General security licence holders (irrigators farming vegetables, cereal crops, rice and livestock) in the Macquarie have received 0 percent allocations which is the second year in a row for some irrigators.

The NSW Office of Water develops water sharing plans at the start of each water year on 1 July.

The Office of Water makes Available Water Determinations (AWDs), referred to as 'water allocations', which specify how much of their water entitlement licence holders can extract from a river or aquifer over the course of that year.

Irrigators in the Macquarie will only have access to15 per cent entitlements to water that has been carried over from the previous water year.

This could negatively impact farmers in regions such as Warren and Narromine who have been severely impacted from the drought.

In NSW a regulated river is one where downstream flows are regulated by a major storage or dam to supply irrigation water.

All domestic, stock and local water utility water access licence holders on the Macquarie regulated river will receive an allocation of 100 per cent of their allocation

An unregulated river are rivers without major storages or dams, as well as to rivers where the storages do not release water downstream.

All water access license holders covered by the Macquarie Bogan unregulated and alluvial water, (ground water) will receive an allocation of 100 per cent of their entitlement.

Surface Water Management director Paul Simpson said it should come as no great surprise to Macquarie irrigators receiving zero per cent water allocations.

"It hasn't rained enough (in the Macquarie river region) to cause anything to flow."

"It has turned relatively dry since mid-2012. Obviously people would like to have water and we are hoping for rain. Hopefully the good times come around soon" he said.

The Bureau of Meteorology stated there is a 70 per cent chance of El Nino developing in spring 2014, meaning below average rainfall in NSW.

Mr Simpson said reasonable rainfall would be needed to review water allocations.

"We review the situation regularly. Obviously if it does rain we will definitely be reviewing the water availability."

NSW Farmers water spokesperson and Murrumbidgee farmer Helen Dalton is worried about the next step.

"It is going to be a sad day when the rivers are running a bank of environmental water and the farmers cannot access that for productive uses," she said.

Macquarie River Food and Fibre executive officer, Susan Madden said the zero per cent allocations are a reality of the season.

"This has a local impact on farmers who rely on irrigated agriculture," she said.