Water purchase and management

Water purchase

Funds from the NSW RiverBank, RERP, WRP and TLM water recovery programs will buy water from the holders of existing water access licences who are willing to sell all or part of their entitlement. Water will be bought at market rates through existing water markets, at a rate and scale that will ensure local and regional economies are not negatively impacted. This water will help increase environmental flows, reduce extraction to sustainable levels, and return threatened environments to an acceptable level of health over time.

Expressions of interest in the sale of a water access licence to NSW water recovery programs

Public Expressions of Interest in the sale of a water access licences to water recovery programs are invited periodically, and further information and forms will be available from this page during each Expression of Interest process.

Water management

DECCW manages both planned environmental water (established through the provisions of a Water Sharing Plan) and adaptive environmental water (held as Water Access Licences by the Minister for Climate Change and the Environment).  DECCW may also manage water owned or acquired by other parties, including non-government organisations.

Opportunities for environmental watering, at target sites across the state, depend on the availability of environmental water and the likely ecological response to water at any given time.  DECCW uses a variety of tools to support its decision making, including expert advice from government and research organisations and advice from Environmental Water Advisory Groups.  In addition, the Department is also investing in the development of decision support systems (DSS) to assist in decision making on the use of limited environmental water.

Environmental Water Advisory Groups across a number of valleys provide an important conduit through which the views of stakeholders are expressed.  These advisory groups provide advice to the Minister and the Department on the management of environmental water.  DECCW works with water advisory groups and with other government agencies in the management of environmental water, including Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs), the NSW Office of Water (which is part of DECCW) and State Water Corporation.

DECCW, in accordance with the State Plan, is working towards the development of Environmental Water Management Plans for some of NSW's most significant wetlands, in cooperation/partnership with CMAs.  Environmental Water Management Plans may be prepared at a wetland or valley scale. They identify environmental assets and values, assess water use priorities, and outline the water and land management issues that need to be addressed to support environmental values.  Plans are currently being prepared for the Macquarie Marshes and the Gwydir wetlands.  Once completed, environmental watering decisions will be consistent with these plans.