The Menindee Lakes is a chain of seven shallow lakes connected to the Darling River to form a storage system. The Menindee Lakes supplies water to Broken Hill, the lower Darling and to water users along the Murray River in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia under the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement.

Menindee Lakes locality map

Related sites

Menindee Lakes copyright NSW Office of Water

Menindee weir 22 copyright NSW Government

Water efficiency and reform initiatives

Large volumes of water are lost each year through evaporation from the Menindee Lakes system. The Darling River Water Savings Project investigates this issue.
Menindee Lakes

Real-time flow data

Look up all real-time data available on the Menindee Lakes, including total figures for the Menindee Lakes, as well as specific figures for Lake Menindee, Lake Cawndilla, Lake Pamamaroo, Lake Wetherell, and Lake Cawndilla plus Menindee.
Lake Menindee copyright NSW Office of Water

Water sharing plans

Water sharing rules relevant to the Menindee Lakes can be found in the Water Sharing Plan for the NSW Murray and Lower Darling Regulated Rivers.
Menindee Lakes

Water shepherding

The Menindee Lakes played a key role in the Toorale water shepherding trials, where environmental water was shepherded downstream to the Murray River system.
Floods South Menindee 2010 photo Barry Philp copyright State Water

Managing flood flows

The Menindee Lakes storage holds 1,730 gigalitres when full and can be surcharged to 2,050 gigalitres during floods. The Office of Water manages flood flows and releases from the Menindee Lakes to the Lower Darling River and the Great Darling Anabranch.
Menindee main weir downstream photo Barry Philp copyright State Water

Flow releases to South Australia

Additional water was provided from Menindee Lakes to ensure flows reached the Lower Lakes in South Australia in January 2010. Read more>>
Buronga Salt Interception Scheme copyright NSW Office of Water

Water quality

The Menindee Lakes supplies drinking water to the town of Broken Hill. The Upper Darling Salt Interception Scheme reduces salinity in the Menindee Lakes, resulting in improved drinking water for Broken Hill.
Lower Darling River copyright NSW Office of Water

Critical water planning

The Office of Water undertakes critical water planning during drought. Between 2007 and 2010, critical water planning communiqués were issued for the Murray valley and Lower Darling, including the Menindee Lakes.
Hawkesbury Nepean River

Other areas

Information on other basins and catchments in New South Wales. Find out more >>