Both the federal and state government have awarded Griffith City, Leeton Shire, Murrumbidgee and Narrandera Shire Councils with $560,000 to deliver a Regional Drought Resilience Plan through the Future Drought Fund.

Councils have formed the Western Riverina Consortium to develop the plan identifying specific and deliverable actions to investigate and alleviate the impacts of future droughts in the region.

Griffith mayor Doug Curran says he is eager to find out more and is hopeful of a positive outcome.

"Obviously we are in a better position than most other areas because we can irrigate," he said.

"The fact we can still feed the nation in dry times is something I would like to see acknowledged from this.

"I'm certainly looking forward to seeing what this will entail and what can we achieve."

However he is concerned with the end result and doubts it will serve as a tool to use against buybacks.

"I wish it could be but I don't think it will," Cr Curran said.

"I don't want to be pessimistic but I still wonder about what the likelihood is of an idea being adopted.

"If we take what we believe to be a good idea to the government and they say no, that's time and effort wasted.

"What I want to see from this is a great outcome; we just need to make sure its obtainable," Cr Curran said.

Leeton mayor Tony Reneker believes a united front in coming up with solutions is the strongest measure to mitigate drought.

"I welcome this as an opportunity to be strengthened to talk to the government about this issue," Cr Reneker said.

"Yes, we are in a better position with irrigation but if water allocations are down and there comes a drought, that impacts industry, the town, the community."

Murrumbidgee Council Mayor Ruth McRae said forming the consortium with other MIA councils is an excellent way to achieve optimal outcomes for respective communities.

"It ensures we are best placed to face the challenges from future drought events," Cr McRae said.

"Past experiences have shown drought events have severe impacts on our social, economic and environmental well-being.

"It makes perfect sense to work collectively with neighbouring councils to prepare for future droughts."

Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty said the expanded program acknowledges that each region needs a tailor-made approach to drought preparedness.

"Having plans that target the needs of regional areas in NSW will help these communities forward-plan for inevitable periods of reduced rainfall," she said.

The consortium will form a prioritised list of actions and pathways to be established to build drought resilience specific to the region that meets the needs of communities.

Tenders are being called from organisations interested in researching and producing the plan.

More information is available at: https://www.vendorpanel.com.au/PublicTenders.aspx?emcc=7261CB500815&mode=all