Partnering with Aboriginal peoples
Water for Country is environmental water use planned by the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and Aboriginal people to achieve shared benefits for the environment and cultural places, values and/or interests.
In 2026–27, we will partner with Aboriginal peoples and organisations across the Murrumbidgee catchment. This includes:
- collaborating with Murrumbidgee Nations to support flow events that enhance native fish breeding and movement across Country, strengthen cultural connection to waterways and sustaining traditional knowledge, practices and responsibilities for caring for Country
- working with the Nari Nari community to achieve environmental and cultural outcomes with environmental water in the Gayini and Toogimbie wetland systems
- supporting the Wiradjuri Nation’s land and water aspirations, including opportunities for co-management of Murrumbidgee environmental and cultural water assets, use of cultural access licences alongside environmental flows, and helping facilitate ongoing monitoring and reporting of cultural outcomes from water for the environment deliveries
- advancing the land and water management aspirations of Mutthi Mutthi and Yitha Yitha peoples to achieve healthy Country outcomes, with a long-term vision for co-management of environmental and cultural water assets in the Lowbidgee
- incorporating Water for Country content into the Murrumbidgee Long-Term Water Plan
- supporting and strengthening Aboriginal peoples’ role in monitoring on Country outcomes in the Commonwealth’s Flow-MER 2.0 long-term monitoring program, in conjunction with Charles Sturt University
- support the development of cultural watering plans where required.
Key planned actions for 2026–27
Native fish
Up to 50 gigalitres (GL) of environmental water has been prioritised to maintain in-stream and deep water off-stream habitats for native fish, and to restore a more natural flow pattern to support native fish populations.
Environmental water managers will undertake opportunistic native fish pulses, or dispersal flows in the Murrumbidgee to support the movement of juvenile native fish and larvae into low-lying floodplain habitats, including Tala and Yanga lakes. Similar flow events will be provided in the Yanco–Billabong system when conditions are suitable.
Contingency environmental water will be set aside to provide refuge habitat for native fish when there is a risk of low flows and heat waves leading towards hypoxic conditions in the lower Murrumbidgee and mid-to-lower Yanco–Billabong systems.
Waterbirds
Planned environmental flows of up to 70 GL will provide foraging and breeding habitat for waterbirds, as well as turtles, frogs and other aquatic species in areas including Gayini, the Western Lakes and the Yanga National Park wetlands. These flows will also provide water to key Australasian bittern habitat in the Murrumbidgee and Coleambally irrigation areas and at Wanganella Swamp.
Vegetation
Up to 10 GL of water for the environment will be provided via pumping to support key mid- and lower Murrumbidgee sites currently out of reach of river flows. Target sites include Willbriggie, Yarradda and Sunshower lagoons in the mid-Murrumbidgee, and Waldaira and Mainie swamps in the Junction Wetland system west of Balranald.
Connectivity
Environmental water is planned to support connectivity through deliveries to Monkem, Pee Vee and Talpee Creeks via the Gayini wetland system, with potential continuation south via Tala Lake, in Yanga National Park. This assumes adequate starting water allocations. River connectivity will be enhanced by opening the Tala escape and Yanga Creek regulator during one or more native fish pulses.
Map of proposed annual priority targets in the water resource plan area 2026–27
For more information on each catchment's resource availability scenario and expected volumes, visit our Annual environmental watering priorities 2026-27 webpage.
