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DWE Home > Home > across the state > Murray–Murrumbidgee

Murray, Murrumbidgee and Lower Darling valleys

Stretching from the alpine areas of the Snowy Mountains, to the mallee country near the South Australian border, this is a diverse area which includes some of our state's most productive country.

The valleys are home to many of Australia's great rivers, including the Murray, Snowy, Murrumbidgee and the lower Darling downstream of the Menindee Lakes. These rivers, and their associated storage systems, are the lifeblood of agriculture, industry and communities in the area, particularly in the irrigation districts in the west. The five major storage areas – Burrinjuck Dam, Blowering Dam, Hume Dam and Darmouth, Lake Victoria and the Menindee Lakes - provide about 80 per cent of the state's surface water supplies.

The Department plays a vital role in managing, allocating and protecting these water resources. DWE  is responsible for water allocations in this area, assesses water licences, and has developed water sharing plans to sustainably manage groundwater and surface water supplies for the long-term. The majority (97%) of the state's saleable water is within the Murray and Murrumbidgee valleys.

The Department is also a key partner in a number of environmental initiatives designed to improve the health of the Murray-Darling Basin.  The Department works closely with the Murray–Darling Basin Commission in sharing the water resources between NSW, Victoria and South Australia, and between consumptive users and the environment.

Salinity is a major issue in the southern NSW both for dryland and irrigated agriculture, and in urban areas.  DWE operates and maintains a number of Salinity Interception Schemes in this area, and is involved in implementing the Murray Darling Basin Salinity Management Strategy.

Expert staff from the Department are heading a number of important projects and programs, including river management works for the Tumut and Upper Murray Rivers; water quality event monitoring; and the state-wide provision of chemical and biological analytical services.

Major projects and responsibilities for the Department in this area of the state include

• Water licensing
• Water trading
• Ensuring compliance
• Blue green algae management
• Integrated monitoring of environmental flows
• Hydrometric and hydrographic operation and maintenance.
• Draft Tumut River Management Plan on public exhibition – The plan outlines long term policy and actions that will allow the day to day management of the Tumut River to occur while maintaining the river’s potential and incrementally improving environmental, social and economic values of the area.