Water Management
Toorale water purchase
In September 2008 the NSW and Commonwealth Governments purchased Toorale Station, located on the junction of the Warrego and Darling Rivers in north–west NSW.
The purchase included the property's licensed water entitlements.
Following a major rainfall event in north–west NSW and south–west Queensland in February 2009, water that would normally have been taken by the property was instead allowed to flow into the Darling River system and subsequently into the Menindee Lakes.
The Commonwealth Government sought the cooperation of the NSW Government to allow this water to be released from the Menindee Lakes to achieve environmental outcomes in the Murray and Darling Rivers downstream of the Menindee Lakes.
The NSW Department of Water and Energy agreed to undertake a trial of the transfer of this water.
The Department has prepared two reports outlining the project proposal of this trial and the water accounting procedures: