GWYDIR VALLEY IRRIGATORS ASSOCIATION
The NSWIC monthly newsletter reinforces the importance of getting policy settings right to support regional NSW into the future. The endless
process of reviews and reforms continues. The newsletter includes comment on the following:
The August Water Allocation Statement makes no changes to ECA or General security allocations. An account reconciliation reduced the General security balance by 10GL.
The s324 remains in place for access to FPH and Supplementary entitlements, however restrictions are temporarily lifted as there
is approximately 264GL in the upper lakes at Menindee.
The restriction will come back into force if the upper lakes drop to 250GL.
There is an average 86% account balance for General Security and a 135% account balance for the environmental allowance.
The Management zones and ecological assets associated with the Gwydir
Floodplain Management Plan are now available on an intereactive map.
This will be useful to help identify which parts of your landholding fit in which zone, and the location of ecological assestsas determined
by the government.
Submissions on the Gwydir Plan review have been extended and are due on Tuesday 18th August. Submission can be made following links on this
department page.
Summary of changes are available
here
Critical items to consider include: 1. Management of historical works
2. Additional requirements for works in management zones A and D (details
available here)
Notification of GVIA Annual General Meeting 3:00 pm Wednesday 2nd September 2026
GVIA Boardroom, 100 Balo Street, Moree, Followed by General Meeting: 3:30 pm
Please RSVP via the link incluided
Microsoft Teams meeting Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/441904366403785?p=Q4zgfa5pv1OjVcgk8m
Meeting ID: 441 904 366 403 785 Passcode: ji2uJ9Vg
The Floodplain Management Plan for the Gwydir Valley Floodplain 2016 is currently being reviewed. This plan set the rules for flood work
development on the floodplains, including what type of flood works can be constructed and where.
Under the Water Management Act 2000, floodplain management plans must be reviewed in the 5 years before they expire to ensure they
continue to effectively support the needs of communities, landholders and the environment. An initial review was undertaken in
2022, There is currently the opportunity to provide feedback on how the plan is working and wherer it can be improve
Submissions are open from Monday 20th July 2026 and have been extended to 11:59 pm on Tuesday 18th August 2026
WaterNSW have released a fact
sheet
providing information on water use data..
Water-use data recorded through pulse outputs, Local Intelligence Devices (LIDs) and the Data Acquisition Service (DAS) may not always
exactly match the meter reading displayed in the field.
The fact sheet explains how the systems work together to capture and transmit water-use information, why differences between DAS data
and meter readings can occur, and what steps to take if you notice something that doesn’t look right.
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
The NSWIC have released their June newsletter. Included is conversation on;
Water supply works approved for Floodplain Harvesting operate as a system, each work contributes to harvesting the water, unless they are clearly excluded.
Under FPH metering rules:
• Only storages and points of intake need meters
• Other works (such as channels and lift pumps) do not need meters
• These other works should be classified as constructed, as they as they are involved in taking floodplain harvesting.
This is different from non-urban metering rules, where most works that take water need a meter unless exempt. If an approval holder has a work that is on a Floodplain Harvesting Water Supply Works approval which is also on another non-floodplain harvesting approval – they may
have different classifications because of the different rules.
The DCCEEW factsheet is available in the link
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.
The GVIA currently has ground water available for temporary trade. Please email Lou at gvia@gvia.org.au if you have any questions.
WaterNSW have offered to assist members who are Floodplain Harvesting customers to better understand their obligations under the NSW FPH
Policy.
WaterNSW have offered informal one on one sessions, by appointment so that each customer can discuss their specific concern and
queries, and address any issues that may exist. This is a practical step by WaterNSW to try and help ensure everyone is ready to go when we
get the next FPH opportunity.
The planning is for the week of the 20 July either in Moree (at the GVIA office) or
possibly at other sites if needed.
Please contact gvia@gvia.org.au to arrange a meeting. Please include details as shown below such
as Registration of Interest (ROI’s) and Work Approvals so we can start to plan sessions.
Please register by the end of the week 3 July Thank you
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The MDBLP brings together people from across the Basin who are ready to work beyond their own interests and contribute to strengthening
understanding of how the Basin’s water resources are managed.
This is a leadership experience designed for people who care about the future of the Basin and the communities, industries and water
dependent ecosystems it supports.
You will join a diverse cohort of people from across regions, sectors and backgrounds.
Together, you will build the skills, relationships and mindset to work through complexity, navigate difference and take action where it
matters most. This includes engaging your communities, supporting informed dialogue about water use, and helping educate Australians about
the Basin’s water resources and the pressures they face .
Social Media on the
program
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
Classification of works for FPH in the WaterNSW customer portal cannot yet be completed correctly.
The appropriate classification for all active works included in a FPH entitlement is Constructed. Unfortunately the
customer portal does not have this as an option yet.
Please register on the portal, but please wait until it is updated to include the Constructed classification before classifying works associated with your FPH entitlement.
In Summary:
1. Storage Measurement - For approval holders who elect storage measurement, each active storage used to take FPH water will require
metering. Each of these storages needs to be classified as constructed.
2. Point-of-intake measurement - For approval holders who elect point-of-intake measurement, each pipe or pump that is used to take FPH water require metering. Each of these pipes or pumps needs to be classified as constructed
3. Any other work on the statement of approval that is used to convey FPH water can also be classified as constructed. For example, channels, internal lift pumps, pipes, regulators or block dams*. These works can be classified as constructed and not require
metering
as the FPH rules specify only storages or point-of-intake require metering.
We are working with DCCEEW and WaterNSW to get the classifications distributed to you and the portal updated as quickly as we can.
In May the GVIA completed our submission to the NSW connectivity program.
We have significant concerns about this program and the implications it has for members and the communities we live in.
The concept of connectivity should not be pursued by NSW in isolation from Queensland. This is a whole of basin concept and should be
facilitated by balanced conversations with the MDBA.
GVIA members will be provided update in the coming weeks.
The GVIA recently completed a submission for WaterNSW pricing to IPART. Our overall requests were as follows:
1. GVIA supports a 5% annual price cap (plus inflation), consistent with IPART's WAMC pricing decision and to balance affordability pressures facing irrigators already under significant net margin strain.
a. We do NOT support the proposed 10% increase.
2. A fundamental review of WaterNSW's operating model, regulatory framework and funding arrangements should be undertaken during the draft 3-year price determination period.
3. No further WaterNSW pricing proposal(s) or IPART determination(s) be undertaken until the review is completed.
Included is a link to the NSWIC may
newsletter.
The topics covered in the newsletter include;
FPH compliance update and NRAR media
IPART pricing review
Northern NSW connectivity program
Easements inundation Bill and Changes to water take: attestation requirements
Environmental flows are currently being released targeting the Gingham. These will last for approximately 6 weeks, or until the Gingham waterhole has filled.
The embargo has been temporarily lifted as the upper
Lakes at Menindee are above 250 GL
The WSP states under Clause 51: Taking of water under floodplain harvesting (regulated river) access licences
(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.
This means that if your works approvals are fully compliant you are free to access FPH entitlement.
The WSP can be accessed here.
On Monday the NSW government released their "Non -urban metering Stage 2 Regulation amendments" for Public Exhibition.
There will be a webinar on proposed changes on 3 June 2026 – click
here to learn more and register.
The public exhibition perior will close at 10am on Monday 15th June 2026.
Attitional information is available on the department website.
The main area of concerns is associated with the introduction of a requirement for access licence holders whose access licence has
3,000 or more unit shares or ML at the commencement of the water year to attest by 30 September to the volume of water taken in the previous
water year. We cannot support this regulation as we see it as unjustified and are actively working on this aspect of the draft
regulation.
I suggest members have a look at the fact sheet and that they attend the webinar.
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. "
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.
The GVIA have just completed their submission to the Menindee Review; The high level requests were as follows.
1. The GVIA do not support any proposals that would impact on the reliability of allocation upstream or downstream of Menindee Lakes
without comprehensive modelling of the benefits from any such proposal, supporting cost benefit analysis and full compensation.
2. Any proposed changes such as connectivity reforms, operating rule changes, or structural reconfiguration are considered
changes in Government policy, as such will be fully compensable.
3. The MDBA prioritise investment in infrastructure at Menindee Lakes including upgrading Pamamaroo inlet regulator, installing
a gated structure on weir 32 and implementing fish passage on main weir.
4. These essential infrastructure upgrades are public good and should be funded by government.
5. Climate change must be supported through adaptation rather than imposing prescriptive reductions in water reliability and
allocations.