The new devices, including accurate meters, intelligence devices and telemetry were required to be fitted by December 1 2020, however by July of this year, most pumps were not yet fully compliant.

While many had made progress, at the time only 23 per cent of pumps were fully compliant with the new rulings. NRAR Chief Regulatory Officer Grant Barnes said he was happy with the progress that had been made since then.

"We've seen that number grow considerably in a short time as a direct result of our efforts to encourage and enforce compliance," he said.

"There are now fewer than 50 active pumps within this group with meters that do not meet the accuracy requirements. The owners of these pumps have been given a directive to comply," he added.

OTHER NEWS:

The last months have been busy for NRAR, as they cracked down on those who hadn't yet made an effort to bring their pipes up to scratch. They conducted a long series of desktop assessments and site inspections before issuing advisory letters, legal directions and in some cases, fines.

Mr Barnes added that the deadline for the next stage is closer than some might think. It will include all pipes, up to and including 100 and 200mm pipes in the Macquarie, Gwydir, Namoi, Border Rivers and Barwon-Darling regions.

"The next deadline is fast approaching and with lead-times of six to eight weeks on some meters, water users in this group need to get their orders in as soon as possible," Mr Barnes said.

"The rules are the rules and water users need to comply with them. We understand there have been challenges, however there are processes water users can follow to get into compliance if they aren't able to install accurate meters and/or intelligence devices."

An online metering guidance tool is available to assist users in understanding the requirements of the current framework.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: