Water delivery a win for the environment

NSW is making great progress towards its Murray-Darling Basin targets with 6.29 gigalitres (GL) of water now returned to the environment to boost the health of our rivers through the $126.5 million Murrumbidgee Irrigation Automation Finalisation Project.

The landmark project is overhauling infrastructure to improve water efficiency across 190,000 hectares of irrigated land including upgrading 1,500 metered outlets, automating 308 regulators, refurbishing 20 kilometres of open earth channels and constructing a new 5,000 ML surge reservoir.

It’s being funded thanks to the Australian Government commitment to deliver the Murray-Darling Basin Plan through the Off-farm Efficiency Program.

This program has now closed and is replaced by the new Resilient Rivers Water Infrastructure Program.

Applications for the Resilient Rivers Water Infrastructure Program are now open.

This exciting project is being delivered by NSW Government, in conjunction with Murrumbidgee Irrigation.

The environmental water return has been delivered and the majority of infrastructure upgrades are complete, with the remaining works to be finalised in early 2025.

Around 100 jobs have been created during the construction phase and is expected to result in over 130 direct roles across the region thanks to the program.

For more information on the program visit Resilient Rivers Water Infrastructure Program.

NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Executive Director - Infrastructure Development, Lisa Hingerty said:

“Projects such as the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Automation Finalisation Project are a valuable contribution towards delivering 450 GL of water for the environment under the Basin Plan.

“This is about empowering the water delivery network to better prepare for the future.

“It leads the way in showing how investment in infrastructure can enable more efficient use of our most precious resource, for the benefit of the environment, water users and the community.

“This work is great news for the region as it allows farms and other agricultural businesses to produce crops more sustainably while also benefiting the environment.

“It’s a wonderful example of achieving Basin Plan objectives through infrastructure projects in a way which balances economic, social, cultural and ecological outcomes which is a win-win for everyone.”