Farmers who steal water from the struggling Murray-Darling basin could face fines and possible jail time.
The NSW government has taken the protection of the nation's food bowl into its own hands.
Farmers are being warned those who take more than their allocated water supplies could be fined up to $1.1 million and jailed for two years.
According to Water Minister Nathan Rees the hefty new penalties match what he calls the worst category of monetary and environmental crime.
“If you thieve water from the Murray-Darling River you are short changing Australians, not just the irrigator down stream or the fish in the river…It’s an Australian icon and it deserves to be treated as such.”
A $90 million surveillance project, including aerial coverage and satellite technology, will be introduced to keep an eye of how much water is being taken out of the river.
The proposal is awaiting approval by the Federal Government.