Preparing communities for a water constrained future and generating economic stimulus in regional areas.

The Australian Government’s Resilient Rivers Water Infrastructure Program builds on and replaces the former Off-farm Efficiency Program and supports the delivery of the 450 GL of water recovery target under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

The new program is a $494 million initiative over four years to fund projects improving and modernising water delivery infrastructure and assisting to recover water for the environment.

Projects funded under the program will improve the efficiency of water delivery infrastructure on-property/on-farm as well as off-farm, including in urban, industrial and mining settings. Water saving will then be used to increase the volume of water available for environmental purposes by up to 450 GL a year.

The program aims to:

• increase water recovery by improving water use, increasing the volume of Murray–Darling Basin water resources available for environmental use
• invest in infrastructure providing longer-term benefits and helping to recover water for the environment
• support climate-resilient primary production over the long-term.

Funding Streams:

There are four streams of funding available under the new program. Full projects can be funded under streams A, B and C and feasibility projects under stream D. The information on this page refers to streams A, B, and C. Click here for information on stream D.

Stream A – Irrigation Infrastructure Operators Modernisation (IIOM) – to deliver more efficient water delivery networks and to build on existing projects under the Off-farm Efficiency Program. The IIOM projects will be large scale and expected to be led by Basin states in collaboration with private irrigation infrastructure operators.

Stream B – Water Use Efficiency (WUE) – to deliver activities on irrigation and non-irrigation farms to improve water management infrastructure and enhance efficiency.

Stream C – Targeted Efficiency Measures (TEM) – to deliver projects that create water efficiencies in areas other than the IIOM and WUE streams. This could include urban, industrial and/or mining settings. TEM projects will likely vary in scale with projects encouraged from Basin states, private irrigation infrastructure operators, local governments, water right holders or those representing water right holders, corporations, and businesses.

Stream D – Water Recovery Project Start-Up – Funding for Basin states to undertake feasibility studies or to undertake project preliminaries via ‘seed funding’. This could be for proposals that are small to medium scale across any stream, programs of work that have a mix of activities as well as those that are more strategic in nature (larger cost, multiple benefits and require a more holistic approach to consideration). There is an expectation that feasible, cost effective and value for money proposals for full projects to recover water will be forthcoming.

Opportunities for Commonwealth-led arrangements across the four streams may be considered in the future if needed and subject to funding. Further exploration of requirements and opportunities will continue.

More information for opportunities for Basin state-led arrangements are available at: www.dcceew.gov.au/water/policy/programs/open/rrwip.

Program timeframes:

Streams A, B, C: Applications for Streams A, B and C will open from 30 January 2024. Applications will be assessed when received, however no further applications will be accepted after 28 March 2025.

To commence an application, applicants are encouraged to contact the NSW Government to discuss the proposal and the support required.

Stream A

Irrigation networks: Installing new, or upgrading existing, irrigation infrastructure and technology in water delivery networks for the purpose of supplying water to irrigators; water delivery upgrades (for private diverters not connected to a network) and installing new, or upgrading existing, irrigation infrastructure and technology for water delivery.

Stream B

On-farm: Installing new, or upgrading existing, irrigation infrastructure and technology on irrigation properties for the purpose of agriculture.

Stock and domestic: Improving stock and domestic water supply on one or more properties for the purpose of watering stock and supplying water for human use.

Water substitution (domestic or small scale): Conducting local or property-scale water savings activities enabling an alternative water source to be accessed, while returning a water entitlement to the Commonwealth (e.g., replacing surface water sources with local desalination or sustainable groundwater supply).

Stream C

Urban: Constructing, replacing, upgrading, installing, improving or refurbishing urban water supply arrangements, including reducing leakage for the purpose of urban water supply.

Industrial or mining: Constructing, replacing, upgrading, installing, improving or refurbishing industrial water uses, including reducing leakage, for the purpose of using water for producing goods and services.

Mining: Constructing, replacing, upgrading, installing, improving or refurbishing industrial water uses, including reducing leakage, for the purpose of using water for producing goods and services.

Water substitution (larger scale): Conducting water savings activities enabling an alternative water source to be accessed, while returning a water entitlement to the Commonwealth (e.g., replacing surface water sources with local desalination or sustainable groundwater supply). The scale would be at town, community or including multiple sites.

Eligibility

The program is open to individuals and entities in the irrigation, agricultural, urban, industrial and mining sectors across the Murray Darling Basin for projects achieving water efficiencies and returning water to the environment.

Only Basin states are eligible to apply.

• A Basin state must be proposing an arrangement that will deliver multiple projects
• Basin state commitment to the transfer of an agreed volume of eligible water entitlements (including agreement on the Long Term Average Annual Yield) to the Commonwealth and enter into binding project contract and water transfer contracts.
  • Basin states can negotiate to return one water entitlement type to the Commonwealth in lieu of another water entitlement type. 
• Applications must contain as a minimum the following documentation:
  • Program Budget
  • Water savings target
  • Grant program guidelines
  • Grant program application form / governance arrangements (including assessment criteria and risk assessment). 
• The Basin state must agree to deliver the agreed volume of water by the agreed date.

• Phone: 1300 081 047
• Email: waterefficiency@dcceew.gov.au.