About allocating water
A water allocation is the percentage of a licensed water user’s entitlement that is credited to their water account for use. We announce allocations each year on 1 July and regularly thereafter until all licence categories in a water source are fully allocated.
We allocate water using water sharing plans to ensure long-term water security and prioritised access to water across NSW. Allocations vary based on the water available in dams, river flows, and the prevailing catchment and weather conditions.
In formal terms, allocations are sometimes known as Available Water Determinations.
Current water allocations for regulated rivers.
We allocate water in priority order according to the rules in water sharing plans.
Issued to confirm the sharing of available water for a specific water source or announce an increase in an allocation to a licence category.
Outlining how much water licensed users can extract.
Data visualisation tool to view and analyse water availability announcements.
Information products providing outlooks, forecasts and periodic status updates.