The NSW Government’s first Lachlan Long-Term Water Plan (LTWP) is an important step to describing the flow regimes required to maintain or improve environmental outcomes in the Lachlan. This LTWP identifies water management strategies for maintaining and improving the long-term health of the Lachlan’s riverine and floodplain environmental assets and the ecosystem functions they perform. This includes detailed descriptions of ecologically important river flows and risks to water for the environment.
Importantly, the LTWP does not prescribe how environmental water should be delivered in the future. It will help water managers and advisory groups, such as the Lachlan Environmental Water Advisory Group (EWAG), provide advice about where, when and how water can be used to achieve agreed long-term ecological objectives. The LTWP also looks at all sources of water and how these can be managed to support environmental outcomes in the catchment.