What is water for the environment?

Rivers, creeks and wetlands play a vital role in sustaining healthy communities and economies. They provide connections across the landscape for people, plants and animals with benefits that extend well beyond the river bank.

Healthy rivers are the lifeblood of inland New South Wales, energising the landscape and supporting both economic and environmental outcomes.

Over the past 200 years, many creeks and wetlands in New South Wales have had their natural flow cycles disrupted as a result of dams and weirs. We work with communities to return a more natural cycle of flows to key rivers and wetlands across the state.

Why water for the environment is important

Healthy rivers and wetlands support native wildlife alongside a range of industries, including irrigation, dryland agriculture, fishing, tourism, timber production and bee keeping.

Rivers and wetlands also have great cultural and spiritual significance to Aboriginal people. These landscapes provide a link to traditional storytelling, beliefs and practices. They are also a rich source of food, medicine and materials for shelter, clothing and tools as part of their living culture.

What water for the environment does

Water for the environment has helped to restore, maintain and improve river and wetland sites across New South Wales over the past 20 years.

Water releases trigger a surge in the number of insects and micro-organisms within a wetland. Frogs emerge to feed and become food for waterbirds, fish, turtles and other reptiles.

Plants reproduce and set seed, providing food, shelter and nesting materials for animals. Wetland plants also filter the water, capturing sediment and returning it to the floodplain floor ready to feed the next generation of wetland plants.

Native fish respond to the conditions and begin to breed. Fish are an essential part of a healthy river. Supporting native fish supports the recreational fishing and tourism industries.

Specific sites are targeted to support waterbird and woodland bird breeding events. Birds play an important role in the riverine environment, controlling pest insects and helping pollination. Bird watching and bushwalking support tourism in local communities.

During dry times, water for the environment is used strategically to provide refuge sites for key plant and animal species ensuring their survival in the longer term.

Environmental flows help to recharge ground water systems. Rivers and wetlands also cool the land around them. They help to slow fast-flowing flood waters and filter the water running through them. Flows spread out onto the floodplain, depositing sediments which in turn enrich the soil and increase productivity for agriculture.

Where the water is used

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water manages the delivery of water for the environment to 5 main valleys in New South Wales: the Gwydir, Macquarie, Lachlan, Murrumbidgee and Murray-Lower Darling.

We consult stakeholders including community groups, local landholders, scientists, Aboriginal organisations and government agencies to decide where and when environmental water is used. They form part of an environment water advisory group which meets regularly to discuss upcoming events, any issues or concerns, event outcomes and future opportunities.

In consultation with this advisory group, we develop annual and longer term watering plans that consider water availability, climatic conditions, scientific research, ecological outcomes and stakeholder perspectives.

We also work closely with other government agencies including the Murray–Darling Basin Authority, Department of Primary Industries Water, Local Land Services and the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office to deliver water to rivers, creeks and wetlands.