The NSW Water Minister and NSW Environment Minister agreed to amendments to the Water Sharing Plan for Gwydir Regulated River Water Source and the Unregulated Water Sources. Plans in the Border Rivers and Macquarie were also amended.
This plan underwent extensive review and remake as part of the Water Resource Plan development process and hence, there have been many
amendments and changes to contemporise this plan consistent with the Basin Plan rules.
Key updates for replacement floodplain harvesting licences have also been made following the consultation in March 2021.
Amendments to the Gwydir WSP include:
"a) Carole Creek management zone, (b) Gingham management zone, (c) Moree management zone, (d) Gwydir management zone, (e) Mallowa Creek management zone, (f) Mehi River Tributaries management zone, (g) Thalabah Creek management zone. Note. The management zones established in this clause are relevant to the management of floodplain harvesting (regulated river) access licences."
"At the commencement of each water year, the Minister is to make an available water determination for floodplain harvesting (regulated river) access licences of 1 ML per unit share, unless a lower amount is determined under clause 34."
"(3)The Minister must not announce that the taking of overland flow water is permitted if the volume of water stored in Menindee
Lakes Storage is less than 195 gigalitres.
(4) Subclause (3) does not apply in the following management zones during periods for which, in the Minister’s opinion, the corresponding
flows in the water source will remain at or above those specified:
(a) Carole Creek management zone – 550 ML/day in Gil Gil Creek at Galloway gauge (416 052),
(b) Gingham management zone – 250 ML/day in Gingham Channel at Teralba gauge (418 074), Published LW 29 July 2022 (2022 No 429) 28
(c) Moree management zone – 250 ML/day in the Gwydir River (South Arm) at d/s Tyreel Offtake Regulator (418 063),
(d) Gwydir management zone – 250 ML/day in the Gwydir River (South Arm) at d/s Tyreel Offtake Regulator (418 063),
(e) Mallowa Creek management zone – 1,200 ML/day in the Mehi River at Near Collarenebri gauge (418 055),
(f) Mehi River Tributaries management zone – 1,200 ML/day in the Mehi River at Near Collarenebri gauge (418 055),
(g) Thalabah Creek management zone – 300 ML/day in the Thalaba Creek Belarre gauge (418 091)."
This plan had minor updates as part of the Water Resource Planning process is and currently under review by the Natural Resource Commission
as part of their statutory review process.
The amendments include:
"It is estimated that on 1 July 2022, the share components of floodplain harvesting (unregulated river) access licences authorised to extract water from these water sources total 10,579 unit shares, distributed as follows— (a) 3,348 unit shares in the Gingham Watercourse Water Source, (b) 493 unit shares in the Mehi River Water Source, (c) 907 unit shares in the Slaughterhouse Creek Water Source, (d) 5,831 unit shares in the Thalaba Creek Water Source"