Menindee Lakes locals doubt management review will stop fish kills

Management of the Menindee Lakes has shifted back to the New South Wales government, but local residents remain sceptical that upcoming changes will solve their community problems. The lakes system sits in outback New South Wales about 117 kilometres south of Broken Hill and holds three and a half times the volume of Sydney Harbour.

Community Concerns

An El Niño summer is predicted, raising fears of lower water inflows, the lakes drying up again, and more fish kills. In February, former Darling River Action Group vice-president Darryn Clifton found 100,000 dead fish in Lake Menindee. He said poor water management is a never-ending problem caused by water extraction by northern basin irrigators, water priority given to South Australia, and bad decisions by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder. Mr Clifton noted that the lakes are always drawn down first out of the three major storages in the basin. Grape grower Steve Howse also expressed worry for his crops, stating that current water drawdowns create a lack of security for his vines, which take more than two years to fruit. Mr Howse suggested that making water accessible in the top two lakes would give growers a secure two-year supply without needing a review.

The Review Process

Operating rules for the lakes have stayed largely unchanged since the 1960s, when the system became a shared resource between New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. Last month, the lakes returned to New South Wales control as capacity dropped below 28 per cent and water restrictions hit the Darling River's Northern Basin. The Murray-Darling Basin Authority is currently reviewing these operating rules and has received about 160 public submissions. MDBA senior director of river modernisation Joe Davis said the submissions show agreement on many issues but differing views on priorities like environmental outcomes versus water security. The MDBA plans to release draft options for the community before the end of the year and a final report next year.

Context

The Murray-Darling Basin covers a vast river network across southeastern Australia and supports both major agricultural industries and fragile river ecosystems. Managing water shared across state borders often involves balancing competing needs between upstream and downstream users, towns, farmers, and environmental conservation. Dry summer forecasts and low storage levels frequently intensify these long-standing tensions over water access and river health.