Annual environmental water priorities 2025–26

Water that is allocated and managed to improve the health of rivers, wetlands and floodplains is known as water for the environment.

Our environmental water management teams work with local community advisory groups to develop detailed annual plans for the use of water for the environment in each catchment. This includes how environmental water use is prioritised.

These groups include:

• Aboriginal communities – representing cultural knowledge and connection to Country
• landholders – individuals and entities with land management responsibilities within the catchment
• partner agencies – governmental and non-governmental organisations with relevant expertise and mandates
• interested community members – providing broader perspectives and local insights.

Water for rivers and wetlands

In 2025–26, water managers will target a range of outcomes that include:

• maintaining baseflows and providing fresh flow events in the Barwon–Darling catchment
• improving outcomes for native fish in the Border Rivers catchment with the implementation of the Bubble Plume Project, a destratification system in Pindari Dam 
• improving health and resilience of native fish in the Gwydir
• establishing parameters for engagement with Aboriginal communities on cultural watering in the Hunter catchment 
• providing connectivity to wetlands to support native fish when opportunities arise across the Intersecting Streams catchment
• consolidating the recovery of the re-established population of the endangered southern bell frog in the Lachlan’s Great Cumbung Swamp
• a spring 2025 pulse to the Macquarie Marshes to support wetland vegetation, waterbirds, native fish and other species, and reconnect the catchment to the Barwon River
• working with government agencies, Aboriginal peoples, landholders, community groups, and researchers to achieve positive environmental, social and cultural outcomes in the Murray and Baaka – Lower Darling catchments, including the Kolety – Edward-Wakool-Niemur system and Great Darling Anabranch
• creating favourable habitat conditions for the endangered Australian painted snipe breeding in the Murrumbidgee’s Western Lakes and the Ramsar-listed wetlands Fivebough and Tuckerbil Swamps
• boosting water flows in the Peel and lower Namoi rivers to aid native fish movement, dispersal and successful recruitment, as well as evaluating whether to increase flows to ensure connectivity along the Namoi River and between the Namoi and Barwon rivers to promote native fish dispersal
• delivering a series of low-to-medium flows to the Snowy and upper Murrumbidgee rivers to support native fish habitat, migration and breeding, including the Australian grayling which is nationally listed as vulnerable.

Expected volumes of environmental water

Notes: GL = gigalitres. Held environmental water includes combined volumes of NSW, The Living Murray and Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder held environmental water (conveyance, high security and general security). Supplementary and unregulated licenced water have not been included in expected volumes as they are dependent on surplus flows and therefore the expected volume is zero.
This is an indicative summary of expected volumes to be available on 1 July 2025 under current conditions, except for the Snowy and Snowy montane rivers for which expected volumes are as of 1 May 2025.
For more information on available volumes in a specific catchment, contact the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water by phone: 1300 361 967 or email: [email protected]

Weather and water forecast

As of June 2025, global sea surface temperatures are predicted to remain above average for the year ahead, with most months being the warmest on record. The El Niño–Southern Oscillation and the Indian Ocean Dipole are currently neutral. The Bureau of Meteorology’s model has forecast a neutral El Niño–Southern Oscillation, neither El Niño nor La Niña, until at least September 2025.

How we make decisions

Environmental water managers work with the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder and local community advisory groups in their annual planning process. This includes addressing the objectives of long-term water plans, which provide direction for the management of water for the environment in each basin catchment. 

During the planning process scientific research, prior monitoring and lived experiences of local community members guide decisions. Working within water sharing plans and operational constraints, strategies for adaptive management are incorporated throughout the year when required.

Water managers consider the forecast conditions for a catchment and explore a range of weather and water availability scenarios for the coming year. These are known as resource availability scenario assessments.

Resource availability scenarios, for 2025–26 are shown on the map. These are dry for the Intersecting Streams, dry to moderate for the Barwon–Darling, moderate for the Murray and Baaka – Lower Darling, Murrumbidgee, Lachlan, Border Rivers, Hunter and Snowy and Snowy Montane, moderate to wet/very wet for the Gwydir, Macquarie and Namoi.

Resource availability scenarios enable water managers to make an informed response that will best support the long-term health of native fish, waterbirds, native vegetation, and flow and connectivity.

Catchments

Statements of annual watering priorities for each catchment include information on how we are partnering with Aboriginal peoples; key planned actions for native fish, waterbirds, vegetation and connectivity; and locations of priority targets and volumes of environmental water to be delivered.

• Barwon–Darling
• Border Rivers
• Gwydir
• Hunter
• Intersecting Streams
• Lachlan
• Macquarie
• Murray and Baaka – Lower Darling
• Murrumbidgee
• Namoi
• Snowy and Snowy montane