Natural Resources Access Regulator

If you’re on a property that borders a river, lake, estuary, or sits above an aquifer you have a basic landholder right called a domestic and stock right.

This allows you to take and use water for household needs and watering livestock without a water licence or approval 🐑

A water supply work approval is still required to take water for domestic and stock rights using a bore, or to construct a dam to hold water taken using domestic and stock rights.

As dry conditions increase across NSW, it’s never been more important to make sure everyone’s water use is fair and sustainable.

If you see someone doing the wrong thing, report it to NRAR: https://www.nrar.nsw.gov.au/report-suspicious-water-activities

The South Coast region stretches from Jervis Bay south to the Victorian border.

The area is the traditional lands of a number of Aboriginal groups including the Yuin and Dharawal peoples.

It’s home to many state and nationally significant wetlands and swamps that support large areas of mangroves, saltmarsh and seagrasses.

The coastal plains also support a range of agricultural production including dairy, beef and oysters.

There’s a lot to consider when deciding where to focus our efforts 🤔

NRAR turns 8 this year and water regulation looks very different in 2026 than it did in 2018.

Here's what consistent, independent regulation has delivered across NSW:

Have a water supply work that isn’t used? You may be exempt from metering.

If your work doesn’t take licensed water, update it's classification.

Use the WaterNSW customer portal to review your work approval and make sure the classification correctly reflects how your work is being used.

You can update your work classification for free until 30 June 2026.

Investigator Russ has an eagle eye for spotting wildlife in the field🕵️‍♂️

📸Staff snapshot from White Cliffs, Northwest NSW

In the coming months, NRAR officers will start compliance checks to make sure people are following the floodplain harvesting rules.

Comment below your next river destination.

🔎There's 6 to find!