South East Queensland

The National Water Account 2010 acknowledges the varying jurisdictional legislative water resource management frameworks related to Australian rights 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 South East Queensland (SEQ) region for 2009–10 are presented in the tables below.

R1 Surface Water Rights

R1.1 Other statutory surface water rights

R1.1.1 Riparian rights

The table below shows the breakdown of the number of riparian water authorisation in each water resource plan (WRP) area within the South East Queensland (SEQ) region.

A riparian right in Queensland is the riparian landholders’ access to stock and domestic water via riparian water authorisations. The basic right as stipulated in the Water Act 2000 (Qld) (also know as 'riparian right') is the right of an owner of land adjoining a watercourse, lake or spring, to take from that stream for stock or domestic purposes. This riparian stock and domestic access is separate from an entitlement.

A riparian water acknowledgement must be submitted to Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) to access this right to take water. A riparian water acknowledgement is provided by DERM to the applicant. Riparian water acknowledgements are not metered in the SEQ region.

R1.2 Water access entitlement – unregulated flows

R1.2.1 Stock and domestic

The table below shows the breakdown of water licences for stock and domestic use in each water resource plan (WRP) area within the SEQ region.

R1.2.2 Urban

This entitlement represents unsupplemented water licences (unregulated) granted to either SEQ Water Grid Manager or local councils listed in the resource operation plans (ROP) where the purpose was stipulated as town water supply. No water licences for town water supply were listed within the Gold Coast ROP.

The rules governing when and at what flow rate abstractions can occur on these entitlements are specified on the individual entitlement. Typically maximum flow rates are stipulated for various river flow conditions, including a minimum river flow condition below which extractions are not permitted.

R1.2.5 Other – lumped class

R1.2.5.4 Urban holder

The volume associated with this entitlement class could not be quantified by Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) as many of these entitlements have not yet been listed in the Gold Coast, Logan Basin and Moreton resource operation plans (ROPs).

The volume diverted from this entitlement class has been reported in 14.6.5.4 – Diversion of unregulated flows – Urban holder.

R1.2.5.6 Other lumped holder

This entitlement represents unsupplemented water licences (unregulated) listed in the resource operation plans (ROP) where the purpose was stipulated as not being for town water supply.

The rules governing when and at what flow rate abstractions can occur on these entitlements are specified on the individual entitlement. Typically maximum flow rates are stipulated for various river flow conditions, including a minimum river flow condition below which diversions are not permitted.

The nominal volume is an indicative volume available under the water access entitlement and in practice represents the water access entitlement holder’s share of the available resource. It is used to calculate the water access entitlement’s share of the water available to be taken by holders of water access entitlement in the same priority group; and holders of water access entitlement in all other groups in a ROP.

The volumetric limit, for a water access entitlement, means the maximum volume of water that may be taken under the entitlement in a stated period.

Water allocation security objectives are also assigned to water access entitlement in water access entitlement groups for accessing unsupplemented water. The water allocation security objective is expressed as a water sharing index volume (in ML or percentage.). The water allocation security objective is stated in the water resource plan for the protection of the probability of being able to obtain water in accordance with a water access entitlement.

Table notes:

1. Does not include area based or water harvesting entitlements.
2. Volumetric limit is a limit rather than a nominal volume
3. Where area, volumetric limit or the DERM priority have not been listed this information was not available.

R1.3 Water access entitlement – regulated flows

Water access entitlement in a water supply scheme may be assigned to various priority groups. Each priority group has the same water allocation security objective. In defining the availability of water in a supplemented scheme, a water allocation security objective is normally expressed as a water sharing index in percentage (the percentage of a stated period in which the water access entitlements are fully supplied with water). The water allocation security objective provides a level of security for water access entitlement in that priority group and is stated in the ROP for the protection of the probability of being able to obtain water in accordance with a water access entitlement.

R1.3.2 High security class

For the purpose of the national water account 2010, the high security entitlement class includes the following Queensland water priority types:

• high class A
• high
• high distribution loss
• high A
• high B.

R1.3.2.4 Urban holder

This entitlement represents supplemented entitlements specified in the Gold Coast, Logan Basin and Moreton resource operation plans (ROPs) held by SEQ Water Grid Manager.

R1.3.2.7 Other lumped holder

This entitlement represents supplemented entitlements specified in the Gold Coast, Logan Basin and Moreton resource operation plans (ROPs) not held by SEQ Water Grid Manager.

Table notes:

1. Interim water allocations are provided for Central Lockyer, Warrill and Lower Lockyer under interim resource operation licence (IROL) (Central Lockyer Valley WSS) July 2008, IROL (Lower Lockyer Valley WSS) July 2008, IROL (Warrill Valley WSS) amended August 2008.
2. Priority classes can be found in the relevant resource operation plans.

R1.3.3 General or low security class

For the purpose of the national water account 2010, the general or low security entitlement class includes the following Queensland water priority types:

• medium
• medium distribution loss
• risk A
• risk B.

R1.3.3.6 Other lumped holder

This entitlement represents supplemented entitlements specified in the Gold Coast, Logan Basin and Moreton resource operation plans (ROPs).

Table notes:

1. The Lower Lockyer WSS water year (01 April – 31 March) does not match the National Water Account 2010 reporting period (01 July – 30 June). The numbers specified in this table for the Lower Lockyer WSS represent the entitlement volume. The announced allocation during the reporting period (01 July – 30 June) was greater than the annual entitlement due to announced allocations for the 2009–10 and 2010–11 water year occurring within 2009–10.
   
2. Interim water allocations are provided for Central Lockyer, Warrill and Lower Lockyer under interim resource operation licence (IROL) (Central Lockyer Valley WSS) July 2008, IROL (Lower Lockyer Valley WSS) July 2008, IROL (Warrill Valley WSS) amended August 2008.
3. Priority classes can be found in the relevant resource operation plans.

R2 Groundwater Rights

R2.1 Other statutory groundwater right

R2.1.2 Other lumped basic right

The volume associated with this entitlement class could not be quantified by Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM). Groundwater outside of groundwater management areas (GMAs) does not require licensing, but extraction is authorised under the Water Act 2000 (Qld). All extractions outside of a GMA are defined as basic rights for the purpose of the National Water Account 2010.

The volume diverted from this entitlement class has been reported in line item 16.4.2 Groundwater extractions – other lumped basic rights.

R2.2 Groundwater entitlement

R2.2.3 Other lumped class

R2.2.3.7 Other lumped holder

Although no formal groundwater allocation announcement occurred, the groundwater limit for the Benefitted Area of the Central Lockyer water supply scheme (WSS) has been used as the groundwater entitlement volume. This was obtained from the Central Lockyer interim resource operation licences (IROL).

R4 Agreements and Contracts

R4.3 Desalination water contract

Under normal operating conditions, the desalination plant operated at a minimum of 33% capacity (44 ML/day) during the reporting period in accordance with rules outlined in the SEQ System Operating Plan v3.1.

See the WaterSecure website for more information on the desalination plant.

Water market activity

The types of water trading possible within Queensland are shown in the table below.

Entitlement trade

As final resource operation plans (ROPs) weren’t released until December 2009, there was no trading of water entitlements in the period 01 Jul 2009 to 30 Jun 2010 in the Gold Coast, Logan Basin and Moreton Water Resource Plan (WRP) areas.

Allocation trade

Allocation trade occurred within the Gold Coast, Logan Basin and Moreton water resource plan (WRP) areas as shown in the below table.

Rules for water trading

Water entitlement and allocation trading rules for the Gold Coast, Logan Basin and Moreton WRP Areas are detailed in Chapter 5, 6 and 7 of the Moreton ROP, Logan Basin ROP and Gold Coast ROP.

No interstate trading between the South East Queensland (SEQ) region and New South Wales is permitted.

There was no trade between the Gold Coast, Logan Basin and Moreton WRP Areas and no trade between the SEQ region and any other part of Queensland during the reporting period.

Restrictions on trade

As final ROPs were not released until December 2009, there was no trading of water entitlements in the period 01 July 2009 – 30 June 2010 in the Gold Coast, Logan Basin and Moreton WRP areas