MRFF are food and fibre producers contributing to the economic, social and environmental health of the Macquarie Valley.
The Macquarie Valley
Macquarie River Food and Fibre (MRFF)
- is an industry body representing water licence holders who are surface water and groundwater users in the Macquarie Valley Catchment.
- is focused on the Macquarie River catchment in Central West NSW.
- supports over 500 water entitlement licence holders and their communities.
Snapshot of the Macquarie River
Water storage: Lake Burrendong (capacity 1,190,000 megalitres), Windamere Dam (capacity 368,120 megalitres)
River length: 960 kms
Towns: Bathurst, Wellington, Dubbo, Narromine, Trangie and Warren
Tributaries: Fish River, Bell River, Little River, Turon River, Cudgegong River, Coolbaggie Creek and Talbragar River
Irrigation schemes: located at Narromine, Buddah Lake, Trangie – Nevertire, Tenandra, Nevertire, and Marthaguy
Macquarie River catchment

Tools and information on water management and water usage for the Macquarie River Valley.
Macquarie Marshes
The Macquarie catchment is home to the iconic Macquarie Marshes – one of the largest remaining semi-permanent wetland systems in inland Australia. It hosts some of the largest-scale waterbird breeding ever recorded on the continent.
Frequently asked questions
Total water use in the Macquarie River Valley is capped by a “Sustainable Diversion Limit” (SDL). Within the SDL, Irrigation useage is limited to 28%. Over the last decade or so irrigation useage as a percentage of the total flows has been well below this figure as follows:
- Environment (including evaporation, transmission losses, Macquarie Marshes flows + held environmental water): 82%
- General Security Irrigation: 16%
- Towns: less than 1%
- High Security Users: 0.6%
- Livestock + Domestic: less than 0.5%
* Total average inflows: 1,360,000 megalitres.
Source: Department of Industry (Water) 2018
Irrigation is the artificial application of water to land for the purpose of agricultural production. Effective irrigation will influence the entire growth process from seedbed preparation, germination, root growth, nutrient utilisation, plant growth and regrowth, yield and quality.
There is a Draft Floodplain Management Plan for the Macquarie Valley Floodplain 2018 (plan) which includes management zones, rules and assessment criteria for granting or amending approvals for flood works within the plan area.
This is due to be finalised by 2021.
- To provide water users with a clear picture of when and how water will be available for extraction for use in their business.
- To protect the fundamental environmental health and quality of the water source.
- To ensure the water source is sustainable in the long-term.
All regulated water licence holders are monitored and measured by water meters. Currently, the Macquarie River Valley is progressing to a new national metering system standard which has been modelled on a leading global standard of measurement (AS4747).