Drought recovery
During 2017 to 2020, large areas of NSW faced severe water shortages. Between January 2017 and December 2019, NSW temperatures were the warmest and rainfall was the lowest on record. During this time, river valleys were managed under the drought stages in the Extreme Events Policy.
All major river valleys in the state are now in Stage 1 of the Extreme Events Policy – Normal Operations.
As the state recovers from drought, the NSW Government is committed to earlier communication with communities when conditions indicate that we may be approaching drought. Clear and early communication will allow landholders and water users to better prepare for potential restrictions and ensure that applications for groundwater approvals and drought infrastructure are in place early.