The State Government is reducing the red tape which has stifled the ability of farmers to fight fires on their own property.
During a fire emergency, a landholder can now take water from surface water and groundwater sources on their land without needing to have a water licence and water use approval.
This includes streams, creeks and rivers on the boundary of the property.
This commonsense exemption has been made through amendments to the Water Management Regulation 2018.
The water can be used by landholders on their property and nearby land to fight fires.
It can also be used for training and controlled burning when it is carried out by the RFS and for the testing and maintenance of firefighting equipment.
Landholders preparing for the threat of bushfires can also lawfully take water and store it in a tank or dam for future firefighting purposes.
The maximum volume for each property is 100,000 litres a year.
While landholders are not required to submit reports, they are encouraged to log the volume of water they take under the exemption, for their own records.
Further information on the exemptions can be accessed here.
The information in this report was provided by the NSW Government.