Part 1Role of the State Water Management Outcomes Plan

# Part 1 Role of the State Water Management Outcomes Plan Part 1 Role of the State Water Management Outcomes Plan The aim of the [Water Management Act 2000](/view/html/inforce/current/act-2000-092) (the Act) is to provide for the sustainable and integrated management of the water sources of the State for the benefit of both present and future generations. The Act provides for the establishment of this State Water Management Outcomes Plan (SWMOP) to set out the over-arching policy context, targets and strategic outcomes for the development, conservation, management and control of the State’s water sources. This SWMOP is the first of its kind and will have effect for five years from the date of its gazettal. It will then be reviewed and updated. This SWMOP promotes the objects of the Act and its water management principles, and seeks to give effect to the NSW Government’s salinity strategies. It is also consistent with government legislative obligations, Commonwealth international agreements and government policy. It has had regard to relevant environmental, social and economic considerations, and the results of monitoring and assessment programs. The SWMOP explicitly provides for the protection and enhancement of the environmental services provided by aquatic ecosystems, while delivering a stronger and clearer framework for the use of water to meet human needs, including more secure access licences. It details the Government’s commitment to effectively manage the important linkages between environment, human health, prosperous communities and profitable industries. This SWMOP provides clear direction for all water management in New South Wales including (but not limited to) the creation of management plans addressing: > • water sharing, > • water use, > • drainage management, > • floodplain management, > • controlled activities and aquifer interference, and > • environmental protection. In particular, it seeks to ensure that the NSW Government’s Interim (Water Quality and River Flow) Environmental Objectives for NSW waters are explicitly addressed in future water resource management and action.