Adelaide
Water overview

There were no significant water events in the Adelaide region during the 2012–13 year.

During the 2012–13 year, total annual streamflow in the Adelaide region was below to well below the mean annual flow for the rivers shown in Table W1.

Table W1  Mean annual river flow in the Adelaide region during the 2012–13 year

River	Streamflow gauge	Period of record	Mean annual flow (ML)	2012-13 flow (ML)	2012–13 as % of mean annual flow
Onkaparinga	A5030504	1973–2013	72,087	44,020	61.06%
Myponga	A5020502	1978–2013	7,871	5,639	71.64%
North Para	A5050502	1955–2012	13,922	2,180	15.66%

Monthly streamflow for the Myponga, North Para and Onkaparinga rivers is presented in figures W2 to W4. Figure W1 shows the location of the streamflow gauges used to prepare these hydrographs.


Figure W1 Map of key gauging stations along the main rivers within the Adelaide region


Figure W2 Monthly flow for the Myponga River in the 2012–13 year compared to the long-term values for the region



Figure W3 Monthly flow for the North Para River in the 2012–13 year compared to the long-term values for the region


Figure W4 Monthly flow for the Onkaparinga River in the 2012–13 year compared to the long-term values for the region

In the Myponga River (Figure W2) total annual streamflow was below the long-term average. Monthly flow was slightly above the long-term average for the month of July 2012, likely reflecting wet conditions experienced in the previous month. The month of June 2012 was the wettest June on record since June 2005. Monthly flow was also above average in June 2013, which coincided with above average rainfall during this time period for the Adelaide region (see Figure C3 in the Climate overview).

In the Onkaparinga River (Figure W4), while the total annual streamflow was below the long-term average, monthly flow was equivalent to or slightly above the long-term average for the months of January, February, April, May and June 2013.

In the North Para River (Figure W3) total annual streamflow was well below the long-term average and this was reflected by the fact that monthly streamflow was consistently well below the long-term average, with the exception of June 2013. The considerably lower streamflow observed in the North Para River, compared to the Myponga and Onkaparinga rivers reflects the location of these rivers throughout the Adelaide region. The North Para River is in the north of the Adelaide region which experienced very much below average rainfall, whereas the Myponga and Onkaparinga rivers are located to the south of the Adelaide region which only experienced below average rainfall conditions (see Figure C1 in the Climate overview).

The major water initiatives ongoing and completed in the 2012–13 year are presented in Table W2.

Table W2  Major water initatives ongoing and completed in the Adelaide region in the 2012–13 year

Initiative	Completion date/Implementation	Description	Lead agency
Adelaide Desalination Plant, Port Stanvac	December 2012	The plant was handed over for operation in December 2012. The plant can produce up to 100,000 ML of desalinated water annually, providing a climate-independent supply of drinking water.	SA Water and Adelaide Aqua Pty Ltd (plant operator)
North South Interconnection System project	Late 2013	Enhances security and flexibility of water supply by connecting Adelaide's southern and northern water supply systems, increasing the distribution network transfer capability. Full project operational handover was scheduled for late 2013.	SA Water
Stormwater reuse 1.       Barker Inlet: stormwater re-use scheme 2.       Adelaide Airport: stormwater shceme	2014–15	Providing alternative water sources by harvesting and treating stormwater for reuse by the Adelaide airport, industrial, commercial and irrigation customers .	SA Water
River Murray Private Carryover Policy	2012–13	The policy provides eligible River Murray water access entitlement holders the ability to manage their water more effectively between water years by allowing for a percentage of underused water allocation to be allocated for use in the following year.	South Australian Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources
Western Mount Lofty Ranges Prescribed Water Resources Area (PWRA) Water Allocation Plan	Adopted on 17 September 2013	Water allocation plan enabling issue of water taking licences in the Western Mount Lofty Ranges PWRA, detailing conditions for managing the resource	Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board
Central Adelaide water allocation plan	2013–2014	Ongoing development of combined water allocation plan for Central Adelaide Prescribed Wells Area and Northern Adelaide Plains Prescribed Wells Area.	Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board and South Australian Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources
Unbundling water rights	On-going	Progressive separation of water rights pursuant to Action 61 of the Water for Good plan, so they can be managed as four separate items. Refer to the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources website for further information.	South Australian Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources and Adelaide and Mt Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board

Refer to SA Water annual report 2013 ( South Australian Water Corporation 2013) for more information on the major water initiatives involving SA Water during the 2012–13 year.