community acceptance of drought as a reality rather than an abnormality also needs some attention. Users need to understand the reality of the trade-off between security, the price of water and the risk of restrictions. Annual availability of water for use on rivers is subject to climatic variability; user decisions are assisted by information on future water availability. The opportunity to use improving seasonal climate forecast methods need s to be added to the existing forecasts that are based on historical flow data.
- Water resource system models have been the main management decision tools. These tools provide information on water shares and availability to assist economic assessment. To achieve sustainable management of water resources, future decisions will need a balance between economic, social and environmental outcomes. These decisions will require economic, financial, social and environmental response models linked to water shares and availability in the water resource system models.
- Water resource system models will be increasingly used for audit purposes, requiring reliable information on water use, crop types, irrigated areas and user management decisions.
- Establishment of protocols for a consistent statewide approach for the management of groundwater use data and observation bore water levels, which addresses quality control, accessibility and timeliness.
Future Directions
Water will continue to be vital to NSW. In determining future directions it is important that water be treated as a finite, renewable resource and that there is acknowledgment that it will be scarce. The value of water will continue to increase. The following goals and responses have been identified for NSW's water sector future.
- Continual building of our knowledge base to enable sustainable management of a finite resource. This goal will be achieved through the continued development of decision support systems, investment in appropriate modelling techniques and investment in communication, education and awareness programs.
- The expansion of an efficient and equitable water allocations system to all rivers and aquifers to enhance social, economic and environmental well being. This goal will be achieved through the completion of the volumetric conversion of licenses and development of valley management plans for unregulated rivers and groundwater management units; the continued refinement of regulated valley management plans for groundwater management units, the development, implementation and refinement of management plans for the continual refinement of water legislation, improving water market information, simplification of water administration arrangements. Community participation in policy development and public disclosure of audited annual operating plans are also important elements.
- Natural water resources will be protected to meet environmental, social and economic needs of current and future generations. This goal will be achieved by having valley and groundwater management plans that operate for defined periods, then reviewing the plan to take account of additional knowledge and changing community needs.
- In the NSW portion of the Murray-Darling basin additional development will only occur from efficiency improvements or water transfers. Inter basin transfers will be confined to the regulated sections of the Murray, Murrumbidgee and Lower Darling or interstate transfer between interconnected regulated rivers in Victoria and South Australia. Inter basin transfer between the tributary rivers and main river of the Barwon-Darling system will not occur unless future governments and the community accept additional third party impacts.
- Water resource planning and management techniques will increase in sophistication and the community will be made aware of its implications through participation in planning and review of having valley management plans.
- Water users will be required to accept the risk management implications of NSW climate, which can be offset by improved water transfer markets, and provision of future water availability information.
- Augmentation of urban water supply infrastructure will only take place when the community and government are satisfied that all realistic water use and delivery conservation measures have been exhausted.
Surface water resource management in New South Wales
Map of New South Wales's surface water management areas
Select a point on the map to find out more about that surface water management area.
The water reform process began in the 1980s, with increasing recognition of environmental needs and changes to institutional and pricing arrangements. The NSW water policy reforms, that formally began in 1995 and 1997, have been developed and implemented through a 'whole of government' approach with the involvement of other key natural resource agencies
The 1995 water policy reforms aimed to:
- Commence development of interim river flow and water quality objectives
- Provide guidance in this task by the establishment of the Healthy Rivers commission
- Provide water to the environment in the Macquarie and Gwydir River systems
- Introduce water pricing reform
- Establish a Water Advisory Council of Community and industry representatives to advise Government on reform policy
- Separate the roles of operator, regulator and manager
The 1997 water policy reforms aimed to:
- Introduce better sharing of available water by -
- developing and implementing environmental flow rules on the regulated rivers and the Barwon-Darling River
- working with the community to establish environmental flow objectives
- identifying stressed unregulated rivers and groundwater systems, and preparing ,management plans to meet agreed environmental objectives
- enhance investment strategies for rural sector by -
- providing stronger investment confidence for water users through water access rights and better water markets
- providing Government support for a range of water related activities including structural adjustment
- ensuring balance in cost sharing arrangements through the Independent Pricing and Review Tribunal (IPART) process
- change the way water management is delivered by -
- setting up a partnership approach through water management committees
- creating efficiencies in Government water management
- having more efficient administration of Government processes
Groundwater resource management in New South Wales
Map of New South Wales's Groundwater Provinces
Select a point on the map to find out more about that groundwater province.
Progression of water industry reforms has included a number of new approaches to groundwater management. They include:
- all aquifer systems in the State have been assessed in terms of the risk of groundwater degradation, and sustainable yield estimates have been prepared.
- changes to licensing procedures have included the cessation of issue of conjunctive licences (discussed above)
- GMUs are managed to maintain withdrawals to the sustainable yield estimate
- water use entitlement are now based on the need for a particular purpose rather than on the basis of property size and arbitrary allocation rate policies
- Groundwater Management Committees are being established particularly in the areas where withdrawals are approaching or have exceeded the estimated sustainable yield
- These Committees are proceeding to refine the sustainable yield estimates where necessary, and to determine an allocation policy for the local area in accordance with NSW groundwater management requirements.
Further information
- New South Wales Water Resources Assessment 2000 Report
- New South Wales Water Resources Assessment 2000 Technical Report
- Link to data available for download on the:
- Link to the Map Maker to make a map using this information.
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