Release the Water: Save the Gwydir Wetlands!

Right now, an environmental crisis is unfolding in the Gwydir Wetlands, and it is entirely preventable. Critical environmental water is being held back in Copeton Dam by WaterNSW because of a new, unacceptable refusal to let water flow across private property without explicit permission.

Because of this bureaucratic stand-off, one of the last strongholds for the broad-shelled turtle at the Gingham Waterhole is rapidly drying up, leaving hundreds of turtles to die in the mud. As Gamilaraay Traditional Owner Polly Cutmore has said, the impact on wildlife is "heartbreaking" in a place that was meant to be "one of our ...

Right now, an environmental crisis is unfolding in the Gwydir Wetlands, and it is entirely preventable. Critical environmental water is being held back in Copeton Dam by WaterNSW because of a new, unacceptable refusal to let water flow across private property without explicit permission.

Because of this bureaucratic stand-off, one of the last strongholds for the broad-shelled turtle at the Gingham Waterhole is rapidly drying up, leaving hundreds of turtles to die in the mud. As Gamilaraay Traditional Owner Polly Cutmore has said, the impact on wildlife is "heartbreaking" in a place that was meant to be "one of our protective places."

We cannot allow legal excuses and the interests of irrigators to cause the extinction of local native species while the water they desperately need sits idle. Environmental protection must be prioritised.

The NSW Water Minister, Rose Jackson, must act swiftly to resolve this and ensure environmental water can be released immediately, just as it has been for years.

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Dear Minister Jackson,

I am writing to you with deep urgency regarding the unfolding environmental crisis in the Gwydir Wetlands. It is unacceptable that critical environmental water is currently being withheld in Copeton Dam while fragile ecosystems collapse and native species, like the broad-shelled turtle, are left to die in the drying mud.

It has come to light that WaterNSW is restricting environmental water deliveries due to a refusal to allow water to pass over private property. This bureaucratic roadblock is having devastating consequences on the ground. Environmental water orders are specifically designed to prevent ecological emergencies just like this one, and this water has been delivered successfully for years.

Gamilaraay Traditional Owner Polly Cutmore has described the impact on wildlife as "heartbreaking," noting that these wetlands were meant to be "one of our protective places." She rightly points out how disrespectful it is that landholders seem to be "calling the shots over and over" on Country.

As you know, the NSW Water Management Act 2000 clearly outlines principles and duties that require environmental protection to be prioritised. We cannot allow legal stand-offs or the interests of landholders to take precedence over the survival of our native species and the health of our rivers.

This is an urgent situation that only the government can fix. I urge you to act swiftly to resolve any perceived legal impediments and immediately accelerate the release of environmental flows to the Gwydir Wetlands.

Please, turn the water back on before local populations of native species are lost forever.

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