Adelaide

Water Overview

A summary of the significant water events, major water initiatives and improvements in water information occurring during the reporting period are explained.

Significant Water Events

Flooding in Queensland during March 2010 increased flows in the River Murray allowing an increase in allocations to River Murray licences. These allocations affected irrigators dependent on River Murray transfers, particularly in the Barossa Valley.

Major Water Initiatives

The major water initiatives underway in 2009–10 are presented in Table W1.

Table W1. Major water initiatives relevant to the Adelaide region

Initiative	Estimated completion date	Description	Type of initiative	Lead agency
Adelaide Desalination Project, Port Stanvac	Late 2012	Will be capable of producing up to 100 GL/year of potable water Cost: $1.824 billion	Supply augmentation	SA Water, Adelaide Aqua
North South Interconnection System Project	Late 2012	Enhances security and flexibility of water supply by connecting Adelaide’s southern and northern water supply systems Cost: $403 million	Distribution system	SA Water
Publication of Water for Good	Ongoing	Comprehensive plan to ensure there will be enough water to meet South Australia’s needs. The plan outlines 94 actions to diversify water supplies and reduce reliance on the River Murray and other rain-dependent sources	Policy and planning	Department for Water
Western Mount Lofty Ranges water allocation plan	Mid 2011 (estimated adoption)	Ongoing development of water allocation plan	Policy and planning	Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges NRM Board and Department for Water
Central Adelaide water allocation plan	2013 (estimated adoption)	Ongoing development of combined water allocation plan for Central Adelaide prescribed wells area and Northern Adelaide Plains prescribed wells area	Policy and planning	Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges NRM Board and Department for Water
Unbundling water rights	2016	Natural Resources Management (Water Resources and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2007 enables unbundling of existing water licences (into water access entitlements, water allocation, water resource works approval and site use approval) in South Australia, which facilitates more efficient water trading Where appropriate, water allocation plans will incorporate unbundled water rights when reviewed	Policy and planning	Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges NRM Board and Department for Water

Note. NRM: natural resources management.

Major Improvements in Water Information

Major improvements in water information for the Adelaide region during 2009–10 included:

release of WaterConnect, a public information website that provides access to South Australian water data and publications
Flood Hazard Mapping for the Greater Adelaide area
Adelaide Stormwater Network Information, a project conducting stormwater mapping for planning and reuse
enhancement of the monitoring network for surface water, with 14 new sites, 10 upgraded sites and 7 reopened sites
release of the Bureau of Meteorology’s online Water Storage product
publication of Water for Good: a plan to ensure our water future to 2050, which details 94 actions to improve water security.

National Water Account 2010