NSW Environmental Water Holdings

NSW holds water to use for environmental benefit, to increase environmental flows and return water-stressed environments to an acceptable level of health over time. The NSW Government purchased environment water at market rates though existing water markets. Recovery of water savings from infrastructure projects has also contributed to NSW Environmental Water Holdings. The purchase and recovery of water took place through a number of water recovery programs.

Environmental water entitlement holdings to 31 October 2012 by water recovery program 

This table is an operational record that may incorporate some minor adjustments across the programs/valleys as data is further verified.

	NSW RiverBank1				Rivers Environmental Restoration Program2			NSW Wetland Recovery Program3		The Living Murray4
Regulated water source	HS5	GS6	SA7	UR8	GS	SA	UR	GS	SA	LTCE9	Sub-total per source
Gwydir		7,798			7,104	441		2,190		N/A	17,092 GS                      441 SA
Macquarie and Cudgegong		19,926	28		22,602	122	2,980	5,891	1,302	N/A	48,419 GS 1,451 SA 2,980 UR
Lachlan	1,000	24,097			472		184			N/A	1,000 HS 24,569 GS 184 UR
Murrumbidgee		27,676	5,679	7,962						221,487	27,676 GS 5,679 SA 7,962 UR
Murray											221,487 LTCE
Lower Darling
Sub-total per program	1,000	79,497	5,707	7,962	30,178	563	3,164	8,081	1,302	221,487
GRAND TOTAL											358,940

Explanatory notes

1. NSW Riverbank

2. Rivers Environmental Restoration Program

3. NSW Wetland Recovery Program

4. The Living Murray Market Purchase Measure

Water categories and shares - Within regulated water sources, each water licence has a volumetric component or share of total water access for a particular category. The different categories reflect the long-term average reliability of water allocation which will vary with seasonal dam storage and inflows.

5. High security (HS) shares are likely to receive close to 100% of their allocation in most years.

6. General security (GS) allocation will depend on dam storage levels at the commencement of the year and seasonal inflows. Reliability varies between valleys from around 50% to 70% of full allocation on average.

7. Supplementary access (SA) shares are extraction rights for tributary and high river flows that are not captured by storage. Holders of supplementary water access licences are able to extract water only during announced flow events, with rostered or managed access in place in most water sources. Supplementary access events are typically announced when flows exceed those required to meet other licensed obligations and environmental needs; for example, as a result of high tributary inflows downstream of a dam or when the dam is spilling.

Units of measure: entitlements - units of measure for entitlement recovered are expressed in unit shares. Currently one unit share at full allocation is equivalent to one megalitre (ML).

8. Unregulated (UR) means not regulated by a major storage. For many valleys, water sharing plans for unregulated water sources have not yet been completed and licences are administered under the Water Act 1912.

9. Long-term cap equivalent (LTCE) - units of measure for entitlement purchased under The Living Murray Initiative which are converted by a modelled long-term reliability (CAP) factor and expressed as ‘long-term cap equivalent (LTCE)’, as per the The Living Murray Business Plan, and include all entitlement categories (HS, GS, SA, Conveyance). View a breakdown of TLM water purchase and recovery measures.

Further information is available by emailing Riverbank@environment.nsw.gov.au or calling the Manager, RiverBank on (02) 6229 7141.