GWYDIR VALLEY IRRIGATORS ASSOCIATION

Events

“This was a missed opportunity for Minister Watt to put politics aside and send a strong message about refocusing the Basin Plan on outcomes, not just numbers” said NIC CEO, Zara Lowien. 
“At the MDBA’s invitation, Basin Leaders gathered in Adelaide to consider the recently released scientific evidence which found environmental priorities in the Basin have shifted and emboldened participants to work on solutions to move beyond ‘just adding water’”.
“Stakeholders were focusing on how to achieve environmental outcomes and considering options to reduce invasive species and improve native fish populations, better integrate broader catchment management principles into Basin management, and how to efficiently get water onto floodplains.”
“The announcement which targets additional environmental water, above Sustainable Diversion Limits and arguably with low environmental utility due to the uncertainty of constraints, was at odds the proactive and productive discussions”.

MDBA

The Murray Darling Basin Plan 2012 has achieved its goal to reduce diversions to Sustainable Diversion Limits delivering a healthy working basin with optimised social, economic and environmental outcomes. The Basin Plan Evaluation notes that flow-based outcomes have been achieved, there’s no need for more water as 72% of river flows are for environmental purposes.

There are still many non-flow outcomes needing to be achieved.  The focus must be on getting better outcomes from existing water, by addressing barriers to improve environmental outcomes, including carp management, riparian management, fish screens and fish passage. It is in Australia’s best interest for water policy to focus on shared outcomes not politics into the future. The next MDBP must be a management plan not a volumetric plan.

The Gwydir Unregulated WSP remains inactive. In early September the department released proposals for cease to pump restrictions on three water sources in the Gwydir. These were Copeton Dam, Moredun Creek and Tycannah Creek. These assessments were based on assertions that the water sources ecologically significant and under pressure from extraction. The assessments of the water sources considered only the potential risk (assumption of 100% of take being accessed) versus the actual risk. They failed to consider and metering data or inactive entitlements. For more information please read our submission. 

WAMC’s prices for water management services will increase by an average annualised rate of 5% plus inflation over four years to 2028-29.
They continue to apply water take charges to floodplain harvesting licences and have introduced an additional water management charge for floodplain harvesting to help recover WaterNSW’s incremental costs associated with floodplain harvesting.
As  introduction of new WAMC prices were deferred by 3 months (i.e. from 1 July 2025 to 1 October 2025), the water management component of a typical bill will increase by 7.5% and the MAC by 3.9% on 1 October 2025. Typical bills over the full 2025-26 year will be equivalent to what they would have been if new WAMC prices had been introduced on 1 July 2025.

Water Allocation Statement 5 Sept 25

General security (GS) licences and ECA in the Gwydir Regulated River have received an increase of 48% of entitlement. This takes the GS account balance to 607 gigalitres (GL), or an average 119%, and increases the ECA account balance to its maximum allowable 90 GL or 200% of entitlement. 
In August, Copeton Dam inflow was approximately 268 GL, with downstream tributaries contributing an additional 141 GL. 

To get concurrence from the environment minister the NSW DCCEEW are proposing changes to access rules on the Tycannah Creek.
* existing access rules prevent water being taken when there is no visible flow at an individual pump site.
* proposed new access rules will prevent water being taken when flow is 2 ML/day or less at the Tycannah Creek Horseshoe Lagoon Gauge (418032). This rule is proposed to apply to all access licenses in the water source.
Register to attend the in person meeting in Moree at 4:15 on Wednesday 10th September at Social Co in Balo St here.
Register for the general webinar here

To get concurrence from the environment minister the NSW DCCEEW are proposing rule changes to access entitlement in the Copeton Dam Management Zone.
* existing access rules prevent water being taken when there is no visible flow at an individual pump site.
* the proposal is to prevent water being taken when flow is 80 ML/day or less at the Gwydir River at Bundarra Gauge (418008). This rule is proposed to apply to all access licenses within the management zone.
Register for the Webinar here

To get concurrence from the Environment minister, the NSW DCCEEW are proposing to change access rules in the Moredun Creek Water source.
* existing access rules prevent water being taken when there is no visible flow at an individual pump site.
* proposed access rules prevents water being taken when flow is 80 ML/day or less at the Gwydir River at Bundarra gauge (418008). This rule is proposed to apply to all access licenses in the water source except for the single Domestic and Stock (Town Water Supply) subcategory access license which is exempt from access rules and pool rules.
Register for the webinar here

NIC media release.
A new report by the Inspector-General of Water Compliance (IGWC) found: "All 78 SDL resource units assessed for the 2023–2024 water accounting year were found to be compliant." 
“The report confirms Sustainable Diversion Limits are being enforced and in fact, water diversions are well under these limits,” said National Irrigators’ Council CEO, Zara Lowien.
“Getting water use below these Sustainable Diversion Limits was a huge feat, and it means 1 in 3 litres of irrigation water are now out of production and remain in rivers.”

 Please join us for the 2025 GVIA Annual General Meeting.
This is also where we ask for nominations for the GVIA committee. The Committee is elected by members at the AGM, the only requirement is that the nominated member is a financial member of the Association and that nomination is endorsed by two other members.
Please find included a link to the GVIA Committee Nomination Form.  This form must be completed and returned to the GVIA by Tuesday the 2nd September 2025.   Click here to RSVP for this Event through our website

Three year Supplementary summary

Please find included the latest updated on the three year supplementary volumes from WaterNSW as of Monday the 11th August. 

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