New South Wales Consolidated Regulations

WATER SHARING PLAN FOR THE TARCUTTA CREEK WATER SOURCE 2003 - REG 11

11 Objectives

(1) The broad objectives of this Plan are to:

(a) maintain flow-dependent riverine ecosystems and restore to health those which have been degraded, and

(b) optimise economic, social, cultural and environmental values, including those of Indigenous peoples, by providing for the fair and equitable sharing of water from this water source.

(2) The specific objectives of this Plan are to:

(a) protect basic landholder rights, including native title rights,

(b) minimise the impact of extraction on natural water levels in river pools and wetlands during periods of no flow,

(c) protect natural low flow regimes,

(d) protect a portion of freshes and high flows,

(e) maintain the natural inundation patterns and distribution of floodwaters supporting natural wetlands and floodplain ecosystems,

(f) maintain or imitate natural flow variability in all rivers,

(g) maintain groundwater within natural levels and variability to sustain critical surface flows and ecosystems,

(h) define and provide for town water access,

(i) provide, where possible, adequate flow conditions for recreational and cultural use and amenity,

(j) define licensed water access to a share of available water, to provide for sustainable current and future water uses, within the limits of the Murray Darling Basin Ministerial Council Cap,

(k) facilitate water use efficiency to protect river flows,

(l) recognise and protect Indigenous rights to a share of flow for cultural heritage (especially within wetlands, floodplain, riverbanks and tributaries on Crown Lands) and traditional uses,

(m) improve the diversity and abundance of local native species, especially in relation to the recovery of threatened species,

(n) contribute to flows occurring in the Murrumbidgee River, and

(o) contribute to the achievement of water quality suitable for identified values in this water source, including aquatic ecosystems, visual amenity, secondary and primary contact, recreation, livestock, irrigation and homestead water supply, drinking water and aquatic foods (cooked).

Note: Objective (o) refers to maintaining water quality. Although there are no specific strategies directly related to this objective in this Plan, the environmental water provisions in this Plan makes a positive contribution to maintaining water quality.