New South Wales Government
Water and Energy

• Water management
• Law and policy
• Water sharing
• Water availability
  • Water allocations
  • Critical water planning
  • Rivers
  • Storages
  • Groundwater
  • Water use in NSW
• Monitoring
• Modelling
• Ecology
• Water quality
• Water recovery

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4. Critical water planning

Water Management

Critical water planning

The Department plays a vital role in managing, allocating and protecting the water resources of NSW. The Department is responsible for water allocations to assess water licences, and has developed water sharing plans to sustainably manage groundwater and surface water supplies for the long-term. The majority of the state's saleable water (97 per cent) is within the Murray and Murrumbidgee valleys.

Critical water planning communiqués are released regularly by the Department to explain the management of water resources. These communiqués outline the current resource availability, how and why it is being shared and provide probabilities for improvement.

With the Southern Basin experiencing the worst drought ever recorded, the Department has been the lead agency in managing the limited water resources. In 2006, the water sharing plans across the southern basin were suspended and, by 2007, critical water advisory groups were established to advise on the best way to manage the limited water resource to sustain rural communities and the environment.

Communiqués

Murray Lower Darling regulated water source

• Current Murray communiqué (PDF 44 KB)
• Current Lower Darling communiqué (PDF 27 KB)

Murrumbidgee regulated water source

• Current Murrumbidgee communiqué (PDF 33 KB)

Lachlan regulated water source

• Current Lachlan communiqué (PDF 42 KB)

Macquarie and Cudgegong regulated water source

• Current Macquarie communiqué (PDF 45 KB)

Previously issued communiqués

• 01 Oct 2009 – Critical Water Planning Lachlan Valley (PDF 42 KB)
• 15 Sep 2009 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 44 KB)
• 15 Sep 2009 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 33 KB)
• 15 Aug 2009 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 30 KB)
• 15 Aug 2009 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 26 KB)
• 15 Jun 2009 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 40 KB)
• 15 Jun 2009 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 33 KB)
• 15 May 2009 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 52 KB)
• 15 May 2009 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 45 KB)
• 16 Mar 2009 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 41 KB)
• 16 Mar 2009 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 33 KB)
• 16 Feb 2009 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 50 KB)
• 16 Feb 2009 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 41 KB)
• 15 Jan 2009 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 46 KB)
• 15 Jan 2009 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 39 KB)
• 17 Nov 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 41 KB)
• 17 Nov 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 64 KB)
• 03 Nov 2008 – Critical water planning for the Macquarie Valley (PDF 45 KB)
• 03 Nov 2008 – Critical Water Planning Lachlan Valley(PDF 39 KB)
• 15 Oct 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 41 KB)
• 15 Oct 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 46 KB)
• 15 Sep 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 43 KB)
• 15 Sep 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 45 KB)
• 15 Sep 2008 – Critical Water Planning Lower Darling (PDF 27 KB)
• 15 Aug 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 49 KB)
• 15 Aug 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 46 KB)
• 16 Jun 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 46 KB)
• 16 Jun 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 62 KB)
• 15 May 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 30 KB)
• 15 May 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 74 KB)
• 18 Apr 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 66 KB)
• 16 Apr 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 40 KB)
• 17 Mar 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 28 KB)
• 17 Mar 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 40 KB)
• 15 Feb 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 40 KB)
• 15 Feb 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 69 KB)
• 15 Feb 2008 – Critical Water Planning Lower Darling (PDF 35 KB)
• 18 Jan 2008 – Critical Water Planning Hunter (PDF 35 KB)
• 15 Jan 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 36 KB)
• 15 Jan 2008 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 76 KB)
• 18 Dec 2007 – Critical Water Planning Hunter Valley (PDF 29 KB)
• 17 Dec 2007 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 85 KB)
• 17 Dec 2007 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 108 KB)
• 30 Nov 2007 – Critical Water Planning Barwon-Darling (PDF 68 KB)
• 30 Nov 2007 – Critical Water Planning Peel and Namoi Valleys (PDF 43 KB)
• 30 Nov 2007 – Critical Water Planning Macquarie Valley (PDF 78 KB)
• 15 Nov 2007 – Critical Water Planning Hunter Valley (PDF 45 KB)
• 15 Nov 2007 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 77 KB)
• 15 Nov 2007 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 135 KB)
• 12 Nov 2007 – Critical Water Planning Lower Darling (PDF 67 KB)
• 15 Oct 2007 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley(PDF 70 KB)
• 15 Oct 2007 – Critical Water Planning Hunter Valley (PDF 81 KB)
• 15 Oct 2007 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 70 KB)
• 17 Sep 2007 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 137 KB)
• 17 Sep 2007 – Critical Water Planning Hunter Valley (PDF 141 KB)
• 17 Sep 2007 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 202 KB)
• 31 Aug 2007 – Critical Water Planning Lower Darling (PDF 475 KB)
• 15 Aug 2007 – Critical Water Planning Hunter Valley (PDF 150 KB)
• 15 Aug 2007 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 610 KB)
• 15 Aug 2007 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 766 KB)
• 10 Aug 2007 – Critical Water Planning for the Peel and Namoi Valleys (PDF 560 KB)
• 27 Jul 2007 – Critical Water Planning Lower Darling (PDF 498 KB)
• 16 Jul 2007 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 611 KB)
• 16 Jul 2007 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 642 KB)
• 15 Jul 2007 – Critical Water Planning Hunter Valley (PDF 163 KB)
• 15 Jun 2007 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 229 KB)
• 15 Jun 2007 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 291 KB)
• 15 Jun 2007 – Critical Water Planning Lower Darling (PDF 191 KB)
• 01 Jun 2007 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 229 KB)
• 01 Jun 2007 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 229 KB)
• 15 May 2007 – Critical Water Planning Murrumbidgee Valley (PDF 139 KB)
• 15 May 2007 – Critical Water Planning Murray Valley (PDF 139 KB)
• Water availability in the nsw Murrumbidgee valley in 2006-07 (PDF 47 KB)