The chief of the Murray Darling regulatory body says he didn't know the extent of water theft and meter tampering in the basin, describing the revelations as "a wakeup call".
Murray Darling Basin Authority chief executive Phillip Glyde said while the authority had been aware of some problems with water distribution, the scale of alleged meter tampering had surprised him.
"That was certainly news to me personally," Mr Glyde told the ABC on Tuesday.
"I think there is a lot more trust in the southern part of the basin, in terms of regulatory regime and metres, less so in the north, and I think it has been a real good wakeup call for all of us."
An ABC report revealed the NSW government was considering abandoning the Murray Darling Basin Plan altogether and suggested water theft and tampering with meters was rife in the state's north.
Mr Glyde said it was the authority's job to alert state governments to problems in the basin, but they expected the states to deal with it.
"We expect that the various state governments will take their responsibilities seriously," he said.
"To date we haven't been aware that the NSW government has been not taking on board that responsibility."
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