Many farms in the Gwydir Valley have gravity components internally, however there are limited numbers of gravity diversions for the purposes of accessing either regulated or unregulated water. You need to check your Works Approval via WaterNSW register selecting A particular water licence or approval (including conditions) if you know your 90AL number OR A particular property (in relation to water licences or approvals) to find your 90AL number using your Lot and DP.  
Then see what has been listed there - if it says diversion channel you have until 1 December 2021 to ensure your meter meets the new metering rules.  If not, you must meet the requirements for larger than 500mm diversions by this December or for smallers sites, 1 December 2021.
NOTING as per WSPs the metering installation can be located anywhere between the point of extraction and the first inlet/outlet locations.    

Not all pipe diameters have AS4747 pattern approved meters available (see current list).  For example, whilst there is a meter approved to 1800mm it is only manufactured in 200mm diameter increments.  We encourage you to seek transitional arrangements for your existing meter provided it can meet those requirements available here.
Where that is not an option, you can request a S.233 of the Water Management (General) Regulation 2018 from the Minister.
We have developed a template that captures the required site information and the evidence needed from your Certified Meter Installer to support why a metering solution is not currently available.  For example this has been used for a 1500mm pipe where there is not a pattern approved meter currently on the market.
Where this situation may apply to you, you should act quickly to seek the exemption before the required deadline.  Please contact the office to discuss.
Members click the link to see the metering updates.

Tonight, the NSW Legislative Council voted to redact the Exemption Regulation on floodplain harvesting following the tabling of the Inquiry Report here.

This means FPH regulation now reverts back to the NSW Water Act 1912 and NSW Government has less tools to manage its take, including limiting the use of structures built after 2008.  The historical status quo has now been returned.  

The decision will divide NSW communities and is a distraction from what the NSW Government should be focusing on, which is the better regulation of this form of take within the  contemporary legislative framework of the NSW Water Management Act 2000.  

This decision doesn't impact water users as we clearly outlined in our submission but seeks to further undermine the communities confidence in water management in NSW through miss-information and petty politics.  

Only a fully implemented licencing regime with monitoring and compliance will address those concerns. Most speakers participating in the debate supported regulation through licencing,  due (before tonight) by July 2021 and we welcome their support of its continued implementation.

A positive move by NRAR to visit the region and talk first hand about the upcoming metering deadline for 1 December 2020. We hope the Department and Minister follows your lead.

There’s a clear communication gap with these new rules and future FPH rules, impacting many. We support NRAR taking up this gap and providing improved communication to water users.

To find our more if 1 December 2020 deadline applies to you, check out our website https://www.gvia.org.au/…/water-man…/water-take-measurement/ and members log into our member page for a detailed breakdown of steps.

Water NSW are seeking input from water users regarding your water requirements for the upcoming season.  With less than 37GL of water to deliver for irrigators, orders will be grouped together to limit losses and you will be required to take water in a block and store water on-farm, if you want to access it.  We will also work with environmental water users to coordinate where possible.

Please take the time to complete this short survey to tell WaterNSW about your regulated river water requirements for the season ahead including stock and domestic needs and to also lodge an expression of interest (EOI) for any future supplementary events that occur this water year.  Due by 4 October 2020.

The NSW metering rules apply to all works and compliance will be assessed against your work approval - not what is in the ground and whether you use it or not.  If you do not actively use these works or do not have any infrastructure installed, you are not required to have a meter.
Before a work will be tagged as inactive, YOU MUST demonstrate the work is not physically capable of taking water and REGISTER your work as inactive.  This is done through WaterNSW.
Registering your work inactive will ensure you avoid being non-compliant to these rules by the relevant due date; either 1 December 2020 for larger than 500mm sites or 1 December 2021 for all other sites.   This applies to both surface and groundwater works. identify

NSW DPIE announced a 3.07% allocation this month for General Security users, including the environment following inflows into Copeton Dam (which was at time at 16%).  This brings the total allocation for 2020 to 4.77% and the total volume of water available to General S ecurity irrigators to 37GL with environmental holdings at 38GL.

Ordering/deliveries will not be on demand and users should complete the WaterNSW survey to indicate your needs to coordinate bulk delivery. 

Remember, every 1% that Copeton Dam rises equates to an estimated 1.89% General Security allocation.

Save the Date: The GVIA will host the Smarter Irrigation for Profit 2 field day on Wednesday the 10th of February 2021. We will be having the field day at Keytah, where several of our Smarter Irrigation researchers and partners will be talking about new technology, smart sensing and remote control. Follow the link to the website for more information on Smarter irrigation for Profit 2

NSW DPIEW have released a new guide: 'What water users need to know' about the NSW non-urban metering reforms.  This handy tool outlines the required steps for water users to take to ensure they are compliant by the required due date, the first of which  is 1 December 2020. New telemery devices have also been added to the list of approved devices, which we are informed can be ordered via your supplier. 
Local certified meter installers can be located via the Irrigation Australia website and searching for a CMI:  https://www.irrigationaustralia.com.au/ 

Here is our first reminder regarding the first deadline for the NSW Non-urban water metering reform for larger than 500mm surface water pump installation is quickly arriving, with all works finalised by 1 December 2020.

It is important that everyone assess using the NSW Government's  Metering Tool whether you are required to have your surface water metering work checked and validated or a replacement meter installed with telemetry by this date.   All water users must assess their obligations and MAKE DUE EFFORT to meet these obligations in the required timeframe.

NSW DPIEW announced a 1.7% allocation to General Security and environmental water holders for the end of July 2020.  This brings total available water to General Security water users to 22,000ML with environmental water holders having 34,000 ML, not including high security water.  Copeton Dam is holding 14.7% capacity with essential supplies secured for two-years.

This means now every 1% that Copeton Dam increases by can equate to an estimated 1.89% allocation for General Security and environmental water holders.

The NSW Government released the NSW Floodplain Harvesting Measurement Policy 2020. This announcement provides one of the missing pieces to understand how NSW plan to manage this access under a licencing regime, which is due for implementation by 1 July next year in the Gwydir Valley. We e have been calling on the policy for some time, so that water users have due time to meet their obligations.
“The policy is an ambitious program but an important step forward in water management that our local industry has been committed for a long time to achieve.”
Photo: Storage device already installed on an empty storage, waiting for the drought to break.