Bellinger River Water Sharing Plan Stephen Allen, NSW Department of - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Bellinger River Water Sharing Plan Stephen Allen, NSW Department of Planning Industry and Environment 10 & 11 March 2020

Introduction to water sharing & current rules Bellinger plan • Overview of water sharing • Sharing of daily flows • Water trading • Current plan • Current access rules • Current trade rules

Introduction to water sharing NSW Water Management Act 2000 requires development of water sharing plans for all NSW rivers and groundwater. Water sharing plans are statutory regulations – law. Plans define rules that govern shares of water between the environment, basic landholder rights, and licensed take. Many of the rules are implemented through conditions on water supply works approvals and water access licences. For coastal unregulated rivers such as the Bellinger River, shares are established through • long term limits on amount of water that may be taken from the river, • daily cease and commence to take rules, • rules governing applications for new water licences, • rules governing water supply works, in-river dams for instance, and • rules governing buying and selling of licences and allocations. Plans have a 10 year term and may be extended for 2 years. The NSW Natural Resources Commission (NRC) reviews plans and makes recommendations to the Minister as to either remake or extend the plan. The NRC reviewed the water sharing plan for the Bellinger River in 2018 and recommended that the plan be remade.

River flows and daily access rules Flow percentile Flows (ML/day) High flows (C class) Total daily extraction limits 50 th %ile 33 Medium flows (B class) 6 80 th %ile Low flows (A class) Cease-to-take/commence-to-take 1 95 th %ile Very low flows 100 th %ile 0 Percentile: percent of all observations at a river flow gauge at or above a specified flow volume

Trade of licence shares • A licence authorises the licencee to shares in a water source. • Shares are specified in ML (eg 10 ML) or units (eg 10 units). • Licence shares may be bought and sold. • Trade of shares within a water source is usually permitted. • Trade between water sources is subject to rules. • Rules may include prohibition, no net gain, or permitted to a limit. • Rules based on an assessment of economic & environmental values of the water source.

Current Bellinger River water sharing plan The Bellinger River water sharing plan commenced in 2008, to be remade by 1 July 2020. The area of the plan includes the hydrological catchments of Bellinger River and Kalang River to the mangrove limit. The waters covered by the current plan include all surface waters of the plan area & alluvial groundwater above the tidal limit. The plan is divided into extraction management units, water sources, and management zones.

Current Bellinger River water sharing plan

Current access rules – cease to take Gauge # 205002 Bellinger River at Thora – current plan Water source Very low flow class A class B class Flows  16 ML/d (95 th %ile) Flow  16 ML/d Thora-North Arm Bellinger River Na Flows  16 ML/d 16 ML/d  flows  95 ML/d Flows  95 ML/d Bellinger River (50 th %tile) Flows  16 ML/d Flows  16 ML/d Boggy Creek Na Flows  16 ML/d 16 ML/d  flows  95 ML/d Flows  95 ML/d Coastal Bellinger (tidal only) Flows  16 ML/d Flows  16 ML/d Rosewood Creek Na Gauge # 20501008 Kalang River at Sunny Corner Road (staff gauge) Flow  4 ML/d (98 th %ile) Coastal Kalang (tidal pool) Flows > 4 ML/d Na. Flow  4 ML/d (98 th %ile) Kalang (tidal & non tidal) Flows > 4 ML/d Na. Gauge # 20501005 Hydes Creek at Kethels Road (staff gauge) Flow  1 ML/d (95 th %ile) Hydes Creek (tidal & non tidal) Flows > 1 ML/d Na

Current trade rules Water Source Adopted rule Bellinger River Non tidal: trade in permitted up to an additional 54 ML Tidal: trade in permitted subject to a limit to be determined (tidal and non tidal) Boggy Creek Trade in permitted up to an additional 50 ML Coastal Bellinger Trade in permitted up to an additional 14 ML. (non tidal) Coastal Bellinger (tidal) Trade in permitted limit to be determined. Coastal Kalang (non tidal) Trade in permitted up to an additional 88 ML Coastal Kalang (tidal) Trade in permitted limit to be determined. Dalhousie Creek Prohibited Non tidal: no net gain in trade. Tidal: trade in permitted subject to a limit to be Hydes Creek (tidal and non-tidal) determined. Non tidal: permitted from Spicketts Creek WS only. Tidal: trade in permitted Kalang River (tidal and non-tidal) subject to a limit to be determined. Never Never Creek Prohibited Rosewood Creek Prohibited Spicketts Creek Permitted from Kalang River (Non tidal) only Thora – North Arm Bellinger (Upper & Lower) Prohibited

Other (outstanding) rules Current plan proposes a number of rule amendments following further investigations during the term of the plan. The current plan allows applications for Aboriginal community development licences when B class (medium) flows are established. The current plan allows applications to convert to high flow licences following development of B class flows in Never Never Creek and Hydes Creek water sources. The current plan does not establish rules relating to in river dams – not reflecting current policy on in river dams. The current plan foreshadows trade rules for the tidal pool management zones following development of a cap on the quantum that may be traded in; a limit on trades into these management zones was not determined during the term of the plan.

Questions Stephen Allen, NSW Department of Planning Industry and Environment 10 & 11 March 2020

Changes proposed to rules of current Bellinger River plan • Natural Resources Commission recommendations • Coastal floodplain alluvial groundater • Cease to take rules • Trade rules – tidal zones • Water supply work rules – in-river dams, works in SEPP wetlands • Aboriginal licences and high flow licences

Recommendations of NSW NRC NRC Recommendations Department’s Response 1. Replace the Plan. 1. Agree, water sharing plan to be replaced. 2. Clarify objectives, revise monitoring, evaluation, reporting. 2. Agree, objectives, strategies, performance indicators reviewed and updated. 3. Apply new framework for metering water take. 3. Agree, apply the new framework for metering water take. 4. Monitor long term extraction limit and assess environmental 4. Still considering a position on this recommendation due to significant sustainability of the limit. consequences if adopted. 5. Apply best method to estimate stock & domestic take, include 5. Guidelines reflected in estimates. Long term climate projections have not been included in the estimates. climate data and reasonable use guidelines. 6. Draft rule changes increase opportunities to apply for Aboriginal 6. Investigate barriers to uptake of Aboriginal licences, amend licences. Plan as appropriate to address barriers. 7. Draft rule changes include new flow reference points and access rules 7. Review flow reference points and access rules to determine if referenced to the new gauges. other gauging sites may improve outcomes. 8. Plans not to be consolidated at this stage due to time constraints and lack of groundwater assessments. 8. Assess whether to merge Bellinger and Coffs Harbour plans based on economic, environmental and social impacts.

DRAFT MAP

Water shares coastal floodplain alluvial groundwater Climate projection Groundwater shares Dry Explanation Rainfall (mm) 1459 Dry extreme projects 8 percent reduction in rainfall 2020 -2039 Total recharge for the oastal alluvial water source based on Recharge (ML/year) 4200 infiltration factor of 10 % Based on risk assessment considering social, economic and Sustainability factor 0.25 environmental considerations - 25% of recharge available for take Planned environmental water (ML/year) 3150 75 % of recharge protected as planned environmental water Upper extraction limit (ML/year) 1050 Recharge less planned environmental water LTAAEL 350 Current entitlements + estimated future requirements + 10 % buffer Current entitlements (licence & BLR) (ML) 160 Current total licensed volumes plus estimated basic landholder rights Unassigned water (LTAAEL) (ML/year) 190 LTAAEL less current entitlements Water available through a controlled allocation 152 80% of unassigned water available for a controlled allocation (ML) Propose to adopt water shares under dry climate projection.