The Macquarie River is currently lower than it ever was in the Millennium drought with releases from Burrendong Dam "very, very tight", says Healthy Rivers Dubbo convenor Mel Gray.
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When the Dubbo resident and environmental activist checks on the river she sees lots of aquatic weeds and rubbish, thrown in or carried by storm water.
Ms Gray is particularly disturbed by "not much" flow in the river.
"I'm very concerned for the summer, very concerned for our native fish and platypus," she said this week.
"We're all fully prepared for fish kills."
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Ms Gray told of a time when the unregulated Macquarie River comprised a string of refuge pools.
"The river would stop flowing for a couple of months every year ..and that was fine because the native fish had lovely clear big refuge pools and the water stayed healthy," she said.
"However, now that we have regulated the river, through the dam, it runs all the time and sediment has filled in a lot of the refuge holes.
"Now, when the river stops flowing it is a serious event.
"We've changed and eroded the river channel so much that all the animals and fish which rely on the river need it to flow."
Ms Gray acknowledges the benefits of having the dam and its permanency.
"But we should not be under any illusions that it's an environmental asset," she said.
"The dam is great for us but it is a compromise on the environment."
Without significant inflows, the dam may not be releasing water by mid-2020.
Currently, about 70 per cent of Dubbo's water comes from the river and 30 per cent from seven bores.
Dubbo Regional Council has received $30 million from the state government to expand the city's bore field.
