Published in December 2024, the Lachlan Regional Water Strategy sets a 20-year plan to improve water security, manage risks and enable climate resilience across the Lachlan region. The implementation plan for the strategy lists out a series of priority actions that will be delivered over the coming 5 years by the department and our delivery partners across local, state and federal government.
The strategy identifies three key priorities:
- build resilience to climate extremes
- improve catchment health
- support the water needs of a strong and sustainable economy.
The Lachlan Regional Water Strategy identifies 63 initiatives to address key water security challenges across the catchment. As this was only recently published, many initiatives are currently in progress or to be commenced. Early work is focused on establishing planning foundations and prioritising actions that support future drought preparedness in the region.
Key areas of progress to date include:
Priority 1 - Build resilience to climate extremes
- Investment in projects to improve town water security in the Lachlan region has continued through phase 2 of the Town Water Risk Reduction Program which was extended to June 2025.
- The department is coordinating across different levels of government to support water security issues in the Central West. This is being done through several initiatives including consultation on the Regulatory and Assurance Framework, working with Local Water Utilities (LWUs) to coordinate strategic planning by LWUs, and through partnerships with Central NSW Joint Organisation of councils in co-designing a state-first Regional Water Loss Management Hub which was expanded in February 2025 to include more councils.
- The final business case for the Belubula Water Security project is analysing options to improve town water security and will be submitted in 2026 for an investment decision. The outcome will be considered in the regional water supply grid. Options being assessed are:
- a new pipeline linking Lake Rowlands and Carcoar Dam to transfer up to 2 gigalitres (Gl) of water per year, capturing spills and boosting supply
- raising the Lake Rowlands Dam wall to increase storage from 4.5 to 8 Gl.
- WaterNSW have completed flood recovery works at Lake Brewster weir and inlet channel which are now operating at full capacity, helping to ensure the reliability of water storage and supply to water users downstream. The lake is also an important refuge for the Australian pelican, black swan and great crested grebe.
Priority 2 – Improve catchment health
- Development of a Floodplain Management Plan for the Lachlan valley is underway. When completed this will better coordinate flood risk mitigation, protect flood-dependent ecosystems and provide clarity on existing/approved flood structures. It also informs resilient town planning and the sequencing of infrastructure works.
Priority 3 – Support the water needs of a strong and sustainable economy
- Data from the Lachlan RWS are now available on the SEED Open Data Portal, while the Farms of the Future AgTech program has been extended to 2028.