NRAR staff check pumps and meters. Photo: Supplied.
The NSW Government’s Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) has issued fines to irrigators in Leeton, Coleambally, Hillston and Hay for allegedly extracting more water than their licences allow.
“We’ve had to issue more than $77,000 in fines and penalties to five licence holders who allegedly overdrew their water accounts repeatedly,” NRAR Director of Investigations and Enforcement Tim O’Connell said.
NRAR reported that an individual in Hay was fined $7700 for allegedly overdrawing amounts that totalled more than 812 megalitres, which is enough water to almost fill “325 Olympic-sized swimming pools”.
A Leeton company was fined $11,909 for allegedly overdrawing 205 litres while a Hillston agribusiness copped a $26,930 fine for alleged overdraws totalling 253 megalitres.
A Hay and Coleambally company were also each issued with a $15,400 fine.
Mr O’Connell would not reveal the identify of the businesses or individuals but said fines were issued in relation to permanent planting crops such as almonds, citrus and grapes. There were no fines handed out to cotton growers, the group most commonly stigmatised for alleged water theft.
“Once we finalised these enforcement charges and issued fines, that closes the investigation. If they re-offend, they may face subsequent action which could see a prosecution in the local court or the Land and Environment Court, which may result in much larger penalties,” he said.
He told Region that while there were 39,000 water licences in NSW, around 80 of those indicated overdraws of groundwater.
“We would suggest that a majority of irrigators are managing their water carefully,” he said.
NRAR detects water misuse by checking pumps, meters and information contained on the database of Water NSW – the state authority that issues water licences. Cameras, drones and satellite technology are not used to monitor groundwater use.
Mr O’Connell said fines were substantially increased under law in September 2024.
“We can leverage a charge of up to five times the value of the water that was allegedly taken and charge the individual or the corporation for that,” he said.
NRAR generally does not monitor the water use of farmers who operate within the footprint of irrigation supply companies such as Murrumbidgee Irrigation and Coleambally Irrigation.
“We regulate the irrigation corporations in terms of their overarching water access licence, but we don’t look at the individuals within the system per se,” Mr O’Connell said.
Mr O’Connell said that as the end of the 2025-26 water year approached, many licence holders would be nearing their extraction limit.
“Now is the time to check your allocation limit and make sure you stay in the black – the risk of getting caught if you exceed it is high and the penalties for breaking the rules are serious,” he said.
Mr O’Connell said staying within account limits was particularly important since much of southern and central western NSW remained drought affected, because fines rise along with the value of the water – which is expensive in a dry period.
“The goal of these penalties is to deter water users – particularly corporate and business offenders – from doing the wrong thing in the first place,” he said.
The fines and penalties issued in the Riverina are among the first times NRAR has applied new stronger enforcement powers.
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