Water regulator checking water law compliance in Deniliquin region

Outreach officers from the Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) will be in the Deniliquin region next week to support water users trying to comply with NSW water laws.

The independent water regulator expects to visit about 50 properties around Finley, Berrigan, Swan Hill and Hay in April.

NRAR Director Education and Engagement, Keeley Reynolds, said site visits would help water users to comply, give them confidence to meet their obligations, and equip them with the right information for their situation.

“This is about checking some key foundational elements of water management on individual properties while also offering support and guidance,” Ms Reynolds said.

“We know the majority of people want to do the right thing and we are here to help them get there.

When NRAR officers visit a property, they typically meet with the landholder first and then check such things as logbooks, the way works are constructed and how water is being used on the property.

Ms Reynolds said NRAR focused on its key water regulation priorities which include:

• the roll out of the non-urban water metering framework
• irrigated agriculture
• water reporting in mining and extractive industries.

NRAR officers will help water users get prepared for the non-urban water metering installation deadline for the southern inland which is June 1 this year.

During 2022, taking too much water or not having a compliant water meter were consistently the most common alleged offence type detected in the Deniliquin region, which is within both the Murrumbidgee and Murray Water Sharing Plan (WSP) areas.

Quarterly reporting data for the period showed that in the Murray WSP region, this alleged offence type was the most common in each quarter, ranging between 77% and 87% of all offences recorded.  There were 53 instances recorded during the year.

In the Murrumbidgee WSP region alleged offences related to water take or metering were above 50% in every quarter, with a total of 18 instances.

“By June 1 this year, landholders in the southern inland need to have installed a fully compliant meter to measure their water use,” Ms Reynolds said.

The Department of Planning and Environment has developed a metering guidance tool, which will help water users determine if they need to meet the new rules.