The Department of Planning and Environment has made significant progress towards its obligations under the Murray Darling Basin Plan, lodging the State’s final water resource plans with Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA).
Marking the milestone, the Minister for Lands and Water, Kevin Anderson said there was a three-stage process for approval of Water Resource Plans (WRPs).
“The NSW Government committed to having all 20 water resources plans submitted by last year,” Mr Anderson said.
“That milestone was achieved,” he said.
“NSW has now formally lodged the last six plans with the MDBA so accreditation can commence.”
Mr Anderson said WRPs were key to implementing the Basin Plan, so that water was taken from the river system sustainably and according to legal limits, providing certainty to water users and the environment.
He said NSW was responsible for 20 out of the 33 WRPs, “which is more than double the number of other Basin jurisdictions”.
“Three surface water plans – Border Rivers, Gwydir and the Macquarie – are even more significant because they reflect the historic NSW Floodplain Harvesting reforms that protect the environment and downstream communities by keeping this activity within legal limits,” the Minister said.
“We stand ready to work with the MDBA to update the water resource plans in the Barwon Darling and the Namoi to include floodplain harvesting which the NSW has now regulated.”
