2024-25
- NSW has completed a self-assessment of SDL compliance for 2024-25 and submitted to the MDBA. These results show that there are no SDL resource units that exceeded the SDL compliance trigger in the 2024-25 water year.
- A summary of our assessment for surface-water SDL units can be found in Table 1; all surface SDL resource unit valleys in NSW have a positive cumulative balance. Further information, along with the results for groundwater can be found in the 2024-25 narrative report.
- Most NSW WRPs are now accredited. Find further information on the accreditation status of our water resource plans.
- The SDL compliance status can be formally assessed where an accredited Water Resource Plan (WRP) has been in place for the whole water year. The MDBA and IGWC will publish these results later in 2026.
- Where no accredited plan is in place, the 2024-25 s71 submission has been prepared in accordance with a bi-lateral agreement between NSW DCCEEW-Water and the MDBA who will report the results on an interim register.
| SDL Resource unit | Cumulative balance* as a % of SDL | Has the 20% compliance trigger been breached?** |
|---|---|---|
| NSW Murray | 114% | No |
| Lower Darling | 134% | No |
| Murrumbidgee | 8% | No |
| Lachlan | 50% | No |
| Intersecting Streams | 0% | No |
| Barwon Darling Watercourse | 18% | No |
| Macquarie-Castlereagh | 58% | No |
| Namoi | 12% | No |
| Gwydir | 9% | No |
| NSW Border Rivers | 24% | No |
* Includes adjustments for disposal and/or acquisition of HEW allocation and incomplete recovery.
** The Basin Plan 2012 sets out the conditions for surface water non-compliance (section 6.12). The MDBA Sustainable Diversion Limit accounting and reporting framework 2022 acknowledges that the models used to determine the SDL and the permitted take aim to represent water user behaviour and decision-making, however, they will never be able to do so perfectly. This means some annual variability in compliance outcomes can be expected and is why the framework is based on a cumulative assessment and includes a compliance trigger.
2023-24
- Outcomes have been published on the MDBA website and the IGWC website
- SDL compliance can be assessed where an accredited Water Resource Plan (WRP) has been in place for the whole water year. There were 5 NSW WRPs in place for the whole of 2023-24: NSW Border Rivers Alluvium, NSW MDB Fractured Rock, Macquarie-Castlereagh Alluvium, NSW MDB Porous Rock and Darling Alluvium. All were compliant.
- Where no accredited plan is in place, the 2023-24 s71 submission has been prepared in accordance with a bi-lateral agreement between NSW DCCEEW-Water and the MDBA who will report the results on an interim register. All interim results show compliance.
- We have provided a summary of the assessments and an update on our actions in the 23/24 narrative report.
- Find further information on the accreditation status of our water resource plans. Most NSW WRPs are now accredited.
- The MDBA Sustainable Diversion Limit accounting and reporting framework 2022 acknowledges that the models used to determine the SDL and the permitted take aim to represent water user behaviour and decision-making, however, they will never be able to do so perfectly. This means some annual variability in compliance outcomes can be expected and is why the framework is based on a cumulative assessment and includes a compliance trigger.
| SDL Resource unit | Cumulative balance* as a % of SDL | Has the 20% compliance trigger been breached?** |
|---|---|---|
| NSW Murray | 92% | No |
| Lower Darling | 96% | No |
| Murrumbidgee | -11% | No |
| Lachlan | 36% | No |
| Intersecting Streams | 0% | No |
| Barwon Darling Watercourse | 40% | No |
| Macquarie-Castlereagh | 57% | No |
| Namoi | 8% | No |
| Gwydir | 29% | No |
| NSW Border Rivers | 32% | No |
* Balance has been adjusted for disposal and/or acquisition of HEW allocation in these SDL resource units during 2023/24, incomplete recovery in 2022/23 and model refresh adjustments.
** The Basin Plan 2012 sets out the conditions for surface water non-compliance (section 6.12)
2022-23
- Outcomes have been published on the MDBA website
- The Inspector-General Water Compliance did not assess compliance as we did not have accredited WRPs in the most recent water year assessed
- In June 2020 NSW implemented a bilateral agreement with the MDBA to ensure key elements of the water resource plans, including SDL reporting and accounting, were given effect from 1 July 2019 where water resource plans are not accredited by that date. The NSW/MDBA bilateral agreement has been updated since 2020 and more information can be found on the MDBA website.
- The Barwon-Darling and Gwydir exceeded the SDL compliance trigger in the 2021-22 assessment but are both now within the trigger and have a credit. All other surface and groundwater SDL units are within the trigger for the 2022-23 assessment.
- We have provided explanations and an update on our actions in the 22/23 narrative report (PDF, 631.87 KB)..
- When accredited WRPs have been in place for an entire year, the SDL compliance framework will apply. Most NSW WRPs are now accredited. Find further information on the accreditation status of our water resource plans. Five SDL units will be assessed for compliance for the 2023-24 water year: NSW Border Rivers Alluvium, NSW MDB Fractured Rock, Macquarie-Castlereagh Alluvium, NSW MDB Porous Rock and Darling Alluvium.
| SDL Resource unit | Cumulative balance* as a % of SDL | Has the 20% compliance trigger been breached?** |
|---|---|---|
| Intersecting Streams | 0% | No |
| Barwon Darling Watercourse | 38% | No |
| NSW Border Rivers | 50% | No |
| Gwydir | 26% | No |
| Namoi | 0% | No |
| Macquarie-Castlereagh | 63% | No |
| Lachlan | 21% | No |
| Murrumbidgee | -11% | No |
| NSW Murray | 52% | No |
| Lower Darling | 81% | No |
* Balance has been adjusted for disposal and/or acquisition of HEW allocation in these SDL resource units during 2022/23, incomplete recovery in 2021/22 and model refresh adjustments.
** The Basin Plan 2012 sets out the conditions for surface water non-compliance (section 6.12)
2021-22
- Outcomes have been published on the MDBA website.
- The Inspector-General Water Compliance did not assess compliance as we did not have accredited WRPs.
- The Barwon Darling and Gwydir exceeded the SDL compliance trigger (see Table below). All other surface and groundwater SDL units were within the trigger.
- We have provided explanations and an update on our actions in the 21/22 narrative report.
- The exceedance in the Gwydir is predominantly from growth in floodplain harvesting. This growth has now been managed through floodplain harvesting licences, which came into effect on the 15 August 2022.
- Prior to 15 August, we implemented compliance action in both the Gwydir and NSW Border Rivers by reducing supplementary access available water determinations. This was the action required by the water sharing plan prior to the commencement of floodplain harvesting licences. Note that this action is designed to ensure compliance over the long term. This means that not all growth is removed in every year which may lead to an SDL debit over the short term.
- We continue to progress the make good actions in the Barwon-Darling and a status update is provided in the narrative report.
- We have not submitted formal reasonable excuse claims as we were not being formally assessed. A reasonable excuse framework was also no longer in place.
- Once WRPs are accredited the SDL compliance framework will apply to NSW.
| SDL Resource unit | Cumulative balance* as a % of SDL | Has the 20% compliance trigger been breached?** |
|---|---|---|
| Intersecting Streams | 0% | No |
Barwon Darling Watercourse | -40% | Yes |
| NSW Border Rivers | 5% | No |
Gwydir | -21% | Yes |
| Namoi | 7% | No |
| Macquarie-Castlereagh | 6% | No |
| Lachlan | 7% | No |
| Murrumbidgee | -18% | No |
| NSW Murray | 38% | No |
| Lower Darling | 38% | No |
* Balance has been adjusted for disposal and/or acquisition of HEW allocation in these SDL resource units during 2021/22, incomplete recovery in 2020/21 and model refresh adjustments.
** The Basin Plan 2012 sets out the conditions for surface water non-compliance (section 6.12)
2020-21
- Outcomes are published on the MDBA website.
- Compliance assessment responsibility was transferred to the Inspector-General Water Compliance (IGWC) which was formally established on 5 August 2021.
- NSW results are referred to as interim outcomes, as the IGWC have stated that they are unable to assess the compliance status when an accredited WRP is not in place.
- The Barwon Darling exceeded the SDL compliance trigger. All other surface and groundwater SDL units were within the trigger.
- We submitted a reasonable excuse claim for the Barwon Darling (PDF, 307.38 KB). A series of make-good actions were agreed to with MDBA in 2021 and we continue to progress these. This includes a project to update the permitted take method as it was developed based on older less accurate metering. We estimate that this is the main reason for exceeding the compliance triggers in 2020/21. Read our FAQs to find out more.
2019-20
- Outcomes are published on the MDBA website
- 2019-20 is the first water year NSW has had to report on SDL compliance under the Basin Plan.
- NSW exceeded the sustainable diversion limit (SDL) compliance trigger in the Barwon-Darling (surface water), the Upper Macquarie Alluvium (groundwater) and the Lower Murrumbidgee Deep (groundwater) SDL resource units.
- The MDBA accepted the reasonable excuse claims submitted by NSW for the two groundwater sources but rejected them for the Barwon-Darling. The details of these claims are on the MDBA website
- The reasonable excuse claim for the Barwon Darling was rejected by the MDBA as the department hadn’t implemented all of the procedures in the proposed water resource plan, including the assessment of compliance with the LTAAEL. [Note – this work has now been completed and can be found on our website].