Water compliance will become increasingly enforced, as the state’s water regulator continues with an eagle-eye as dry conditions continue to creep in. 

Despite a known history of poor water quality and levels for residents of the Western Plains throughout dry periods, the latest quarterly report from the Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) shows that water theft offences are continuing. 

NARA Director Regulatory Initiatives Ian Bernard said that as the warmer seasons come closer, the education of water licence holders around compliance is crucial. 

“The Bureau of Meteorology predicts below median rainfall and above median temperatures in NSW over the next three months,” Mr Bernard said. 

“Accurately measuring and accounting for water use is always important, but particularly when conditions are likely to start drying out.”

Metering compliance - alongside taking too much water - remain the most common offences across the state. Along the Barwon Darling & West region, water take and metering account for 86% of all investigations while in the Macquarie Castlereagh this increases to 92%.

Now, a NSW government review is investigating potential barriers to complying with new water metering rules that could be impacting the high number of offences. 

New non-urban metering rules include upgrading meters to comply with the AS4747 standard.

Across the state, non-urban water users say the expense of installing the new compliant meters, as well as the lack of qualified people to install the meters, is a major factor. 

In June, Minister for Water Rose Jackson announced the review on the back of ‘unacceptably low’ compliance with the new rules. 

“Nearly five years have passed since these metering rules were put in place and while more than 90 per cent of the largest commercial water users with irrigation pumps bigger than 500mm have jumped onboard, thousands of smaller operators have not – this needs to change,” Minister Jackson said. 

Across NSW, the Barwon Darling had the third highest number of alleged offences related to illegal water take and metering breaches, with 12 instances. 

There were 20 investigations in the Macquarie-Castlereagh water sharing area. 

Despite some cases of non-compliance and water theft being malicious and intentional, the NSW Irrigators Council is hopeful that the review will put an end to people being given compliance warnings despite trying to comply. 

“Let’s be clear, compliance is not a lack of will - but we need a way through the impenetrable barriers in farmers’ way due to a poorly thought-through reform,” the NSW Irrigators Council said in a statement.