This page explains how legislation, plans and provisions are applied for surface, ground and environmental water. It also lists the organisations responsible for water management in this region.
ACT
The Water Resources Act 2007 (ACT) provides for the management of surface water and groundwater resources within the ACT state boundaries through the issuing of Water Access Entitlements (WAEs) and water licences.
The Territory Plan 2008 provides the policy framework for the administration of planning in the ACT. It also details the management policies for each environmental value for each catchment and serves as an umbrella document for the 2006 Environmental Flow Guidelines.
Lake Burley Griffin is a Commonwealth Government responsibility and is administered under the Commonwealth Lakes Act 1976.
NSW
The Water Act 1912 (NSW) governs the management of surface water and groundwater resources within NSW.
ACT
The Canberra region was broken up into 14 separate water management areas (WMA) managed by the Department of Environment, Climate Change, Energy and Water. Within these 14 WMA are 32 sub-catchment areas. Each of these WMA is consistent with the planning framework of the Territory Plan 2008. The first Territory Plan came into effect in October 1993. Some of these areas fall outside the ACT state boundaries, however the ACT has an interest in these areas as they supply water to, or flow through, the ACT. The ACT manages the sections of these WMA that fall within ACT boundaries. The WMA boundaries are shown in Figure A1.
WMA cover both surface water and groundwater resources. Within each WMA, maximum surface water plus groundwater take was set. The management of WMA is dictated by the primary environmental value of the sub-catchment. Sub-catchments within ACT boundaries were assigned one of three potential primary environmental values:
The management policies for each type of catchment are detailed in section 11.8 of the Territory Plan 2008 (ACT).
The WMA in the Canberra region, their associated maximum surface water and groundwater take threshold, and their primary environmental value are shown in Table A1.
Table A1. Water management areas in the Canberra region during 2009–10
|
Water management area |
Maximum surface water plus groundwater available for abstraction (ML)2 |
Maximum groundwater available for abstraction (ML)1 |
Sub-catchment areas1 |
Primary environmental Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Upper Murrumbidgee3
|
25174 |
640 |
Michelago3 |
Conservation |
|
Tharwa |
Conservation |
|||
|
Kambah |
Conservation |
|||
|
Guises |
Conservation |
|||
|
Tennent |
Conservation |
|||
|
Lower Murrumbidgee |
29,925 |
189 |
Uriarra |
Conservation |
|
Woodstock |
Conservation |
|||
|
Naas |
2641 |
855 |
Naas |
Conservation |
|
Gudgenby |
3558 |
1170 |
Gudgenby |
Conservation |
|
Cotter |
111,408 |
2050 |
Corin |
Water supply |
|
Bendora |
Water supply |
|||
|
Lower Cotter |
Water supply |
|||
|
Paddys |
2905 |
909 |
Paddys |
Drainage |
|
Tuggeranong |
1461 |
190 |
Tuggeranong |
Drainage |
|
Upper Molonglo |
102 |
24 |
Upper Molonglo |
Conservation |
|
Central Molonglo |
7832 |
685 |
Kowen |
Conservation |
|
Fyshwick |
Conservation |
|||
|
Jerrabomberra |
Drainage and open space |
|||
|
Lake Burley Griffith |
Conservation |
|||
|
Woolshed |
Drainage and open space |
|||
|
Sullivans |
Drainage and open space |
|||
|
Lower Molonglo |
3304 |
297 |
Coppins |
Conservation |
|
Wooden |
Drainage and open space |
|||
|
Weston |
Drainage and open space |
|||
|
Lower Queanbeyan |
7 |
0 |
Lower Queanbeyan |
Conservation |
|
Jerrabomberra headwaters |
0 |
0 |
Jerrabomberra headwaters |
Not managed by ACT |
|
Googong catchment |
98,914 |
0 |
Tinderry |
Not managed by ACT |
|
Googong |
Not managed by ACT |
|||
|
Burra |
Not managed by ACT |
|||
|
Ginninderra |
5352 |
239 |
Gungahlin |
Drainage and open space |
|
Lake Ginninderra |
Drainage and open space |
|||
|
|
Parkwood |
Drainage and open space |
||
|
Total |
269,926 |
|
|
|
NSW
The NSW Government has not declared any WMA or created any water management plans for the Canberra region. The NSW Government intends to encompass all of NSW by a water sharing plan and this process is currently underway.
The Groundwater Management Areas (GMA) in the NSW part of the Canberra region are currently subject to embargos that do not allow for new groundwater licences to be issued unless exemption criteria are met. The two embargos are listed in Table A2.
Table A2. Groundwater embargos impacting the Canberra region
|
Groundwater management area |
Embargo |
|---|---|
|
Lachlan Fold Belt GMA
|
New South Wales Inland Groundwater Shortage Zones Order No. 2 2008
|
|
Mid and Upper Murrumbidgee Fractured Rock GMA, Yass Catchment |
New South Wales Inland Groundwater Shortage Zones Order No. 1 2008 |
Environmental water within the Canberra region is managed by the ACT Government Department of Environment, Climate Change, Energy and Water. The Water Resources Act 2007 (ACT) provides for the identification and management of water for ecosystems which are identified in the 2006 Environmental Flow Guidelines.
Environmental water in the Canberra region is delivered in two ways, by:
The 2006 Environmental Flow Guidelines provide guidance on ecological objectives, environmental flow components and environmental flow requirements for the region.
Environmental water provisions are the responsibility of the relevant ACT Minister and are administered and managed through the ACT Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).
The 2006 Environmental Flow Guidelines is the primary document which outlines environmental water provisions in the ACT. The purpose of the guidelines are to identify the ‘components’ of flow from the variable flow regime that are necessary to maintain stream health (National Water Commission 2010a).
The 2006 Environmental Flow Guidelines break down each of the 14 WMA’s, and 32 sub-catchments outlined in the Territory Plan 2008 into four different ecosystem/catchment types. These areas establish broad ecological objectives at a catchment level within the region. The objectives are detailed in Table A3 below.
| Category of aquatic ecosystem | Description | Management goal | Water bodies in this category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural ecosystems(conservation catchments) | Ecosystems that persisted in a relatively pristine condition | Primary goal: maintain aquatic ecosystems in their pristine stateSecondary goals: range of functions including recreation | Water bodies in Namadgi National Park, excepting the Cotter River catchmentWater bodies in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve |
| Water supply ecosystems(water supply catchments) | Ecosystems in catchments designated to provide the ACT water supply | Primary goal: provide water supplySecondary goals: range of functions including conservation and recreation | Water bodies in the Cotter River catchmentGoogong foreshore area and Queanbeyan River downstream of Googong Dam |
| Modified ecosystems(conservation catchments) | Ecosystems modified by catchment activities (land use change, discharges) or by changes to the flow regime | Range of functions including recreation, conservation and irrigation | All water bodies not included in the other three categories, includes Murrumbidgee and Molonglo Rivers and Lake Burley Griffin |
| Created ecosystems(drainage and open space catchments) | Ecosystems in urban lakes, ponds and streams that developed as a result of urbanisation | Range of functions including recreation, conservation and irrigation | Water bodies within the urban area excluding the Molonglo River |
Source: 2006 Environmental Flow Guidelines, ACT Government 2006b
The 2006 Environmental Flow Guidelines also identify four components of environmental flow to be maintained within these ecosystem types. These are provided below in Table A4.
| Environmental flow component | Description | Example flow requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Base flow | Quantity of water that flows down a waterway during periods between rainfall events |
|
| Flooding flows |
Increases in streamflow following storm events that are important for maintenance of aquatic ecosystems and channel structure. These include:
|
|
| Special purpose flows | Volumes of water designed to meet specific ecosystem requirements, for example, the inundation of a wetland |
|
| Maintenance of impoundment levels | Maintenance of water levels in lakes, ponds and reservoirs to protect the ecosystem of the waterbody |
|
Source: 2006 Environmental Flow Guidelines, ACT Government 2006b
The organisations that are responsible for water management within the Canberra region are detailed in Table A5.
| Organisation | Role | Major storage managed by organisation |
|---|---|---|
| ACT Government, Department of Environment, Climate Change, Energy and Water (DECCEW) | Water resource management in ACTApprove trades of water within and external to ACTGrant water entitlementsManage and monitor environmental flows | |
| ACT Electricity and Water (ACTEW) | Urban water supplyManage and maintain water supply infrastructure | Corin ReservoirCotter ReservoirBendora ReservoirGoogong Reservoir |
| ActewAGL | Water distribution, wastewater collection and wastewater recycling infrastructure operator on behalf of ACTEW | |
| NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water* | Environmental managementWater quality, water pollution and treatmentWetland conservation and managementSecuring water for the environment | |
| NSW Office of Water | Setting policy, necessary legal instruments and overseeing mechanisms to manage water in the region | |
| ACT Government, Department of Territory and Municipal Services | Planning and management of ACT’s parks, reserves, forestry plantations and public domains (ACT Government 2006a) | Lake GinninderraLake Tuggeranong |
| National Capital Authority | Manage Lake Burley Griffin | Lake Burley Griffin |
| Queanbeyan City Council | Urban water distribution in Queanbeyan region | |
| Palerang Council | Urban water distribution in Captains Flat |
*NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water was current during the 2009–10 reporting period, but since then was replaced by NSW Office of Environment and Heritage.
National Water Account 2010
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