South East Queensland
Administration
Surface water and groundwater
Water legislation
The Water Act 2000 (Qld) (the Water Act) provides the authority for the administration of basic water rights and water entitlements (interim allocations, water licences and water allocations) in Queensland. The Water Act is supported by the Water Regulation 2002 (Qld) (the Water Regulation) which provides details on the procedures and fees associated with water access entitlements and trading. The terminology used in this legislation and water management plans differs from that used in the National Water Account. Table A1 shows the terminology used in Queensland for water management, and the equivalent term in the National Water Account.
| 2011 Account |
Equivalent Queensland terminology |
| Water access entitlement | Water allocation |
| Interim water allocation | |
| Water licence | |
| Water allocation | Announced allocation |
| Regulated | Supplemented |
| Unregulated | Unsupplemented |
| Entitlement trade | Allocation trade |
| Allocation trade | Seasonal water assignments |
| Security | Priority |
Under section 38 of the Water Act, the relevant minister may prepare a water resource plan (WRP) for any part of Queensland to advance the sustainable management of water. WRPs may be prepared for, but are not limited to, the purposes listed under section 38(3) of the Water Act.
There are WRPs in place to manager water across the entire South East Queensland (SEQ) region.
The Water Act vests all rights to the use, flow and control of water in the State of Queensland.
The Water Act legislation, as discussed in Surface water legislation also applies to groundwater. In the Water Act groundwater is referred to as underground water.
Water management plans
A number of water management instruments, including water resource plans (WRPs), are used in the SEQ region. These are described in Table A2.
The SEQ region contains three water management areas: Gold Coast, Logan Basin and Moreton. The former Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) finalised water resource plans and resource operation plans for each of these three areas.
Within each WRP area, there is a number of water supply schemes (WSSs) made up of connected water supply infrastructure.
During the 2010–11 year DERM monitored the implementation of WRPs throughout the SEQ region. This function is now performed by the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines and/or the Queensland Department of Energy and Water Supply. A resource operation plan (ROP) is used to implement a WRP in specified areas. A resource operation licence (ROL) (or interim resource operation licence [IROL]) provides a licence under which water supply infrastructure can be operated.
- detail how the Queensland Government aims to meet the catchments' social, economic and environmental needs
- outline environmental flow objectives specific to the plan area
- consider environmental values and water quality objectives
- describe water allocation security objectives.
- specify information for each regional WSS
- detail how to operationally meet the water resource plan's environmental flow objectives and water allocation security objectives
- describe how the water resources will be managed day to day to meet these needs
- outline WSS licence holder flow management, infrastructure operating conditions, water sharing, monitoring and trading rules.
- provide detail of the licence holder and the ROP to which the licence relates
- may stipulate the water infrastructure, such as dams and weirs, covered by the licence
- specify any conditions that the holder of the licence must comply with, including operating arrangements and water supply requirements.
Seqwater is the ROL (or iIROL) holder for all water supply schemes in the SEQ region, with the exception of the Cressbrook Creek WSS, which is held by Toowoomba Regional Council.
- provide detail of the licence holder
- may stipulate the water infrastructure, such as dams and weirs, covered by the licence
- specify any conditions that the holder of the licence must comply with, including operating arrangements and water supply requirements
- are granted in relation to infrastructure in an area where a ROP has not been approved or the infrastructure has not yet been included in a ROP.
- WSSs with IROLs located within the Moreton WRP area are to be included within the Moreton ROP in the future, and the IROLs are then converted to ROLs.
The water management plans and WSSs in the SEQ region during the 2010–11 year are detailed in Table A2.
Areas not covered by the WSSs are managed as Queensland unsupplemented water rights (which, for national consistency, in the 2011 Account are referred to as 'unregulated water rights') under the Water Act, WRPs and ROPs.
| Water resource plan (WRP) | Resource operation plan (ROP) | Water supply scheme (WSS) and Resource operation licence (ROL) / Interim ROL (IROL) |
| Nerang WSS ROL (Seqwater) |
||
| Logan River WSS ROL (Seqwater) | ||
| Central Brisbane River and Stanley WSS ROL (Seqwater) | ||
| Cressbrook Creek WSS ROL | ||
| Pine Valleys WSS ROL (Seqwater) | ||
| Central Lockyer WSS IROL (Seqwater)1 | ||
| Lower Lockyer WSS IROL (Seqwater)1 | ||
| Warrill Valley WSS IROL (Seqwater)1 |
Notes:
- IROLs are not administered under a ROP.
Figure A1. Map of surface water management areas in the South East Queensland region
Unallocated water (water in the consumptive pool not allocated to licence holders or needed for losses) may be held as a general, strategic or town water supply reserve. Unallocated water in a WRP area, if any, is identified in the WRP and a process for dealing with unallocated water is included in the ROP.
All management plans that relate to groundwater were administered by the former Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) during the 2010–11 year. This function is now performed by the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines and/or the Queensland Department of Energy and Water Supply. No groundwater management areas (GMAs) exist within the Gold Coast or Logan Basin WRP areas.
The following GMAs exist within the SEQ region:
- Cressbrook Creek Alluvial
- Lockyer Valley
- Warrill Bremer Alluvial
- Watercourse Buffer Zone.
Environmental water management
Environmental water legislation
The Water Act covers water for the environment. WRPs are produced in accordance with the Water Act and must establish environmental flow objectives, ecological outcomes and consider environmental values listed in the Environmental Protection (Water) Policy 2009.
Environmental water provisions
The environmental flow objectives in a WRP area are met through rules governing storage releases and limiting abstractions, with the aim to retain various temporal flow characteristics at different nodes along rivers. Environmental top-up releases are required from storages to ensure that environmental flow objectives are met. The volume required for release will vary depending upon the environmental flow objectives and flow conditions. Various performance indicators are used for assessing environmental flow objectives as described in the Environmental notes.
More details on specific environmental flow provisions can be found in the Moreton WRP (2006), Logan Basin WRP (2007) and Gold Coast WRP (2007).
Organisations responsible for water management
From 1 July 2008 to the present the water industry in the SEQ region underwent significant reform. Duringthis period, the number of water management and distribution entities was reduced from 21 to 6, and the role of the SEQ Water Grid Manager was created.
The 2011 Account reports on the status of water management during the 2010–11 year. Organisational changes that occurred prior to or after the 2010–11 year are reported in the Significant water events section of the account.
| Organisation | Role | Major storages operated within the region |
| Department of Environment and Resource Management | Water policy, planning, management, entitlement administration and water service provider regulator during the 2010–11 year. This role is now performed by the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines and/or the Queensland Department of Energy and Water Supply. |
None |
| SEQ Water Grid Manager | Urban utility: wholesale Holds urban entitlements with the region Manages SEQ Water Grid Purchases services to store, treat, produce and transport bulk water Sell treated water to local councils, power stations and other businesses |
None |
| Seqwater | Surface water storage manager Bulk water supplier Manage the majority of WSS in the SEQ region ROL and IROL holder |
Advancetown Lake (Hinze Dam) |
| Bromelton Off-Stream Storage | ||
| Cedar Grove Weir | ||
| Enoggera Reservoir | ||
| Gold Creek Reservoir | ||
| Lake Atkinson (Atkinson Dam) | ||
| Lake Clarendon | ||
| Lake Dyer (Bill Gunn Dam) | ||
| Lake Kurwongbah | ||
| Lake Manchester (Cabbage Tree Creek Dam) | ||
| Lake Maroon | ||
| Lake Moogerah | ||
| Lake Samsonvale (North Pine Dam) | ||
| Lake Somerset | ||
| Lake Wivenhoe | ||
| Little Nerang Dam | ||
| Mount Crosby Weir | ||
| Tingalpa (Leslie Harrison Dam) | ||
| Wyaralong Dam | ||
| LinkWater | Infrastructure operator Transports through the SEQ Water Grid |
None |
| WaterSecure | Infrastructure operator Supply water from the Gold Coast Desalination Plan Supply water from the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project |
None |
| Tarong Energy | Power generator | Splityard Creek Dam |
| Allconnex Water | Urban utility: retail | None |
| Queensland Urban Utilities | Urban utility: retail | None |
| Unitywater | Urban utility: retail | None |
| Toowoomba Regional Council | Urban utility: retail Surface water store manager Manages Cressbrook Creek WSS Cressbrook Creek ROL holder |
Lake Cressbrook |
| Lake Perseverance |
Notes:
- WaterSecure merged with Seqwater on 1 July 2011.
- The assets of Tarong Energy were split between Stanwell Corporation and CS Energy on 1 July 2011. Tarong Energy became a subsidiary of Stanwell Corporation.
- A number of councils previously having an urban utility role were merged into three new urban utility retailers: Allconnex Water, Queensland Urban Utilities and Unitywater on July 1 2010.
- Other councils, of which part of their administrative area lies within the SEQ region, include Sunshine Coast Regional Council and South Burnett Regional Council.
The surface water and groundwater licensing authority in SEQ during the 2010–11 year was the former Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM). DERM was responsible for surface water policy planning, management and entitlement administration. This function is now performed by the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines and/or the Queensland Department of Energy and Water Supply.
Seqwater is the ROL holder for all but one of the WSS in the SEQ region. Toowoomba Regional Council is the ROL holder for the Cressbrook Creek WSS. ROL holders manage the surface water infrastructure associated with the WSS, including reservoirs, dams and weirs within the scheme in accordance with the ROP. ROL holders also administer the announced allocations within the WSS, calculating the announced allocation using the methodology stipulated in the ROP. ROL holders monitor water levels at various points within the WSS to ensure compliance with the ROP requirements. In addition to managing surface water storages within WSS, Seqwater also manages a number of reservoirs, dams and weirs on watercourses outside of WSS, mainly for the purpose of supplying the SEQ Water Grid Manager with water from their unsupplemented licences for urban use.
The SEQ Water Grid Manager is a Queensland Government–owned statutory body that is responsible for managing the strategic operation of the southeast Queensland water supply network. The SEQ Water Grid Manager owns the urban water entitlements in SEQ and is responsible for managing the SEQ Water Grid. During the 2010–11 year it managed the delivery of bulk water to the three urban retailers: Allconnex Water, Queensland Urban Utilities and Unitywater, and purified recycled water to Tarong and Swanbank power stations.
Seqwater provides bulk water storage and treatment services to the SEQ Water Grid, managing WSSs, surface water storages and borefields across the SEQ region. Seqwater is the ROL holder for all but one of the WSS in the SEQ region. During the 2010–11 year WaterSecure supplied water from the Gold Coast Desalination Plant and Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme to the SEQ Water Grid Manager. As of 1 July 2011 this role has moved across to Seqwater.
Queensland Bulk Water Transport Authority (LinkWater) transports potable water from Seqwater treatment plants and surface water storages through bulk transmission pipelines for the SEQ Water Grid Manager to the distribution networks.
The South–East Queensland Water (Distribution and Retail Restructuring) Act 2009 resulted in the formation of three distribution and retail organisations in SEQ on 1 July 2010. Allconnex Water, Queensland Urban Utilities and Unitywater have provided distribution and retail of potable water to customers of the SEQ Water Grid since this date. These organisations also provide wastewater collection and treatment services for the Brisbane, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Logan, Moreton Bay, Redlands, Scenic Rim, Somerset and Sunshine Coast areas. Figure A2 shows the service areas for the three new entities and the council areas that they cover.
Figure A2. Map of surface water management areas in the South East Queensland region
Some areas of the SEQ region not connected to the SEQ Water Grid are still provided with water and wastewater services by their local councils, such as Toowoomba and South Burnett regional councils. Toowoomba Regional Council is also the holder of the ROL for the Cressbrook Creek WSS.