The Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) is ramping up early intervention efforts to prevent water law breaches in the lower Murray, where irrigation-reliant permanent crops like nut and fruit trees are expanding.
NRAR has flagged this growth as a risk, especially during dry periods when water prices spike.
NRAR Director of Regulatory Initiatives Dr Andrew Howe said the regulator would take a low-tolerance approach to offences but was giving growers fair warning to prepare.
“Our staff have recently met with peak industry bodies to ensure they understand the risks and the high likelihood of detection if rules are broken,” Dr Howe said.
“We’ll also contact more than 300 licence holders with high-water-needs permanent crops to encourage planning for adverse conditions.”
Over the next year, NRAR will actively monitor for unlawful water use in the southern Murray-Darling Basin, targeting offences such as:
• overdrawn water accounts
• failure to pre-order water
• taking water with non-functioning meters
• unapproved water works
NRAR will use satellite and remote sensing technology to flag sites where water demand may exceed allocations, triggering rapid investigations when potential breaches are detected.
More details can be found at https://www.nrar.nsw.gov.au/
