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The Revised Basin Plan

The third iteration of the Murray Darling Basin Plan was released in May 2012.  This was in response to the feedback obtained during the recent public submission period.

The documents relating to the Revised Plan can be found here: https://www.mdba.gov.au/proposed-basin-plan/proposed-basin-plan-revised

For our region (Namoi, Gwydir and Border Rivers Valleys), there are minimal changes in the key water access figures from the last version of the Plan.  In summary:

  • Gwydir Valley - no additional environmental water is required, due to the high level of buy-backs already conducted (around 109 GL);
  • Namoi - must contribute an additional 5 GL to local environmental needs, and an as yet unknown contribution to the total Northern Basin 143 GL for downstream environmental needs;
  • Border Rivers - must contribute an additional 8 GL to local environmental needs, and an as yet unknown contribution to the total Northern Basin 143 GL for downstream environmental needs.

The major numerical change within the Revised Plan is that groundwater access (Sustainable Diversion Limit = SDL) across the entire basin has been reduced from 4,340 GL/year to 3,184 GL/year.

Within our region, the key change is in the Gunnedah-Oxley Basin Deep Aquifer.  In the November version of the Plan, access (the SDL) in this aquifer was increased from zero to 300 GL/year. In the May version of the Plan, this has been reduced back down to 102.4 GL/year.

The SDL in the Manilla Alluvium has been slightly increased from 0.41 to 0.51 GL/year.

The SDL in the Upper Namoi Tributary Alluvium has been slightly decreased from 0.37 to 0.34 GL/year.

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