The offences are alleged to have taken place between April 2022 and March 2024, involving water allegedly taken from Island Creek, a tributary of the Lachlan River.
NRAR officers are visiting properties across the Hunter region throughout May to support water users in meeting compliance obligations around metering, ordering and logbook use.
Water users in parts of the Namoi Valley are now required to adhere to new legal obligations for floodplain harvesting. This includes obtaining a licence and using compliant metering equipment, as enforcement measures get underway.
NRAR has approved the Wingecarribee Swamp rehabilitation project, funded by coal company GM3, in response to alleged unlicensed water use linked to the Dendrobium mine.
Compliance data for spring-summer 2024-25 shows a rise in fines issued, up from 26 to 44 compared to the previous year.