Regional water strategies (RWS) set the direction for water planning and management at a regional scale over the next 20-40 years. There are 14 regional water strategies (including Greater Sydney Water Strategy), tailored to the unique challenges and needs of each region. They have been developed in partnership with water service providers, local councils, communities, Aboriginal people and other stakeholders across NSW.

The boundaries of regional water strategy areas define regions in NSW for which regional water strategies are prepared. The boundaries are based on several factors, including:

• surface water hydrology
• statutory instruments, such as water sharing plans and water resource plans
• economic, social and cultural factors
• government strategic plans

The boundaries of regional water strategy (RWS) areas mostly, but not exclusively, align with groups of water sharing plan boundaries for surface water sources:

• In coastal areas, RWS boundaries align with Water Sharing Plan boundaries
• In inland areas, RWS boundaries align with Water Resource Plan boundaries.

The NSW Murray RWS also includes the area for the Wentworth weir pool. Its boundary is further defined using the Bureau of Meteorology’s (BoM) geofabric AHGF Catchment layer to include the catchments that incorporate the Wentworth Weir pool. The Fish River–Wywandy RWS boundary was also further defined using the BoM geofabric, local council boundaries and National Parks Estate boundaries.

Note: If you would like to ask a question, make any suggestions, or tell us how you are using this dataset, please visit the NSW Water Hub which has an online forum you can join.