Hawkesbury-Nepean river recovery
The purchase of water licences in the Hawkesbury-Nepean River system is one of seven projects of the Hawkesbury-Nepean River Recovery Program The program was funded by the Australian Government through its Water for the Future initiative and was implemented by NSW Government agencies, Sydney Water Corporation and Hawkesbury City Council.
The Licence Purchase Project:
purchased water entitlement from willing sellers
gauged the market value of water
ensured that the water is secured for the environment into the future.
Purchases from willing sellers under the Hawkesbury-Nepean Water River Recovery Program are now complete. The Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) purchased 4912 megalitres of unregulated river access licence shares across the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment (including1245 million litres on behalf of the program's Water Smart Farms Project) at a cost of $5.7 million.
The prices paid varied with location due to variations in estimated market value and the level of environmental benefit expected for each location. The purchased entitlement will now be reserved as environmental water and will therefore contribute to healthier river ecosystems.
The factsheet Hawkesbury-Nepean Water Licence Purchase Project (20110936HNWaterLicence.pdf, 486KB) details licence purchase activities under the Hawkesbury-Nepean River Recovery Program. As a service to inform a developing water market, the brochure includes information from the project that may be of interest to water licence holders for a range of reaches of the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers and some tributaries. This information is derived from the Licence Purchase Project and does not constitute advice.
Page last updated: 13 May 2013
