Every quarter, we publish an update on the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder's (CEWH) water trade intentions. This includes commercial trades under consideration and administrative transfers.
Current trade intentions
July to September 2026
Water allocations
The CEWH is continuing to consider the sale of temporary water allocations across the Murray–Darling Basin during the July to September 2026 quarter of the 2026–27 water year. This currently includes potential opportunities in the Gwydir and Namoi catchments in northern NSW and the Goulburn catchment in Victoria.
Inter-valley trade (IVT)
The CEWH routinely utilises inter-valley trade (IVT) processes to achieve environmental outcomes. As with other water entitlement holders, transferring and re-distributing available water between catchments using IVT processes can help the CEWH meet environmental demands and optimally manage the portfolio. When deciding the volume of environmental water we seek to transfer, the CEWH considers potential impacts on other water users.
All transfers of Commonwealth environmental water through IVT processes are subject to the same rules that apply to other water entitlement holders. The CEWH will publicly report on its use of IVT processes during the 2026–27 water year in Table 1.
| Valley | Date | Volume (ML) |
|---|---|---|
| Goulburn to Murray | July 2026 | 16,000 |
Water entitlements
To date, the CEWH has not sold or purchased any water entitlements in the Murray–Darling Basin and currently has no plans to do so in the 2026–27 water year.
The recovery or purchase of water entitlements to meet the requirements of the Basin Plan is led by other areas of the department. Further information is found at Water recovery in the Murray–Darling Basin.
Future updates
If there is a change to the CEWH’s trading intentions in this quarter, it will be announced on this webpage. Otherwise, the next update will be for the October to December 2026 quarter.
Past trade intentions
Water allocations
The CEWH is considering the sale of temporary water allocations across the Murray–Darling Basin during the January to March 2026 and April to June 2026 quarters of the water year. This includes potential opportunities in the Gwydir and Namoi catchments in northern NSW and the Goulburn catchment in Victoria.
Water entitlements
The CEWH has not sold or purchased any water entitlements in the Murray–Darling Basin and has no plans to do so in the 2025–26 water year.
The recovery or purchase of water entitlements to meet the requirements of the Basin Plan is led by other areas of the department. Further information is found at Water recovery in the Murray–Darling Basin.
Water allocations
The CEWH is considering the sale of temporary water allocations across the Murray-Darling Basin over the October to December and January to March quarters of the 2025–26 water year. This includes potential opportunities in the Goulburn and Gwydir catchments.
Water entitlements
The CEWH has not sold or purchased any water entitlements in the Murray–Darling Basin catchment and has no plans to do so in the 2025–26 water year.
The recovery or purchase of water entitlements to meet the requirements of the Basin Plan is led by other areas of the department. Further information is found at Water recovery in the Murray–Darling Basin.
Water allocations
The CEWH is considering the sale of temporary water allocations in the Southern Connected Basin.
Water entitlements
The CEWH has not sold or purchased any water entitlements in the Murray–Darling Basin catchment and has no plans to do so in the 2025–26 water year.
The recovery or purchase of water entitlements to meet the requirements of the Basin Plan is led by other areas of the department. Further information is found at Water recovery in the Murray–Darling Basin.
Water allocations
The CEWH has no intention to trade temporary water allocations during the remainder of the 2024–25 water year.
Water entitlements
The CEWH has not sold or purchased any water entitlements in the Murray–Darling Basin catchment and has no plans to do so in the 2024–25 water year. The recovery or purchase of water entitlements to meet the requirements of the Basin Plan is led by other areas of the department. Further information is found at Water recovery in the Murray–Darling Basin.
Water allocations
The CEWH has no intention to trade temporary water allocations during the January to March 2025 quarter or during the remainder of the 2024–25 water year.
Water entitlements
The CEWH has not sold or purchased any water entitlements in the Murray–Darling Basin catchment, and has no plans to do so in the 2024–25 water year. The recovery or purchase of water entitlements to meet the requirements of the Basin Plan is led by other areas of the department. Further information is found at Water recovery in the Murray–Darling Basin.
Water allocations
The CEWH is considering the sale of temporary water allocations in 2024–25, however has no plans to sell allocations in the October to December 2024 quarter.
Water entitlements
There is no intention by the CEWH to purchase or sell permanent water entitlements in any Murray–Darling Basin catchment. The recovery or purchase of permanent water entitlements is led by other parts of the Australian government through the implementation of the Basin Plan. Further information is found at Water recovery in the Murray–Darling Basin.
The CEWH is currently considering the sale of temporary water allocations in 2024–25.
There is no intention by the CEWH to purchase or sell permanent water entitlements in any Murray–Darling Basin catchment. The recovery or purchase of permanent water entitlements is led by other parts of the Australian government through the implementation of the Basin Plan. Further information is found at Water recovery in the Murray–Darling Basin.
The CEWH is currently considering the sale of temporary water allocations in the Southern Connected Basin in 2023-24.
There is no intention by the CEWH to purchase or sell permanent water entitlements in any Murray–Darling Basin catchment. The recovery or purchase of permanent water entitlements is led by other parts of the Australian government through the implementation of the Basin Plan. Further information is found at Water recovery in the Murray–Darling Basin.
The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder is currently considering the sale of temporary water allocations in the Southern Connected Basin in 2023–24.
The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder is currently considering the sale of temporary water allocations in the Southern Connected Basin in 2023–24.
The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder has no intention to trade temporary water allocations in the July to September 2023 quarter.
The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder has no intention to trade temporary water allocations in the April to June 2023 quarter.
Trade in the 2026–27 water year
The CEWH actively manages the Commonwealth environmental water holdings to maximise environmental benefits, meaning the water may be:
- delivered to meet environmental outcomes
- carried over to the following year to meet future environmental outcomes
- sold, with the proceeds used to improve environmental outcomes through acquiring water elsewhere in the Basin or at later date to meet future environmental demands; or by funding environmental activities.
The sale or purchase of water (trading) is an important tool used to help optimise use of the Commonwealth’s environmental water portfolio. The CEWH follows the same trading rules and regulations as other water entitlement and allocation holders in the Murray–Darling Basin.
In accordance with the requirements of the Water Act 2007, the CEWH can use the proceeds from the sale of water allocations to either:
- fund environmental activities that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of water for the environment
- purchase water to deliver to rivers and wetlands.
We can carry out a range of activities to achieve the goals of the CEWH’s annual Water Management Plan and other Basin environmental watering plans. These include:
- upgrades to infrastructure that make environmental water delivery more efficient
- projects that help restore and protect native plant and animal species and habitat
- research that improves scientific knowledge to enhance environmental water delivery
- projects that use First Nations' knowledge to produce positive environmental and cultural outcomes.
For more information, visit CEWH Environmental Activities Framework (CEAF).
Until now, the CEWH has traded allocations via an open tender or an expression of interest (EOI) process. We are currently investigating additional mechanisms for trading water, including via water brokers.
The volume of water allocations sold by the CEWH has been, and will remain, a small fraction of total environmental water holdings and trades. Between July 2008 and May 2026, the CEWH delivered 19,851 GL of Commonwealth environmental surface water and sold about 0.3% of that amount.