Yesterday

The July Water Allocation Statement came out today. No surprises with 0% allocation. There is 449GL in the General Security accounts (88%) and 61GL in the Environmental allowance (135%). High security, Supplementary and FPH licence holders received their maximum 9100%) allocation.
During June approx. 2.1GL of ECA water was delivered. 
In the 2025-26 water year GS began with 69% of entitlement, there were three allocation increments made resulting in total allocation of 67% for the 2025-26 year. There was a useage of approx 39% of entitlement (198GL). Supplementary access licences received 40% of entitlements (72GL).
Good rainfall early in the water year saw Copeton dam storage increase from a starting point of 53% to a leak of 82% with end of year capacity of 60%, 
The full statement is available here for the Gwydir Valley and here for the opening allocations for NSW regulated sources

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23 Jun

Water Prices set to soar with over cumulative changes of 33% to 42% over next four years: 
The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has approved water bill increases of almost 50 per cent, excluding inflation, across many NSW valleys over the next four years, despite acknowledging that many customers have limited capacity to absorb them.
Water bills in the Gwydir will increase between 7 and 10 per cent plus CPI each year for the next four years. This is a cumulative change of 33 to 42 per cent over the next four years. 

•         Typical General Security bills will increase from $18,863 to $26,724 a 9.1 per cent annualised increase.
•         Entitlement prices will incur an annualised increase of 9.9 per cent for General Security and 6.1 per cent for High Security.
•         While usage prices will see and annualised 8.8 per cent increase.  
•         Local Water Utilities in the Gwydir will also see increases.

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5 Jun

WaterNSW is making releases from Copeton Dam to target flows at Tyreel Weir in the Gwydir River. The expected peak flow at the site is about 100 ML/day from 30 May 2026
Additional information is available in the link

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Environmental flows update

29 May

Environmental flows are currently being released targeting the Gingham. These will last for approximately 6 weeks, or until the Gingham waterhole has filled. 

Easement inundation information for landholders

20 May

The Easement Inundation Amendments went through NSW parliament this week, coming into effect on Monday the 18th May 2026. 
Water NSW has provided the following information.


"We recognise the potential for impacts to some landholders in the Gwydir, and are committed to operating in good faith and providing adequate advance notification of any future environment water releases that may affect landholders. 

The environmental water holders will also continue to liaise with potentially impacted landholders, and provide information on the extent, timing, duration and purpose of their watering events. 

To receive notifications from WaterNSW, please sign up to receive ‘environmental water release’ alerts through our Early Warning Network (EWN) platform.  "

13 May

Please find included Media from the shadow water minister Steph Cooke MP and our local member, shadow agricultural minister Brendan Moylan MP. 
The media is related to the Water Management Amendment (Easements for Inundation) Bill 2026.
The Opposition moved an amendment to provide for a statutory Deed of Release pathway as an alternative to enduring easements. This would have provided landholders with a more flexible, negotiated and reviewable mechanism, while still allowing environmental watering outcomes to be delivered responsibly. This amendment was not supported by Labor or the Greens. The Bill was rushed through the Legislative Council with the Greens' support on 7 May 2026.
The Bill is now awaiting consideration by the Legislative Assembly, anticipated it may be brought on for debate in the coming days.

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24 Apr

A CASE FOR STABILITY IN THE MURRAY DARLING BASIN: THERE’S NO NEED TO REDUCE WATER FROM FARMING
* 72% of inflows now remain in rivers for the environment,
* 1 in 3 Litres of water has been removed from farming since the 1990s
* MDBA data shows 92% of environmental indicators would not improve with further water recovery.
Today’s science shows that protecting river health is more than “just adding water”. There is no need for further reductions in the water for farming. It’s time to optimise existing investment and take practical, on ground action, including; tackling invasive species, restoring habitat, improving fish passage, and targeting barriers to healthy rivers.
After decades of reform, communities and farmers need stability. This means no more changes to existing water limits (inc. SDLAM adjusted) and no more water recovery by any means.
The pathway forward is a partnership with communities who live and work in the Basin - the Basin’s future depends on it.

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17 Apr

The NSW DCCEEW announced s324 water restrictions are in place as of today the 17th April 2026.
These are designed to be extreme event policies, however the government have decided to apply the s324 as the active volume in the upper Menindee lakes has fallen below 250GL.
We have argued against this and were able to get the relaxation triggers for FPH in line with those in the Gwydir WSP, a significant win. The restrictions in the Gwydir are as follows:
Gwydir Regulated River Water Source
• floodplain harvesting (regulated river) access licences {The relaxation triggers for FPH licences (as per those already in the WSP, linked to 195GL total storage)}
• supplementary water access licences
Gingham Watercourse Water Source
• floodplain harvesting (unregulated river) access licences
• unregulated river access licences
Mallowa Creek Management Zone in the Mehi River Water Source
• unregulated river access licences
Full details of the restrictions are available on the department website link included

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FPH storage classification

13 Apr

Some members with FPH licences will not be using all storages in their works approvals to take water when the opportunity occurs. If this is the case you will need to make these storages inactive, now referred to as "classified as not taking licensed water".
These storages  can be made active into the future if your situation changes. Please read the guide, and or watch the video. 
Please follow the link included. Scroll down to the section Amend the works as not taking FPH water

Amend - To ensure your approval is correct, it's your responsibility to confirm that your approval matches the works listed.
Select Works that are classified as not taking licensed water
To classify your work as not taking licensed water (water supply work or floodplain harvesting), please login or register in the Customer Portal and complete the ‘Amend the status of your work’ form.

Please note: There may already be a pre-populated status for your work in the Customer Portal based on our records. If there isn’t a status pre-populated or the status selected is incorrect, please select the correct classification to describe your work.

Further information:

• Guide - Amend the classification of your work status (PDF, 507.85 KB)
• Video - Amend the classification of your work status

Classification of Works

13 Apr

Entitlement holders in the Gwydir will have received letters regarding works Classifications. We have requested that additional information be provided to you to assist in completing the classification of works. In preparation, we suggest you register on the WaterNSW customer portal.

• Customers will receive an email confirmation whether you are approved, rejected or require further information to complete the registration.
• If the approval or licence belongs to a Business, you will need to create a business profile using the manage business function in your customer portal. A video guide is available here
• WaterNSW will merge existing approvals and licences onto your profile in the portal, this may take up to 5 days
• Customers will then receive an email notification to review and approve the LNK case in your profile, if something doesn’t look right, reply back to the email asap to have it rectified
• The portal will provide all the necessary information (work ID, WAL, Works Approval etc).
• Customers will also be able to see a map showing where the works are currently located.
• If you need assistance, you can book a phone appointment with the WaterNSW team by clicking here or call 1300 662 077. You can also email licensing@waternsw.com.au for specific questions or assistance