The role of ‘Water for the Environment’ is today located within the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Biodiversity and Conservation Division. Director Derek Rutherford (NSW Environmental Water Holder) also heads the Environmental Water Group(EWG), a team built over the past decade. Their scope includes NSW water portfolios, water ordering and accounting, approvals, reporting, trade and finances.
An important partner is the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder(CEWH), Jody Swirepik, at Department of the Environment and Energy. In consultation, NSW regional water managers plan annual flow delivery in their respective catchments. An Annual Watering Schedule is co-signed which enables NSW to utilise all water accounts, to meet the watering needs of our ecological assets.
Across the north, there are substantial environmental water holdings by both NSW and Commonwealth. These holdings are partly held in the large water storages such as Glenlyon, Pindari, Copeton, Chaffey and Burrendong Dams. In addition, numerous Water Sharing Plans have environmental provisions, which enable the return of flows to the environment. For example, the Pindari Dam has both a dam translucency flow rule combined with a small environmental account. The Gwydir WSP establishes a natural (low flow) volume and a larger Environmental account.
Another key player is the local Environmental Water Advisory Groups (EWAG). Here community and government comes together to discuss, plan and advise on the upcoming water year. Two EWAGs exist in the north, in the Gwydir and the Macquarie catchments. However, it is expected that in time other EWAGs may be established, in the Peel/Namoi, Barwon Darling and Border Rivers catchments and their rivers systems for example.
In combination, a large volume of work comes together each year to plan, manage, deliver and monitor water for the environment. All for the long-term benefit of our water dependant assets, across the NSW Northern Murray Darling Basin.