Declaration order

A Declaration Order is a legal document issued under Sch 9, s 3 of the Water Management (General) Regulation 2025 The Declaration Order describes:

• the flow rates, frequency, timing and duration of the proposed environmental water release
• an area of land where negotiations will take place (this allows for a phased rollout of the program through amendments to the declaration order to encompass additional areas of land).

This information supports landholders and property valuers in understanding the potential impacts of proposed environmental water releases.

Gazettal of the Declaration Order does not mean the program’s proposed environmental water releases will begin. No environmental flows up to current Water Sharing Plan limits will occur before December 2026.

Environmental flows above the current water sharing plan limits to the upper flow limit of 40,000 ML/day cannot commence until the NSW Minister for Water declares that all negotiations under the LNS are complete. This will not occur until after 2031.

If you would like to find out more about the program’s environmental flows you can visit:

• Understanding program flows
• Proposed environmental water releases in the Murrumbidgee (PDF 1.2MB)

What happens next?

The program will contact affected landholders in the Murrumbidgee Project Phase 1 area, from Darlington Point to Balranald, to begin voluntary negotiations under the LNS.

Due to the scale of the project, affected landholders in this area will be contacted in a staged approach. Additionally, an email will be sent to all program subscribers, notifying them of the commencement of Phase 1 negotiations.

Future amendments

Subject to future funding and Basin Plan continuation, the Declaration Order may be amended to include additional areas along the Murrumbidgee after December 2026 where negotiations will take place.

Access the Declaration Order

The Declaration Order is available on the NSW Government Gazette website.