South East Queensland
6.1 Groundwater allocation remaining
Supporting information
a. Overall
Allocation carryover from one water year to the next does not occur in the South East Queensland (SEQ) region. All unused allocation at the end of a water year is forfeited. Therefore, the groundwater allocation remaining is 0 ML.
b. Benefitted Area definition
In the Lockyer Valley GMA, within the Central Lockyer WSS there is an area known as Benefitted Area for which groundwater licences are available. Benefited Areas are the equivalent of a regulated surface water resource. The Benefitted Area uses managed aquifer recharge via discharge of water from water storages to watercourses to recharge the groundwater. Of the Central Lockyer WSS's metered, licensed groundwater extractions, 1,773 ML was extracted from the Benefitted Area during the 2011–12 year. This was included as line item 18.11 Entitled extraction of allocated groundwater to users.
The volume extracted from Non–Benefitted Area during the 2011–12 year was included as line item 18.8 Entitled extraction of non–allocated groundwater to users.
c. Central Lockyer interim groundwater entitlements
Currently, interim groundwater entitlements exist within the Central Lockyer WSS. These do not have volumetric limits, and therefore announced allocations cannot be made for individual entitlement holders; however, there is a nominal groundwater entitlement for the entire Central Lockyer WSS. Under the interim resource operations licence (IROL), the water-sharing rules provide for extraction up to the Central Lockyer WSS groundwater limit, with a provision that when individual allocations are set, groundwater allocation announcement rules should be used.
Given the intent for groundwater allocation announcement rules, for the purpose of the 2012 Account, the Central Lockyer WSS has been considered to have a system with groundwater allocation announcements, extractions and forfeiture.
Although there are more groundwater management areas (GMAs) within the SEQ region, only information for the Lockyer Valley GMA Benefitted Area has been included within the line items listed below:
- line item 6.1 Groundwater allocation remaining
- line item 14.1 Adjustment and forfeiture of groundwater allocation
- line item 18.11 Entitled extraction of allocated groundwater to users
- line item 22.1 Groundwater allocation announcements
For the purpose of the 2012 Account, other GMAs are not included to have this entitlement system at present. As groundwater entitlements evolve in the SEQ region and the announcement, extractions and forfeiture model is implemented, other GMAs may also be included within these line items. In the 2012 Account, any extractions from other GMAs (where volumes are available) was included in line item 18.8 Entitled extraction of non–allocated groundwater to users.
d. Groundwater allocation remaining – reconciliation
The following table shows the ground water allocation reconciliation. Due to the very wet year, irrigation demand was significantly lower than in previous years resulted in a higher than usual forfeiture of groundwater allocation.
Calculation | Line Item |
Moreton Water Resource Plan area |
Volume (ML) |
||
6.1 Groundwater allocation remaining (as at 30 June 2011) | 0 |
|
Plus | 22.1 Groundwater allocation announcements | 9,340 |
Minus | 18.11 Entitled extraction of allocated groundwater to users | 1,773 |
Minus | 6.1 Groundwater allocation remaining (as at 30 June 2012) | 0 |
Equals | 14.1 Adjustment and forfeiture of groundwater allocation | 7,567 |