[ { "post_id": "384", "post_category_id": "1", "post_title": "Flood warning - Gwydir and Mehi", "post_content_short": "The Bureau of Meteorology have provided an initial minor to moderate flood warning for the parts of the Gwydir Valley via NSW warnings - http:\/\/www.bom.gov.au\/nsw\/warnings\/flood\/gwydirriver.shtml <\/a>
\n
\nThe region is currently on a widespread flood watch for minor to major flooding due to forecasted rainfall around the region.
\n
\nUse the above link to keep updated with the announcements and follow the stream height data.
\n
\nFor a comparison on past floods, see our webpage a History of Flooding<\/a>. 
\n
\nFor updates on Copeton Dam operations, which is under airspace management and adjusting releasing according to actual and forecast inflows,\nyou are encouraged to register for the Early Warning Network via WaterNSW the river operators. ", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/media\/website_posts\/384\/Copeton-Dam.png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/the-gwydir-valley\/the-gwydir-valley\/history-of-flooding\/", "post_date": "2022-10-19 02:07:00" }, { "post_id": "332", "post_category_id": "4", "post_title": "WaterNSW Early Warning System", "post_content_short": "WaterNSW operate an Early Warning System for subscribers which provide critical water updates for the state.  You can select your\nvalleys of interest when you register.  
\n
\nTo receive these updates, which include any sudden changes in dam releases which occurred today, please see https:\/\/www.waternsw.com.au\/supply\/ewn. <\/a>", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/media\/website_posts\/332\/Gwydir-Map.png", "post_content_type": "url", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.waternsw.com.au\/supply\/ewn", "post_date": "2022-10-18 23:00:00" }, { "post_id": "247", "post_category_id": "4", "post_title": "Flooding in the Gwydir Valley", "post_content_short": "The Gwydir Valley is a distributary river system, which spreads our rivers and creeks across the Gwydir Floodplain which acts as a large\r\n\tinland delta. Our rivers spill out naturally to these floodplains when they are full and spilling.  Not every flood is the same, they\r\n\trange in magnitude of height and duration and can occur from locally generated rain or from rainfall further upstream of the\r\n\tcatchment. 
\r\n\tRecent flood warnings in December 2020 were predicted because of upstream rainfall and inflows.  This was a short, sharp and small flow\r\n\twhich has created limited flooding.  For example, the height at Pallamallawa was half of that experienced in 2011 and 2012 when the\r\n\tentire north-west was in flood. This flow also didn't contain a lot of water but its peak flow rate at Pallamallawa of 33,000 ML\/day was\r\n\tstill higher than the operating capacity of the regulator and cannot be managed.  Rather this water flows naturally, unmanaged by\r\n\tWaterNSW to the watercourse the lowest point of our inland delta and towards the Gwydir Wetlands.", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/media\/website_posts\/247\/Flooding.png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/the-gwydir-valley\/the-gwydir-valley\/history-of-flooding\/", "post_date": "2021-11-22 02:38:00" }, { "post_id": "313", "post_category_id": "4", "post_title": "The No. 1 website for NSW Metering Rules", "post_content_short": "Understanding the changes to the NSW Metering Rules for non-urban water users can be a challenge and often the information is spread across\r\n\ta number of Department and industry sources.  We have found, the most central point to visit is WaterNSW Metering page https:\/\/www.waternsw.com.au\/customer-service\/water-licensing\/metering#stay<\/a>\r\n\r\n

\r\n\tIt has the three steps you should take and all the links to the forms, the rules and the Departments Metering Guidance tool which we\r\n\tencourage you to use. But importantly, its WaterNSW who manage the implementation and integration of the new rules on the ground, they\r\n\tcollect information from your Duly Qualified Persons and they administer the licensing database if you determine you need to make\r\n\tamendments.  In most cases it is WaterNSW you will need to speak with about metering as they are the customer liaison group,\r\n\tplus they have a customer hotline 1300 662 077. \r\n\r\n

It is this website that features heavily in our video series on metering.", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/media\/website_posts\/313\/Metering.png", "post_content_type": "url", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/vimeo.com\/showcase\/8853111", "post_date": "2021-10-08 00:01:00" }, { "post_id": "196", "post_category_id": "4", "post_title": "Water is allocated to licences not crops", "post_content_short": "When water availability is higher than requirements for critical needs, the WMA Act 2000 and local water sharing rules provide a framework\r\nto share that additional water between industry and the environment.  Allocations are the physical water that maybe provided under\r\nthese sharing rules. The volume of allocation made available to an individual  is determined by the total volume available to be\r\nshared. This volume is divided by the number of shares that individual is licenced for.  
\r\nWater is allocated based on these principles and is not allocated to a specific crop. Individuals make the decision on what crop to grow\r\nwith the allocation they receive.
\r\nThere is a range of different irrigated crops grown in the Gwydir Valley, including cotton, horticulture and lucerne. We are home to the\r\nlargest pecan farm in the Southern Hemisphere and one of Australia's largest juicing orange orchards.   Farmers have even tried hemp,\r\nit is not currently a viable option, but may be in the future.", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/media\/website_posts\/196\/Pecans.png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/the-gwydir-valley\/industry-profiles\/", "post_date": "2021-10-01 04:08:00" }, { "post_id": "238", "post_category_id": "4", "post_title": "Connectivity between North and South MDB", "post_content_short": "The Darling River in the northern basin contributes on average about 14 per cent of the total flow in the River Murray (the southern basin)\r\n\tat the point where the Darling enters the Murray.
\r\n\tIn reality, most years do not deliver an average contribution from the Darling River. Averages mask extreme fluctuations in Darling flows,\r\n\twhich are driven by the ephemeral and dynamic, boom and bust nature of rainfall in the northern Basin.
\r\n\tThis means that major changes to inflows from the northern basin have only minor impacts on total Murray inflows. For example, DPIEW\r\n\trecently stated in an update to stakeholders that a 10% reduction in inflows from the Lower Darling would result in only a 1.4% reduction in total inflows to the River Murray.
\r\n\tThe greatest influence on NSW allocations is the flow from the upper Murray catchments.", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/media\/website_posts\/238\/Dry-river.png", "post_content_type": "url", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.mdba.gov.au\/community-updates\/darling-river-contribution-murray", "post_date": "2020-11-11 05:10:00" }, { "post_id": "195", "post_category_id": "4", "post_title": "Floodplain harvesting", "post_content_short": "Floodplain harvesting is the capture and use of overland flow water flowing across a floodplain during a flood.  Farmers everywhere in\r\nNSW (north and south) capture over land flow water as part of their works approval requirements to store rainfall on farm to mitigate\r\nenvironmental impacts.  Farms are specifically designed for this purpose.
\r\nFarmers on floodplains have flood protection works designed to exclude overland flow outside of the developed area, to protect their crops,\r\nhomes and farm infrastructure from damage.
\r\nOverland flows generally occur only when there is major flooding. If there’s no flooding, there’s no floodwater to capture. There was\r\nlocalised flooding in the Namoi and Lower Gwydir Valleys (Mehi region) in February 2020, this was the first event to occur in both those\r\nregions since 2011 and 2012, back when Menindee Lakes was full and spilling.  The Gwydir had moderate flooding in Spring 2016 and Menindee Lakes filled to 92%.", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/media\/website_posts\/195\/Flooding.png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/water-policy\/water-management-framework\/floodplain-flow-and-licensing\/", "post_date": "2020-11-10 02:19:00" }, { "post_id": "72", "post_category_id": "4", "post_title": "Water Take Measurement", "post_content_short": "The GVIA supports that all water take should be measured with the majority of take to be metered through highly accurate devices.  All\r\nmeasurement must be auditable, verifiable and within accuracy requirements.  We know active irrigators in our region adopt the most accurate technology commercially available.
\r\nIn November 2020, the first site in the Gwydir went live on the new NSW Government Data Acquisition Service.", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/media\/website_posts\/72\/Metering.png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/water-policy\/water-management-framework\/water-take-measurement\/", "post_date": "2020-11-09 00:50:00" }, { "post_id": "212", "post_category_id": "4", "post_title": "What is overland flow?", "post_content_short": "The Water Management Act 2000 in Section 4A<\/a>\r\ndescribes overland flow as water including floodwater, rainfall runoff and urban stormwater that his flowing over or lying on the ground as a\r\nresult of rain or any other kind of precipitation.  That means that anyone who has infrastructure developments to capture, manage\r\nand\/or store water on their farms and who irrigate with this water, can also be collecting overland flow, not just those in the five\r\nnorthern valleys who are "floodplain harvesters".  This definition is regardless of any other requirements of other NSW\r\nregulations (such as the NSW EPA Act) and various licence conditions, to capture and retain water on farm to avoid environmental\r\nimpacts. ", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/media\/website_posts\/212\/People.png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/water-policy\/water-management-framework\/floodplain-flow-and-licensing\/", "post_date": "2020-05-29 10:36:00" }, { "post_id": "211", "post_category_id": "4", "post_title": "Water Act 1912 and the Water Management Act 2000", "post_content_short": "Unfortunately in NSW there are a few remaining long-term legacy issues, the fact water management is coordinated through two legislative\r\nframeworks is one of them.  That means that some approvals, rules and extraction is managed according to rules within the original NSW\r\nWater Act 1912 but the majority are within the contemporary regime of the NSW Water Management Act 2000. 
\r\nGovernment inaction has meant that the majority of irrigation infrastructure and flood work approvals are yet to be converted into the new\r\nlegislative framework.  This has been an on-going issue for more than 20-years.  But this is important when considering the\r\n"legal status" of floodplain harvesting in NSW, which is one of the last forms of extraction to be converted from the descriptive\r\nallowances in the Water Act 1912 into volumetric licences in the Water Management Act 2000, which is due for completed next year.  Just\r\nbecause its not managed or represented within the Water Management Act, doesn't make it illegal, if its allowed under the Water Act\r\n1912. 
\r\nThis is why its important the Healthy Floodplains Project is completed on time next year, to bring this historical form of extraction into\r\nthe same licensing framework as others and enable government to better regulate, measure and report on it.  Its proper implementation\r\nwill cap extraction within historic limits, ensure the sustainability of the industry but also leaving more water on the floodplain.", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/media\/website_posts\/211\/Flooding.png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/water-policy\/water-management-framework\/key-legislation\/", "post_date": "2020-05-28 22:13:00" }, { "post_id": "10", "post_category_id": "4", "post_title": "GVIA a united voice for our industry", "post_content_short": "The GVIA represents in excess of 450 water entitlement holders in the Gwydir Valley. The organisation works to represent the interests of\r\nour members and secure a viable future for our region through ensuring water rights are protected and water use by members, the environment\r\nand our river operators is efficient and sustainable.  We work together to build a better future for our region and make every drop\r\ncount. 
\r\nOur role provides a voice for our industry and region to decision makers, our local community and the broader public. This can involve\r\nwriting and commenting on policy proposals, inquiries and participating in meetings with key stakeholders including Ministers and Department\r\nstaff.  We take seriously our role in improving grower research and innovation in our industry.", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/media\/website_posts\/10\/Moree.png", "post_content_type": "url", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/vimeo.com\/177148006", "post_date": "2020-03-20 05:38:00" }, { "post_id": "118", "post_category_id": "4", "post_title": "Zero allocations for non-critical water users", "post_content_short": "Irrigators in the Gwydir Valley have had zero allocation of general security or supplementary water this year. A small limited announcement\r\nwas made last week.  Any irrigated annual crops being grown this season are grown on groundwater. No general security water was\r\npermitted to be delivered this year.  Permanent plantings are supported by high security water which was delivered via bulk releases\r\nand groundwater.", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/media\/website_posts\/118\/Dry-river.png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/the-gwydir-valley\/water-available-for-irrigation\/current-water-availability\/", "post_date": "2020-01-01 03:24:00" }, { "post_id": "4", "post_category_id": "4", "post_title": "Reliability of Water", "post_content_short": "The Gwydir is characterised as having low water reliability, in the last 10-years irrigators have accessed only 19% of river inflows for\r\nGeneral Security use and 8% for supplementary.  The majority of water held as general security water with a reliability of 36%.\r\nSupplementary water entitlement is somewhat more reliable with 55% but accounts for less than a quarter of the total volume.  There is\r\naround 40,000ML available as high security or groundwater entitlement which is considered highly reliable.
\r\nGeneral Security water is stored in Copeton dam, derived from rainfall and river flow above the dam.
\r\nSupplementary water is unregulated flows downstream of the dam, it is only announced after environmental flows to the wetlands. After that\r\nall remaining flows are shared equally between the environment and licence holders (including environmental licence holders)", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/media\/website_posts\/4\/Copeton-Dam.png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/the-gwydir-valley\/water-available-for-irrigation\/historical-water-availability\/", "post_date": "2019-11-01 04:28:00" }, { "post_id": "73", "post_category_id": "4", "post_title": "Environmental Water Management", "post_content_short": "The GVIA supports the better management of environmental water provided that all water rights are equally respected.  Environmental\r\nwater holders own 28.5% of High Security entitlements, 29% of General Security including the ECA and 13% of Supplementary.  We need to\r\nbetter share the outcomes being achieved on environmental water and ensure these outcomes are not undermined by ignoring non-flow\r\ncomplementary measures. Non-flow complementary measures include things such as fish passages at weirs or riparian management. ", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/media\/website_posts\/73\/Wetlands-lagoon.png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/water-policy\/environmental-water-and-management\/", "post_date": "2018-06-07 01:54:00" }, { "post_id": "68", "post_category_id": "1", "post_title": "Floodplain facts", "post_content_short": "The GVIA are disappointed with recent media reports and commentary around the management of floodplain flows and have provided the following statement and facts about the program, which was designed to incorporate this legitimate historical access into the current regulatory framework as required by legislation.    We want people to know that this is not new water and that implementing this program will have many benefits.  Most importantly it will protect the environment and users from further growth, providing certainty to all communities who rely on it. Restricting future growth will maintain and improve floodplain flows and build on Basin Plan outcomes, not detract from them.", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/media\/website_posts\/68\/Flooding.png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/news\/floodplain-facts\/", "post_date": "2018-05-28 07:50:00" }, { "post_id": "5", "post_category_id": "4", "post_title": "Water available to the Environment", "post_content_short": "Water for irrigation is limited and the volume has been decreasing over-time due to government reforms.  WaterNSW information indicates\r\n66% of all river flows are reserved for the environment and another 5% is actively managed by environmental water holders who have\r\napproximately 29% of regulated general security river entitlement and another 28.5% of high security entitlement has been either purchased\r\nor diverted from irrigators in the Gwydir Valley for the environment.  A further 13% of supplementary entitlement has been purchased,\r\nthis is on top of the 50% share already received during each unregulated event. Unregulated events occur when there are inflows into the\r\nriver below the dam. ", "post_icon": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/media\/website_posts\/5\/Gwdyir-River-At-Gravesend.png", "post_content_type": "page", "post_content_url": "https:\/\/www.gvia.org.au\/water-policy\/water-management-framework\/a-history-of-water-reform\/", "post_date": "2018-05-25 05:33:00" } ]