Barwon Darling farmers are the next group of irrigators in the spotlight, as their deadline for water metering compliance approaches on 1 April. 

Water users in the Barwon Darling water-sharing area won’t be able to legally harvest floodwater without a licence and compliant metering equipment, after having a year to comply with the new reforms. 

"Having a licence means people have the right to capture and store water as it flows across the floodplain, but it also means they have to measure and report their water take as set out in the conditions of their linked water supply works approvals,” Ms Reynolds said. 

“That means installing compliant metering equipment," she said. 

Macquarie system water users faced the same fate last month, when the deadline was imposed on them. 

The new laws will be enforced by the Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR).

“NRAR’s spatial analysts will check satellite imagery of on-farm storages (pictured) over time to see when dams are being filled from storm runoff. This will be compared with rainfall data for the location and specific water licence conditions to determine if any rules have been broken. 

Challenges imposed in installation - including finding qualified installers, a common issue in the upgrade process - could be considered for not meeting the metering requirement on time, but will not excuse floodplain harvesting without the proper meter. 

“...if they choose to capture water from a floodplain without a licence or without compliant metering equipment, we may take enforcement action regardless of those barriers,” Ms Reynolds said. 

“Now is the time to act so that when it rains, licensed water users are compliant and can legally capture water from the floodplain. 

NSW Irrigators Council (NSWIC) CEO Claire Miller said that there are more barriers that are making compliance ‘next to impossible’.

“Inconsistent policy tools, cost burden for low volume water users, a lack of duly qualified persons (DQPs), and impractical telemetry and floodplain harvesting requirements are just a few,” Ms Miller said.

From April 1, 2024, secondary metering equipment such as a gauge board or an approved automated storage volume measurement device can now only be used in these valleys if the primary metering equipment is installed but not operating properly.