Adelaide

Water entitlements and allocations

The National Water Account 2010 acknowledges the varying to water that support water resource management in Australia.

The jurisdictional legislative water resource management frameworks vary greatly between jurisdictions, sometimes making comparisons difficult. To facilitate meaningful comparison between the water-accounting reports included in the National Water Account 2010, the Bureau of Meteorology has developed and applied an accounting concept to classify and report water entitlements within a water-asset/water-liability framework. The accounting concepts for ‘regulated’ and ‘unregulated’ may differ from the legislative interpretation in some jurisdictions.

The water rights, allocations and abstraction relevant to the Adelaide region for 2009–10 are presented in the table below.

N/A = not applicable; WAE = water access entitlement; – = not quantified

In the Adelaide region, the application of the 2010 Account concepts of ‘regulated’ and ‘unregulated’ has resulted in the Adelaide region water sources being defined as described in the following paragraphs.

R1 Surface Water Rights

All surface water rights in the Adelaide region are considered to be unregulated for the purposes of the 2010 Account, except flows from SA Water storages (Connected Surface Water Store) to the Water Distribution System, which are considered to be regulated.

R1.1 Other statutory surface water rights

R1.1.6 Other lumped statutory surface water right

Other lumped statutory rights include a basic right to abstract surface water for stock and domestic supply throughout the Adelaide region. The volumes involved have not been quantified. Some information on the stock and domestic basic right is provided in the Natural Resources Management (NRM) Act 2004 and the Notice of Authorisation to Take Water for Stock and Domestic Purposes and for Native Title Purposes (SA Government Gazette, 20 October 2005, pages 3736-3737).

R1.2 Water access entitlement—unregulated flows

R1.2.5 Other—lumped class

R1.2.5.6 Water Access Entitlement for unregulated flow: other lumped holders

Water access entitlements for unregulated flow in the Adelaide region include the right to abstract surface water from:

• Western Mount Lofty Ranges Prescribed Water Resource Area (WMLR PWRA), which is covered by a notice of prohibition – irrigation and commercial or industrial
• Barossa Prescribed Water Resource Area (PWRA) – irrigation and commercial/industrial
• Little Para Prescribed Watercourse (PWC) – irrigation only.

These surface-water entitlements are considered to be unregulated because water cannot be ordered by licence holders. Consequently the surface water liability is not recognised in the water accounting statement.

In reality, there are surface water allocations for the Barossa PWRA and Little Para PWC. Carryover of surface water allocations is permitted in the Barossa, but not for the Little Para.

The attributes of the surface water rights for the WMLR and Barossa are described in the relevant water allocation plans (WAP): WMLR PWRA WAP and Barossa WAP. A WAP has not been developed for the Little Para PWC, which will be included in the WMLR PWRA when finalised. Some information on surface water rights for the Little Para PWC is provided in the WMLR PWRA WAP.

R1.3 Water access entitlement—regulated flows

R1.3.4 Water access entitlement regulated flows - urban class

SA Water operates both the reservoirs and water-distribution system within the Adelaide region. For the purposes of the 2010 account, SA Water is considered to have a regulated claim on water held within their reservoirs because they can order the release of that water. The regulated claim is represented as the volume of water entering SA Water’s water-treatment plants.

R2 Groundwater Rights

All groundwater rights in the Adelaide region are considered to be unregulated for the purposes of the 2010 account.

R2.1 Other statutory groundwater rights

R2.1.1 Stock and domestic basic right

Groundwater extraction for stock and domestic supply is considered a basic right in the Adelaide region even in prescribed areas. The Northern Adelaide Plains Prescribed Wells Area (NAP PWA) is the only exception; there is some licenced groundwater extraction for stock and domestic purposes in this area. Some information on the stock and domestic basic right is provided in the NRM Act 2004 and the Notice of Authorisation to Take Water for Stock and Domestic Purposes and for Native Title Purposes (SA Government Gazette, 20 October 2005, pages 3736-3737).

R2.1.2 Other lumped basic right

Groundwater extractions for irrigation in the draft Western Mount Lofty Ranges PWRA are covered by the notice of prohibition. Commercial and industrial groundwater extractions are also covered by the notice of prohibition, but the volume could not be quantified. The attributes of these water rights are discussed in the WMLR PWRA Water Allocation Plan (WAP).

R2.2 Groundwater entitlements

R2.2.3 Other lumped class

R2.2.3.2 Groundwater entitlements for other lumped class: Individual irrigator holder

Groundwater entitlements are typically held by businesses that irrigate crops and pasture, particularly vines, market gardens and orchards within the prescribed areas. The attributes of this water right are specified in the relevant WAPs:

• Barossa PWRA WAP
• Northern Adelaide Plains PWA WAP
• McLaren Vale PWA WAP

R2.2.3.3 Groundwater entitlements for other lumped class: Industrial and commercial holder

Groundwater entitlements for industrial and commercial use occur within:

• Barossa PWRA
• Northern Adelaide Plains PWA
• McLaren Vale PWA

Industrial and commercial licences are held by companies or industries which use water for economic benefit, such as wineries, breweries, drink manufacturers and salt producers. The attributes of this water right are specified in the relevant WAPs (refer to R2.2.3.2 Groundwater entitlements for other lumped class: Individual irrigator holder for further information).

R2.2.3.5 Groundwater entitlements for other lumped class—stock and domestic holder

The Northern Adelaide Plains PWA is the only area in the Adelaide region with stock and domestic groundwater entitlements. The attributes of this water right are described in the Northern Adelaide Plains PWA WAP.

R4 Other Claims

R4.7 Other claims to water outside region

Other claims to water outside the region covers the River Murray Class 6 (formerly metropolitan Adelaide) licence. The River Murray Class 6 licence is administered as a share in the River Murray consumptive pool for South Australia. Class 6 holds 130,000,000 shares in the consumptive pool; the value for each share can exceed 1 KL.

A portion of the other River Murray licences, such as the River Murray Class 3a (formerly irrigation) licence, is also relevant to the Adelaide region, but the volumes could not be quantified. The attributes of these water rights are described in the River Murray PWC WAP.

Water market activity

Intra-valley trade

Permanent and temporary trade of water rights can occur within the prescribed areas of the Adelaide region. Trade between prescribed areas is not permitted. The number and volume of permanent and temporary water trades during 2009–10 are presented in the tables below. All trade of water rights during 2009–10 involved groundwater licences. Trade was greatest in the Northern Adelaide Plains followed by the McLaren Vale and the Barossa. There was no trade of Little Para licences.

Permanent water trade within the Adelaide region during 2009–10

PWA = Prescribed Wells Area; PWC = Prescribed Watercourse; PWRA = Prescribed Water Resource Area; WAE = water access entitlement; WRE = Water Reporting Entity

Source: modified from South Australian Department for Water records listed in Water Trading in South Australia

Temporary water trade within the Adelaide region during 2009–10

PWA = Prescribed Wells Area; PWC = Prescribed Watercourse; PWRA = Prescribed Water Resource Area; WAE = water access entitlement; WRE = Water Reporting Entity

Source: modified from South Australian Department for Water records listed in Water Trading in South Australia 

Inter-valley and interstate trade

Some River Murray licences can be traded, such as the River Murray Class 3a (formerly irrigation) licence. Permanent and temporary trade can occur between individuals located inside and outside the Adelaide region, but the water right remains part of the River Murray consumptive pool and is managed according to the River Murray Prescribed Watercourse WAP. River Murray licence holders located within the Adelaide region cannot be easily identified; therefore, trade of River Murray water into and out of the Adelaide region during 2009–10 could not be determined.