The NSW Government is extending the public exhibition period for seven draft water sharing plans across regional NSW until early 2025, giving communities even more time to have their say.
This includes draft plans for:
· Macquarie/Wambuul Bogan Unregulated Rivers Water Sources
· Gwydir Unregulated River Water Sources
· Murrumbidgee Unregulated River Water Sources
· Namoi and Peel Unregulated Rivers Water Sources
· Lachlan Unregulated River Water Source
· Barwon-Darling Unregulated River Water Source
· Belubula Regulated River Water Source
“These 7 water sharing plans are incredibly important tools for managing our state’s water resources, and we’re extending the deadline so everyone can have their voices heard.” said NSW DCCEEW Executive Director of Water Planning Giselle Howard.
“We’ve heard loud and clear that people want more time which is why we have added an extra 3-4 weeks for draft water sharing plans as well as 3 additional weeks for prescribed wetlands. I encourage everyone who wants to have a say to take advantage of the extension.”
“Plans need to work well for all of NSW so we can continue to manage the regions’ water fairly and sustainably for the next decade.”
Residents, farmers, environmental groups, Aboriginal representatives, and all stakeholders can now make submissions until 11.59pm on Friday 10 January 2025 – an extension of 3-4 weeks, depending on the plan.
After listening carefully to community feedback, we have also added an extra submission period for comments on rules for prescribed wetlands, which will be open until 11.59pm on Sunday 2 February 2025.
For more information on these wetlands, we encourage the community to register for a webinar on Monday, 9 December from 12.30-1.30pm. The session will outline the new rules, how they may impact landholders, and the method we used to identify prescribed wetlands within a plan area.
This builds on extensive community engagement which includes 11 face-to-face workshops, 7 webinars and appointments where stakeholders can meet one-on-one with a water planner.
The draft water sharing plans set out clear rules for fair and sustainable water sharing among water users and the environment across the region for the next decade.
This includes limits on how much water can be taken, protecting resources for the environment, basic landholder rights and cultural needs along with providing secure, legal and tradeable water access rights.
They also lay out how much, where and when water can be taken by licence holders.
Communities’ views on the drafts and proposed changes play a critical role and we will carefully consider all feedback before plans go into effect on 1 July 2025.
For more information on the draft plans, visit: https://water.dpie.nsw.gov.au/our-work/plans-and-strategies/water-sharing-plans
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