Authorities will soon drop the level of the Wentworth weir in an effort to remove some salty water.

Recent releases from the Menindee Lakes sent stagnant and saline water into the lower Darling, but the Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) says it has a plan in place to gradually lower the Wentworth weir and draw down the salty flows.

But MDBA acting executive director of River Murray Operations, Andrew Reynolds, has told ABC reporters that there is no guarantee it will work.

“We're not sure that this will work, but we are certainly going to give it a try,” he said.

“We are going to lower the weir pool, initially by about 30 centimetres and then hopefully that will start to draw that saline water in to the Murray, where it will be diluted pretty quickly with the higher flows in there.

“The Wentworth pool has maintained a very constant level for many years, except for in really high flows ... we haven't done it before, we've had a look at what might happen and we think it will be effective.”

WaterNSW spokesperson Tony Webber says the group has been meeting with farmers to find a longer-term resolution to high salt levels.

“The situation in July was that in the Menindee Lakes there was only 125 gigalitres of water in there at that time,” he said.

“The decision was taken to do as much as possible for the people of the lower Darling, which was release 35 gigalitres while retaining as much water in the lakes to supply the town of Broken Hill.

“It was really about as doing as much as we could with the water we had available.

“I think in a reasonable timeframe we've been able to reach a good outcome.”