Managing water shortages in NSW: drought community meetings NSW Department of Industry Michael Wrathall – Drought Coordination May and June 2019
Drought policy framework 1. Extreme events policy: why? what? how? 2. Incident response guides: why? what? how? 3. Who’s who in NSW Government 4. Post-February 2019 meetings: updates and events Page 2
1. Extreme events policy: why do we need it? Normal rules • Assume some future inflows • Shares the small risk of more severe conditions between high priority and low priority needs What happens if inflows don’t arrive? Shortfall • of inflows In the Millennium drought we switched off the rules and managed adaptively Now we’re providing more clarity • while retaining adaptability Page 3
1. Extreme events policy: what does it do? Defining Guiding extreme principles events Governance: Evaluation & who does review what Page 4
1. Extreme Events policy: what does it do? Governance & decision-making Page 5
1. Extreme Events policy: what does it do? Principles Page 6
1. Extreme Events policy: what does it do? Policy framework Page 7
1. Extreme Events policy: what does it do? Evaluation & review Page 8
1. Extreme Stage Water quantity Water quality event Raw water can be Stage 1 Deliver water as normal treated with usual stages Normal management methods Restrictions on water delivery for general security licences Stage 2 Minor adjustments to Potential or actual impacts on Emerging drought/ treat raw water The policy sets groundwater water shortage out the 4 stages Potential for aquifer subsidence for managing Restrictions on water for: extreme events Stage 3 Major adjustments are High priority licences • needed to treat raw Severe drought/ General security licences • water water shortage Unacceptable groundwater impacts Water only available for critical Not possible to treat Stage 4 human needs. raw water with standard processes to Critical drought/ Risk to long term availability of the meet health values and water shortage groundwater resources drinking guidelines Page 9
1. Drought status: October 2018 Incident Response Guide: Drought stage Stage 1: Normal operations Stage 2: Emerging drought Stage 3: Severe drought Stage 4: Critical drought Page 10
1. Drought status: December 2018 Incident Response Guide: Drought stage Stage 1: Normal operations Stage 2: Emerging drought Stage 3: Severe drought Stage 4: Critical drought Page 11
1. Drought status: February 2019 Incident Response Guide: Drought stage Stage 1: Normal operations Stage 2: Emerging drought Stage 3: Severe drought Stage 4: Critical drought Page 12
1. Drought status: May 2019 Incident Response Guide: Drought stage Stage 1: Normal operations Stage 2: Emerging drought Stage 3: Severe drought Stage 4: Critical drought Page 13
1. Hierarchy of water priorities in drought Priority Take/type of use ● Critical human water needs: 1 - core human consumption requirements - non-human consumption requirements that a failure to meet would cause prohibitively high social, economic or national security costs ● Needs of the environment 2 ● Stock 3 ● High security licences ● Commercial and industrial activities authorised by local water utility ● Water for electricity generation on a major utility licence ● Conveyance in supplying water for any priority 3 take ● General security 4 ● Supplementary 5 Page 14
Extreme Events Policy IRGs IRGs IRGs NSW Water Management Act 2000 Page 15
2. Incident response guides: why do we need them? • Specific guidelines for managing each water source • Within water resource plans • Identifies the tools in the toolkit But how do we decide which tools we actually use? 1. Information 2. Consultation 3. Decision framework Page 16
2i. Information • Rules & legislation • High priority water demands (towns, other domestic, environment, stock, industry) • River system supplies • Options to mitigate any shortfall Page 17
2ii. Input into water management decision Critical Local water needs of utilities environment Critical Water ROSCCO Advisory Panel Water Water Public management resource sessions assessment decision Page 18
2ii. Community drought sessions Purpose: • Present information • Local feedback • Advice to CWAP Page 19
2ii. Community drought sessions • Purpose: to provide advice to the government on the range of local views on possible drought management measures • Identify community/user impacts of particular options • This advice will feed into the next critical water advisory panel meetings to discuss management options for the next 6-18 months: • Barwon-Darling/Lower Darling CWAP: 12 June 2019 • Northern CWAP: 12 June 2019 • Southern CWAP: 12 June 2019 Page 20
2ii. Critical water advisory panels Membership : Role: ∙ Department of Industry ∙ WaterNSW • Advise on appropriate ∙ management actions in extreme Environment Protection Authority events ∙ Department of Primary Industries – Agriculture ∙ Rural Assistance Authority Operating: ∙ Office of Environment and Heritage ∙ Department of Primary Industries - • Northern Inland Regulated River Fisheries Valleys CWAP ∙ NSW Health – Water Unit • Barwon-Darling/Lower Darling ∙ Local Land Services CWAP ∙ Department of Premier and Cabinet • Southern Inland Rivers CWAP ∙ Joint Organisations of Councils Page 21
2iii. Decision framework High priority Available Management Objectives Decision water needs supplies options Page 22
2iii. Decision framework • Structured process for making decisions • Assists decision-maker with substantial evidence base • Subject to independent review Page 23
3. Who’s who in NSW Government: drought NSW Department of Industry Dept of Primary Industries – Agriculture WaterNSW DPI Fisheries Natural Resources Access Regulator Rural Assistance Authority Office of Environment & Local Land Services Heritage Page 24
3. Who’s who in NSW Government: water • Department of Industry - determines water allocations, imposes temporary (system) water restrictions, sets policy, develops water sharing plans, provides hydrogeological expertise for groundwater trades and bore applications, provides technical and financial assistance for town water supply providers • WaterNSW - operates the storages, monitors flows and groundwater levels and water quality, liaises directly with water customers, licences most water users, assesses and approves surface water trades, bills water customers • Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) - enforces compliance with licence conditions and temporary water restrictions, licences major water users • Office of Environment and Heritage - advises on releases of planned environmental water, holds water licences for environmental purposes, works with Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder on use of its water licences for environmental purposes. Page 25
3. Who’s who in NSW Government: DPI & LLS • Department of Primary Industries (Agriculture) - produces drought maps, provides advice to farmers on managing during drought, undertakes research • DPI (Fisheries) - provides advice on fish requirements, reports and reacts to fish kills (aerators, fish relocations) • Rural Assistance Authority - manages the NSW Government’s financial assistance to farmers • Local Land Services - on the ground advice to farmers and landholders Page 26
3. Drought coordination forums • Drought Interagency Executive Committee - chaired by DPC, drought meeting of NSW agency heads from DPC, NSW Treasury, NSW Department of Industry, DPI, LLS, Land & Water Commissioner, Cross Border Commissioner, WaterNSW, Sydney Water, Hunter Water, local government • Drought Interagency Working Group - chaired by DPI, discusses drought actions across number of agencies: DPI, DPC, RAA, DOI Water, OEH, Planning & Environment, Office of Small Business, FACS, Health, Transport, Rural Crime Squad, LLS, Dept of Financial Services, Education, BOM. Meets fortnightly • Regional Assistance Advisory Committee (RAAC) - an independent body that provides advice to the NSW Government on drought • Critical water advisory panels - chaired by NSW Department of Industry - advises on actions to manage water shortages in the major river valleys. Meets every few months or in response to events requiring a response Page 27
4. February 2019 drought community meetings Page 28
4. What have we done since February 2019? Follow-up since previous drought community meetings ● Drought updates on websites → NSW Department of Industry, WaterNSW, DPI DroughtHub ● Protection of small flows in northern basin, including QLD request ● Expansion of CWAPs and community meetings to southern NSW ● Local government reps included on critical water advisory panels ● Purpose of releases added to Macquarie & Gwydir allocation statements ● Groundwater allocation presentations ● Improved information on water allocations → Allocations dashboard ● Improved information on water trade → Trade dashboard Page 29
4. Northern flows: early-2019 Page 30
4. Temporary water restrictions Page 31
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