More than 300 billion litres of floodwater is dammed in NSW and under the current water management agreement none of it is expected to flow into SA.

Minister for Water Security Karlene Maywald told radio today the High Court had no jurisdiction over the water, and SA would have to rely on negotiation with the eastern states.

But Opposition spokesman Mitch Williams said the State Government had let the issue slide for too long.

“If Mike Rann followed through with his rhetoric over the past eight years, Riverland irrigators, Lower Lakes communities and South Australian gardeners would currently be in a different situation,” he said today.

“Until the Darling River becomes regulated, upstream water users will continue to be able to pump water out of it without restriction.”