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Active management

Active management procedures protect environmental water from extraction in the unregulated Barwon-Darling, Gwydir and Macquarie-Bogan water sources.

Aerial view of Darling River with algal bloom

What are the active management procedures?

The active management procedures enable WaterNSW to raise commence-to-pump thresholds by the forecast volume of active environmental water (AEW) in a management zone each day, so that AEW is protected from extraction.

The active management procedures were implemented in December 2020 to protect AEW from extraction in the unregulated Barwon-Darling, Gwydir and Macquarie-Bogan water sources. Active management procedures are implemented in priority areas in unregulated systems where extraction risks are highest.

Before the procedures were implemented, AEW could have been legally extracted from these water sources, so that it might not reach intended targets. Active management also gives licence holders and other stakeholders more certainty about how flows are managed and makes it clear when water can and cannot be taken.

AEW includes:

  • held environmental water (HEW) flowing from an upstream water source
  • planned environment water (PEW) from upstream water sources protected from extraction under the existing water sharing plan rules (e.g. active sub-allowance from the Macquarie Cudgegong regulated river)
  • licensed unregulated river water where the licence holder has notified the Minister that they want the water left in the unregulated river water source and protected from extraction.

Active Management in Unregulated Rivers Policy

The policy provides greater detail on the scope of active management and how it works.

Read the Active Management in Unregulated Rivers Policy

To implement active management, WaterNSW follows the procedures detailed in the active management procedure manuals:

Protecting held environmental water flowing from Queensland

In December 2020, when active management rules were being implemented in the Barwon-Darling, Gwydir and Macquarie-Bogan, the Intersecting Streams water sources were also considered. At the time, however, there was no method to account for environmental water flowing across the Queensland border. NSW and Queensland have since implemented a method for identifying and notifying held environmental water crossing the Queensland-NSW border.

The department recently undertook an extraction risk assessment to determine the current risk of held environmental water being extracted in the Intersecting Streams, and the resulting level of management required there. The assessment found that held environmental water is at low risk of extraction in the Intersecting Streams so active management is not required there. Instead, an accounting arrangement will be implemented by 30 June 2025. The arrangement will estimate held environmental water flowing through the Intersecting Streams and arriving at the Barwon-Darling where it will undergo active management in accordance with the Active Management Procedures Manual for the Barwon-Darling Unregulated Rivers Water Sources.

More information

To find out more please visit:

Annual evaluation and review

The procedures manuals require the department to complete a review annually. The department has completed the third annual review for 2022-23 available below.