Author: Mel Gray, NCC Water Campaigner
In 2023, Premier Minns, Minister Sharpe and soon to be Minister Jackson, flew out to Menindee the day after they were sworn in as the new NSW Government, giving the community hope that they were going to fix the Darling/Baaka River once and for all. Since July 2024, Minister Jackson has had the blueprint for how to do that - the NSW Connectivity Expert Panel report.
The Connectivity Report outlines the step to fix the Barwon-Darling/Baaka River, providing the basic needs for its survival:
- a base flow all the time
- a small flush once a year
- a larger flush every second year
Over 95% of the Barwon-Darling/Baaka's water comes from its tributary rivers, both in QLD and NSW. Therefore it is critical that the tributary rivers that start in the NSW tablelands are allowed to hydrologically reconnect to the Barwon-Darling/Baaka. Currently, the rules prevent enough water from leaving these rivers and flowing into the Barwon-Darling:
- The Border Rivers
- Gwydir
- Namoi & Peel
- Wambuul/Macquarie
Brand new replacement water sharing plans for the unregulated Barwon-Darling/Baaka, Wambuul Macquarie, Namoi & Peel and the Gwydir are due to be gazetted on 1 July 2025 - and the drafts the community has seen do not include any of the recommendations of the connectivity report - which begs the question - is the NSW government serious about fixing the Barwon-Darling/Baaka River?
While we know not all of the connectivity rules will be ready for July this year, there are some very important improvements that could be made in time for the signing off of these 10 year plans that would indicate to the community that the government did mean what they said when they stood in front of tens of millions of dead fish at Menindee in 2023 promising to fix the Darling/Baaka River.
For example:
- Resumption of flow rules from the Barwon-Darling/Baaka WSP extended into the unregulated tributary water sharing plan. From the Connectivity Report:
"During dry times – extend the current resumption of flow rules into the Northern Basin tributaries and provide for a small flushing flow following an extended dry period all the way to Menindee Lakes prior to allowing extraction."
- Increased cease-to-pump rules in the tributary water sharing plans that give effect to the base flow, small flush annually and large flush bi-annually in the water sharing plans in July with hard deadline for when they come into effect (once modelling and gauging upgraded). From the Connectivity Report:
"During non-dry times – ensure that baseflow is protected across the Northern Basin and provide for small and large freshes consistent with the environmental water requirements outlined in the relevant Long Term Watering Plan."
How can you help?
Let's make sure that the NSW Government doesn't miss this opportunity for healthy rivers - email Premier Minns today.