Water Resource Plans and Water Sharing Plans Murray Alluvium GW8 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

NSW Department of Industry / Murray Alluvium WRP

Murray Alluvium GW8

Water Resource Plans and Water Sharing Plans

Howlong 3 July 2019 Focus on the Upper Murray groundwater source

Have your say

• Water Resource Plan Public Exhibition period till July 20, 2019
• Feedback being sought from the public and water users
• Online submission process on Department of Industry website

https://www.industry.nsw.gov.au/water/plans-programs/water-resource- plans/drafts/murray-alluvium

• By email: murray.gw.wrp@dpi.nsw.gov.au

Agenda

1. Introductions 2. Presentation – water resource planning 3. Q & A 4. Presentation - status of groundwater - Upper Murray 5. Q & A 6. Presentation - Proposed changes to water sharing plan 7. Q & A 8. How to make a submission

Photo by Trade and Investment, Primary Industries

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 – achieving Basin Plan outcomes

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.

Murray Alluvium (GW8) Water Resource Plan

DEVELOP CONSULT APPROVE & ACCREDIT IMPLEMENT

Status & Issues paper March/April 2017 Strategy & rule development Draft WRP Public exhibition WRP June/July 2019 YOU ARE HERE Ministerial approval Final WRP MDBA assessment & Commonwealth Minister accreditation WRP Commences July 2020

Process for developing water resource plans

NSW context – WRPs and NSW Water Sharing Plans

Relevant parts of a water sharing plan are assessed by the MDBA, accredited by the Commonwealth Minister and form part of the water resource plan.

NSW Water Management Act 2000 Water sharing plans Specify the rules for sharing water to maintain the health, sustainability and productivity of surface water and groundwater sources across all

• f NSW.

Commonwealth Water Act 2007 Murray–Darling Basin Plan 2012 Water resource plans Specify the rules for diverting water within specified areas of the Murray– Darling Basin. Elements include:

• Compliance with the sustainable

diversion limits and water trade rules

• Protection of water for the

environment

• Water quality and salinity objectives
• Aboriginal values and uses
• Measuring and monitoring
• Arrangements for extreme events

Water Sharing Plans remain the primary statutory instruments for water sharing in NSW

NSW statutory ‘water sharing plans’

Murray Alluvium (GW8) Water Resource Plan Vs. Water Sharing Plan

March /April 2017: Status and issues paper September 2017 – January 2019: Six NSW Groundwater Stakeholder Advisory Panel (SAP) meetings

(out of SAP consultation undertaken April 2019)

Murray Alluvium (GW8) Water Resource Plan - consultation

September 2018: Issues Assessment Report 11 June – 20 July 2019 Public exhibition In progress December 2019: One targeted consultation meeting 2018/2019 First Nation consultation In progress

Questions?

Proposed changes to the water sharing plan

• Mostly unchanged – equivalent extraction limits, same trade rules, etc.
• To align with requirements of the Basin Plan and the water resource plan.
• To be more ‘readable’.
• To be more legally robust.
• To include all alluvial groundwater sources of the Murray catchment.
• Specific changes for Upper Murray highlighted in following slides.

Proposed changes to the water sharing plan

Align long term average annual extraction limits (LTAAEL) to Basin Plan sustainable diversion limits (SDL)

• No change in Upper Murray except to increase LTAAEL by a volume of

existing held environmental water. LTAAEL = 14,246 ML/yr

• Note entitlements are well in excess of LTAAEL
• 403 ML/yr domestic and stock
• 59 ML/yr local water utilities
• 41,158 unit shares aquifer access

Additional provisions for assessing compliance At end of each water year – two assessments of compliance:

• First as per current arrangements comparing 5 yr rolling

average use with LTAAEL (long term extraction limit in WSP) – as per previous slide.

• 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

Recent use

Extraction limit was 14,109 ML/yr and now 14,246 ML/yr Minimal change

Re-capping current water sharing plan rules

Compare 5 year rolling average use with the extraction limit

• The Basin Plan requires an annual assessment of extractions against ‘annual

permitted take’ (APT) which is defined by a APT method established by NSW.

• A variable APT is proposed for the Upper Murray for licensed extractors. This method

defines a range of annual permitted take volumes that vary around the SDL (13.7GL/yr) as shown on the next slide.

• The APT volume that will apply in any one water year will depend on the rainfall

recorded at Albury in that water year.

Basin Plan ‘Annual permitted take’

The APT will be 11.6 GL in a 900mmrainfall year. The APT will be 15.1GL in a 500mm rainfall year. The variable APT method allows for more extraction in drier years and less in wet

• nes.

‘Annual permitted take’ for the Upper Murray Alluvium

Rainfall at Albury (July to June) APT Method Greater than 931 mm 11.0 GL/yr Greater than 864 mm and less than or equal to 931 mm 11.6 GL/yr Greater than 798 mm and less than or equal to 864 mm 12.3GL/yr Greater than 731 mm and less than or equal to 798 mm 13.0 GL/yr Greater than 598 mm and less than or equal to 731 mm 13.7 GL/yr Greater than 532 mm and less than or equal to 598 mm 14.4 GL/yr Greater than 465 mm and less than or equal to 532 mm 15.1 GL/yr Less than or equal to 465 mm 15.8 GL/yr

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

Comparing possible annual permitted take methods

Annual permitted take methods - simple

Annual permitted take methods - variable

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 (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

• This would make a difference in Upper Murray where take can

exceed 1ML/share in water year due to carryover and take limit rules.

• Seeking specific feedback on this from users – now and in future.

Proposed changes to the water sharing plan

Compliance with long term average annual extraction limit or SDL

Compliance with long term average annual extraction limit or SDL

Compliance with long term average annual extraction limit or SDL

Compliance methods – distribution of impacts

Users 1 and 2

• Both have 1000ML/yr

entitlement

• User 1 very active – limited

CO in account

• User 2 largely inactive – close

to maximum CO in account

Compliance methods – distribution of impacts

• More than

41,000 shares of rights

• 0.74 ML/share

carryover allowed

• 1.37 ML/share

take allowed in a year

• Significant

account water liability given entitlement to LTAAEL ratio

Groundwater - dependent ecosystems and culturally significant areas

• Additional high probability, high priority groundwater dependent

ecosystems mapped and included as a Schedule.

• Standard setback rules for new water supply works located near

groundwater - dependent ecosystems and culturally significant areas will remain unchanged.

Proposed changes to the water sharing plan

Groundwater dependent ecosystems – Upper Murray

Standardising distance rules re bore locations There will be only minor changes to these to better align rules across groundwater sources.

• New bores used solely for basic landholder rights must be at

least 100m from government observation bores.

• New bores, other than those used solely for basic landholder

rights, must be at least 500m from government observation bores.

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.

Proposed changes to the water sharing plan

Additional amendment provisions

• Allowing the WSP to be amended to provide for the

creation of a new zone, and for inter-state trading rules to be developed and implemented.

• Allowing for modifications to sustainable diversion limits

and long-term average annual extraction limits to be modified as a result of better information or change in factors used to set limit.

Proposed changes to the water sharing plan

Questions?

Have your say

• Water Resource Plan Public Exhibition period till July 20, 2019
• Feedback being sought from the public and water users
• Online submission process on Department of Industry website

https://www.industry.nsw.gov.au/water/plans-programs/water-resource- plans/drafts/murray-alluvium

• By email: murray.gw.wrp@dpi.nsw.gov.au