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Water for the environment

Environmental rules for aquifers

The environmental provisions in the groundwater sharing plans are based on:

  1. protecting the long-term storage component of the aquifer; and
  2. reserving a proportion of the average annual recharge for the environment.

In addition the plans set local restrictions on pumping at certain times if water level drawdowns below a specified level are occurring or water quality is declining. Distance limits may also be set between bores or from groundwater dependent ecosystems.

Over the long–term, reducing the storage of an aquifer, that is permanent mining of the resource, could affect its stability and integrity, and could cause land subsidence. The aim of the water sharing plans is to ensure that this does not occur. In addition the volume of water, usually from infiltration of rainfall or river flows, that enters or recharges the groundwater system each year is important for replenishing supplies and supporting dependent ecosystems. As a result, based on the extent of the groundwater dependent ecosystems, a proportion of the recharge is allocated to the environment and the remaining proportion defined as the sustainable yield (PDF file) – that is amount of groundwater that can be extracted.

In some groundwater systems in NSW, the water allowed to be extracted (that is, the current licensed entitlement) is more than the sustainable yield of the aquifer. The water sharing plans include a process for reducing total entitlements in any over–committed groundwater system to the sustainable yield over the ten years of the plan. This is mainly the case in the major inland alluvial aquifers – the Upper and Lower Namoi, Lower Gwydir, Lower Macquarie, Lower Lachlan, Lower Murrumbidgee and Lower Murray groundwater systems. To assist licence holders in adjusting to reduced entitlements, a program of financial assistance known as the Achieving Sustainable Groundwater Entitlements Program (PDF file) has been developed for these aquifers. For more information:

How the changes will affect licence holders (PDF file)
Financial assistance (PDF file)