Cowra Council has adopted a new four-year environmental sustainability plan, setting out priorities ranging from emissions reduction and renewable energy to roadside vegetation, river health and the management of council-owned land.

The Environmental Sustainability Delivery Plan will guide Council's environmental work through to 2029, embedding sustainability considerations across a range of council operations rather than limiting them to its environmental services functions.

The plan was placed on public exhibition from 26 June to 24 July, with no submissions received before it returned to Council for adoption.

Councillor Ruth Fagan said the scale of the plan reflected how broadly environmental management extended across Council.

"We are actually on environmental sustainability, partnerships and management operation plans, which goes across the Environment Services Department as well as Infrastructure Operations," Cr Fagan said.

"It is a very large plan."

Among its priorities, Council will continue working towards a low-carbon emissions future, investigate alternative and renewable energy technologies for its facilities and infrastructure and implement projects identified through its Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Plan.

Council also intends to continue monitoring emissions from its operations and work towards reducing its operational footprint in line with NSW Government targets for local government.

The plan extends well beyond emissions, with Councillor Peter Wright highlighting the range of considerations involved in environmental management.

"There's a lot involved in the environmental area," Cr Wright said.

"We could investigate, implement strategies to mitigate negative impacts."

One area identified for further investigation is the potential creation of wetlands within existing retention basins.

Such projects could provide a range of environmental and community benefits, including reducing the impacts of storms and flooding, improving river water quality, recharging groundwater and storing carbon.

Wetlands could also support biodiversity and pest management while potentially creating opportunities for birdwatching and greater community engagement with the local environment.

The health of the Lachlan River also features prominently in Council's priorities.

Council will continue seeking external funding to progress the adopted Lachlan River Precinct Masterplan, including measures aimed at improving community access to the river.

It also intends to work with neighbouring councils and regional organisations on improving the health of the Lachlan River, investigate strategies to reduce negative impacts on native fish and improve its understanding and management of groundwater resources.

The plan also provides for Council to continue working with the local Wiradjuri community to support and investigate traditional and ecological burning practices on appropriate council owned land.

Roadside vegetation management will be another focus over the four years, with Council proposing to review its Roadside Vegetation Management Plan.

Cr Wright said environmental considerations were already relevant to everyday council activities, including road grading, roadside maintenance and weed control.

"It's an ongoing thing," he said.

"We've still got to keep the weeds clean and so forth, and weeds under control."

Cr Wright said the formal plan in many respects documented practices and considerations that had already formed part of Council's operations.

"What we probably did without a policy, we have got a policy written down, and it just reflects what we do in most cases, or did before," he said.

Future residential and commercial development also falls within the plan, with Council proposing to review its Development Control Plan to encourage Water Sensitive Urban Design principles in new urban release areas and subdivisions.

The review will consider environmental sustainability best practice for development controls and recommended tree species, while Council will also investigate integrated approaches to water treatment, reuse and conservation across residential, industrial, commercial, community and council activities.

Waste management remains another major component, with Council's plans including the continued promotion of food organics and garden organics, or FOGO, collections across the Cowra Local Government Area.

That includes households as well as major generators of food waste such as supermarkets, although additional funding may be required to support future initiatives.

Council will also continue seeking external funding for improvements identified within the Cowra Peace Precinct Masterplan, including Bellevue Hill.

Community participation forms another part of the four year strategy through Council's Environmental Sustainability Committee, partnerships with environmental organisations and Landcare groups, environmental education activities and the Small Environmental Grants program.

Cr Fagan praised the range of experience represented on Council's environmental committee.

"We have a very strong committee of very interesting, diverse people with very good backgrounds in environmental development and farming practices," she said.

"We have everybody, and it's an interesting committee to be on."

The plan will now provide the framework for Council's environmental sustainability work through to 2029, bringing together projects ranging from renewable energy and emissions reduction to biodiversity, water management, land-use planning and the health of the Lachlan River.