The Water Management Act 2000 in Section 4A describes overland flow as water including floodwater, rainfall runoff and urban stormwater that his flowing over or lying on the ground as a result of rain or any other kind of precipitation.  That means that anyone who has infrastructure developments to capture, manage and/or store water on their farms and who irrigate with this water, can also be collecting overland flow, not just those in the five northern valleys who are "floodplain harvesters".  This definition is regardless of any other requirements of other NSW regulations (such as the NSW EPA Act) and various licence conditions, to capture and retain water on farm to avoid environmental impacts. 

Unfortunately in NSW there are a few remaining long-term legacy issues, the fact water management is coordinated through two legislative frameworks is one of them.  That means that some approvals, rules and extraction is managed according to rules within the original NSW Water Act 1912 but the majority are within the contemporary regime of the NSW Water Management Act 2000. 
Government inaction has meant that the majority of irrigation infrastructure and flood work approvals are yet to be converted into the new legislative framework.  This has been an on-going issue for more than 20-years.  But this is important when considering the "legal status" of floodplain harvesting in NSW, which is one of the last forms of extraction to be converted from the descriptive allowances in the Water Act 1912 into volumetric licences in the Water Management Act 2000, which is due for completed next year.  Just because its not managed or represented within the Water Management Act, doesn't make it illegal, if its allowed under the Water Act 1912. 
This is why its important the Healthy Floodplains Project is completed on time next year, to bring this historical form of extraction into the same licensing framework as others and enable government to better regulate, measure and report on it.  Its proper implementation will cap extraction within historic limits, ensure the sustainability of the industry but also leaving more water on the floodplain.

The Feral Pig monitoring program supported by the NSW Government and the NW LLS is drawing to a close. We have conducted a range of monitoring and management activities including collaring and tagging pigs, trapping and shooting.  As we move into our winter cropping season pig damage will become more evident, especially as many pregnant sows have been observed. The GVIA can provide support to local landholders who participate in group control activities and would appreciate information on crop damage caused by feral pigs. Please contact us for more information. 

The department, together with WaterNSW, will be holding public information sessions via webinar during May and June 2020 with the session for the Norther region, including the Gwydir on 28 May 2020. See the link below to register for this presentation.

The sessions will provide an update on the water availability outlook, climatic trends, system flows and storages levels. Lessons learnt from the current drought and the impacts of drought on groundwater will be discussed, as well as ongoing support available for communities.

Water availability including prospects for allocations for the new water year starting July 1 2020 will also be discussed.

The NSW Government has appointed an independent panel to assess what improvements can be made to better manage the use, communication and application of temporary restrictions like those used in February 2020.   These restrictions were used to manage the first major water flows following rainfall across the northern Murray-Darling after record drought conditions.

The panel is now seeking feedback from the community on their views and experiences in relation to the first flush event and suggestions on the future management of these events. They invite you to make a submission or give your feedback by completing the survey available on the review website.  

The GVIA will be providing our own feedback via this survey, and we encourage members and all stakeholders affected by these events, to directly provide their own individual experiences and feedback to the panel.   

DPIE-W announced the Gwydir Valley received it’s first allocation since February 2018 with 1.9% allocation (or 10.56GL) issued to water users including the environment.  Inflows into Copeton Dam since February this year are greater than 60% of the total inflows into the dam over the last 2.5 years. 

The allocation announcement together with a full reserve essential supplies reserve (for two years) in Copeton Dam and recent supplementary availability below the dam, signals for the first-time in years that the whole catchment has a good soil moisture and any rain should generate flows into our river systems.  Whilst the drought hasn’t broken, it’s a good start for water users and the region.