Water Resource Plans NSW GAB Shallow Water Resource Plan Area GW13 Intersecting Streams Water Resource Plan Area SW13 Department of Planning, Industry and Environment – Lightning Ridge, August 2019 NSW MDB GAB Shallow and Intersecting Streams WRPs
Agenda Water resource plans – why? 1. Water resource plans – what? 2. 3. Water resource plans and water sharing plans 4. Process for development of water resource plans 5. Intersecting Streams WRP and changes to the WSP 6. NSW GAB Shallow groundwater status 7. NSW GAB Shallow WRP and changes to the WSP Public exhibition – have your say 8.
Legislation Instruments Roles MDBA Advises Cwealth Minister Murray Darling Basin Water Act 2000 on WRP accreditation Plan 2012 (Cwealth) CEWO Manages portfolio of Env WRP components Water of Basin Plan DPIE Prepares and administers Water Resource WSPs & WRPs Plans (WRPs) Environmental Water WSPs aligned to Water NSW WRPs Bulk water delivery Water Management Water Sharing Plans Act 2000 (NSW) (WSPs) NRAR Compliance, enforcement & approvals
Water resource plans – achieving Basin Plan outcomes Communities with sufficient and reliable water supplies that are fit for a range of intended purposes, including domestic, recreational and cultural use Productive and resilient water-dependent industries, and communities with confidence in their long-term future Healthy and resilient ecosystems with rivers and creeks regularly connected to their floodplains and, ultimately, the ocean.
Water resource plans – a Basin Plan requirement Outline how water resources will be shared and managed to be consistent with the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. Set out the requirements for annual limits on water take, environmental water, managing water during extreme events. Provide strategies to protect water quality and managing risks. Set out the arrangements for measuring ‘take’ and monitoring the resource
NSW context – WRPs and NSW Commonwealth Water Act 2007 Water Sharing Plans Murray – Darling Basin Plan 2012 Water resource plans Specify the rules for diverting water Relevant parts of a NSW Water Management Act within specified areas of the water sharing plan 2000 are assessed by Murray – Darling Basin. the MDBA, Water sharing plans accredited by the Elements include: Specify the rules for sharing Commonwealth • Compliance with the sustainable water to maintain the health, Minister and form diversion limits and water trade part of the water sustainability and productivity of rules resource plan. surface water and groundwater • Protection of water for the sources across all of NSW. environment • Water quality and salinity Water Sharing Plans remain the primary objectives statutory instruments for water sharing in • Aboriginal values and uses NSW • Measuring and monitoring • Arrangements for extreme events
The water resource plan and the water sharing plan NSW statutory ‘water sharing plans’
Questions? DPIE – GAB SHALLOW WRP – AUGUST 2019
Process for developing water resource plans DEVELOP CONSULT APPROVE & ACCREDIT IMPLEMENT Status Strategy Draft Public Final Ministerial MDBA WRP & Issues exhibition & rule WRP WRP approval assessment & Commences paper development WRP Commonwealth Minister May/Aug July/August accreditation 2020 2017 2019
NSW GAB Shallow WRP – consultation to date May/August 2017: Status and issues papers In progress: Public consultation September 2017 – January 2019 Six NSW Groundwater Stakeholder Advisory Panel meetings (out of session SAP consultations undertaken April and May 2019) First Nations consultation Number of Nations Two All SAP Surface Water meetings were held during the WRP development process. State-wide planning and policy positions were discussed.
Proposed changes to the water sharing plans The plans have been revised to: • Be more ‘readable’ • Be more legally robust • For groundwater: • Address inconsistencies between similar water sources
Surface Water Water Resource Plan: Intersecting Streams
Intersecting Streams Surface WRP area
Proposed changes to the water sharing plan Intersecting Streams Unregulated River Water Sources WSP Removal of groundwater sources and associated rules Improve consistency and alignment with policy positions Objectives, strategies and performance indicators revised Establish a second extraction limit, which is the sustainable diversion limit specified in the Basin Plan 2012, and incorporate an assessment and compliance framework for this limit. Minor wording changes to the interstate trade clause to make the intent clear
Groundwater Water Resource Plan: NSW GAB Shallow
NSW GAB Shallow Water Resource Plan – area covered
Proposed changes to the water sharing plan Align long term average annual extraction limits to Basin Plan sustainable diversion limits (GAB Shallow) • The long-term average annual extraction limits of the NSW GAB Surat Shallow, NSW GAB Warrego Shallow and NSW GAB Central Shallow groundwater sources have been reduced to align with the sustainable diversion limit of the NSW GAB Shallow. The limit is above the current rights and entitlements so existing take will not be affected. • NSW GAB Central Shallow is divided into two groundwater sources: - NSW GAB Central Shallow (North Western) and - NSW GAB Central Shallow (MDB)
Current WSP LTAAEL and Basin Plan SDLs SDL Resource Unit SDL Groundwater Source LTAAEL LTAAEL in from draft plan current WSP NSW GAB Surat 15.5 GL/yr NSW GAB Surat 143,335 ML 15,500ML Shallow Shallow NSW GAB Warrego 33.4 GL/yr NSW GAB Warrego 115,710 ML 33,400ML Shallow Shallow NSW GAB Central 8.83 GL/yr NSW GAB Central 145,552 ML 8,830ML Shallow Shallow
Proposed changes to the water sharing plan Long term average annual extraction compliance period extended from 3 to 5 years in NSW GAB Shallow • For consistency across groundwater sources • Allows for greater flexibility if there is a run of dry years
Great Artesian Basin Surat Shallow Account Water Account Water Available for Extraction projected account water Extraction WSP extraction limit 16,000 14,000 12,000 10,000 ML 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20
Proposed changes to the water sharing plan Additional provisions for assessing compliance At end of each water year – 2 assessments of compliance: • First as per current arrangements comparing average extraction and LTAAEL (long term extraction limit in WSP) • Second comparing extraction in the previous year to a theoretical and retrospectively calculated ‘ annual permitted take ’ as required under Basin Plan provisions to assess compliance with the sustainable diversion limit (SDL).
Proposed changes to the water sharing plan Additional provisions for assessing compliance with the sustainable diversion limits under the Basin Plan • Directly references compliance provisions in the Basin Plan • Running balance of ‘overs’ and ‘unders’ each year • Compliance triggered if running balance exceeds 20% of Basin Plan ‘sustainable diversion limit
Proposed changes to the water sharing plan If long term average annual extraction limit or sustainable diversion limit is breached the Minister can: • Reduce the available water determination for aquifer access licences the following year (as per current water sharing plan), and/or • Limit the water allocation that can be taken, assigned under section 71T of the Commonwealth Water Act 2007 , or otherwise debited or withdrawn from a water allocation account of an aquifer access licence • Only makes a difference in groundwater sources where allocations can be ‘carried over’ from one water year to the next – GAB Shallow
Proposed changes to the water sharing plan Groundwater dependent ecosystems • 100 metre distance restriction for new water supply works for basic landholder rights in all groundwater sources • 200 metre distance restriction for new supply works other than basic landholder rights bores in all groundwater sources. • Additional high probability, high priority groundwater dependent ecosystems mapped for all areas and included as a Schedule.
NSW GAB Shallow Groundwater dependent ecosystems
Proposed changes to the water sharing plan Standardising distance rules regarding interference between water supply works • All groundwater sources - changes to GAB Central Shallow (North Western), the GAB Central Shallow (MDB) and the GAB Warrego Shallow Groundwater Sources in red Distance from: GAB Shallow a 400m / neighbours works ( a >20ML/year; b <20ML/year) b 200m solely BLR bores 200m neighbours works (boundary - without consent) 100m (currently 50m) a water utility bore (unless consent provided) 1,000m (currently 500m) a government monitoring bore 400m (currently 200m)
Proposed changes to the water sharing plan Additional rules to reduce risks to groundwater from contamination sources Unless bores are constructed to be isolated from contamination source: • Distances of new bores from edge of plumes • Distances from septics unless constructed in a certain way
Questions?
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