Irrigators overdrew 40,000ML of water from NSW rivers, audit finds, as farmers protest buy-backs

Regulator says 6% of irrigators responsible for overdrawing equivalent of 16,000 Olympic swimming pools' worth of water

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Irrigators in New South Wales have withdrawn the equivalent of 16,000 Olympic swimming pools' worth of water over their allowed limits from waterways throughout the state.

An audit by the Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) found more than 40,000 megalitres of water were overdrawn in 2021-22. Just 6% of water users were responsible for the overdrawing of water.

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