Lachlan Valley Annual Environmental Watering Plans
Annual Watering Plans are developed by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) with guidance from the LRWG, to ensure appropriate local input into planning decisions. Annual Watering Plans focus on the water delivery aspects and outline the decision framework for prioritising the use of environmental watering in the Lachlan Catchment during each water year (July to June). The annual water planning process responds to changing water resource conditions, watering opportunities and environmental priorities throughout the year. The Lachlan Valley Annual Environmental Watering Plans which have been published so far are available to download via the bulleted list below (note the format and title of these plans has changed slightly through time, having undergone an annual review and revision process):
- Environmental Watering Plan for the Lachlan Valley 2008/09
- Environmental Watering Plan for the Lachlan Valley 2009/10
- Environmental Watering Plan for the Lachlan Valley 2010/11
- Environmental Watering Plan for the Lachlan Valley 2011/12
- Lachlan Valley Annual Environmental Watering Plan 2012–13
- Lachlan Valley Annual Environmental Watering Plan 2013–14
The delivery of environmental water and related outcomes are reported quarterly, with newsletters produced by the LRWG made available on this website.
The implementation of the Annual Watering Plans, including any changes to priorities or other aspects, is reported at the end of each water year. These reports are made available to the community via this website. The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage released their Annual Report for 2011/12 on Environmental Water Use in NSW in January 2013, while the previous years Annual Report for 2010/11 on Environmental Water Use in NSW is also available. The report and other information about how environmental water is managed in NSW can also be found at their website.
The Commonwealth Environmental Water Office has also released its Annual Water Use Options 2012–13 document which sets out the proposed approach for the use of Commonwealth Environmental water holdings in the Lachlan River Catchment during 2012–13, based on the range of possible river conditions in the valley throughout the year.
