The Water Sharing Plan for the Upper Namoi and Lower Namoi Regulated Water Sources (NSW Government 2016a) provides for planned environmental water and stock and domestic (replenishment flows) releases. Water deliveries to meet irrigation orders may provide baseflows in some sections of the Namoi River. Planned environmental water includes limiting the long term average extraction levels to a percentage of average flow, limiting supplementary access to a percentage of flow at certain times of the year and providing minimum end of system flows. This end of system flows can be suspended if dam levels drop below a set volume. Due to the current dry conditions these end of system flows are currently not being provided. Supplementing other water releases with Commonwealth environmental water may increase the potential for environmental objectives to be achieved and assist with delivery efficiency. The Peel Water Sharing Plan (NSW Government 2010) has provision for a stimulus flow of 1 600 ML to be released from Chaffey Dam under certain conditions. A 5 000 ML environmental contingency allowance has been created with the recent increase in the capacity of Chaffey Dam to just over 100 000 ML. How this environmental contingency allowance will be managed is still being determined by the NSW Government.
The Water Sharing Plan for the Upper Namoi and Lower Namoi Regulated Water Sources (NSW Government 2016a) provides for planned environmental water and stock and domestic (replenishment flows) releases. Water deliveries to meet irrigation orders may provide baseflows in some sections of the Namoi River. Planned environmental water includes limiting the long term average extraction levels to a percentage of average flow, limiting supplementary access to a percentage of flow at certain times of the year and providing minimum end of system flows. This end of system flows can be suspended if dam levels drop below a set volume. Due to the current dry conditions these end of system flows are currently not being provided. Supplementing other water releases with Commonwealth environmental water may increase the potential for environmental objectives to be achieved and assist with delivery efficiency. The Peel Water Sharing Plan (NSW Government 2010) has provision for a stimulus flow of 1 600 ML to be released from Chaffey Dam under certain conditions. A 5 000 ML environmental contingency allowance has been created with the recent increase in the capacity of Chaffey Dam to just over 100 000 ML. How this environmental contingency allowance will be managed is still being determined by the NSW Government.