NSW viticulturist accused of stealing 13,000 megalitres of water from Darling River

The Darling River meets the Murray River at the town of Wentworth. A NSW vineyard operator has been accused of water theft from the Darling River. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

A vineyard operator has been accused of illegally pumping “5,200 Olympic swimming pools” worth of water from the Darling River in south western New South Wales over a four-year period.

On Monday, the Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) said it had begun a “significant” prosecution in the NSW Land and Environment Court against the Lower Murray vineyard operator.