Adelaide
18.7 Groundwater extractions – other statutory rights

The volume reported (26,647 ML) represents non-licensed groundwater extractions in the Western Mount Lofty Ranges Prescribed Water Resources Area (PWRA) and the Kangaroo Flat portion of the Northern Adelaide Plains Prescribed Wells Area (PWA) in the Adelaide region during the 2012–13 year as shown in the following table. 

Non-licensed groundwater extractions in the Adelaide region during the 2012–13 year

Groundwater area	Volume (ML)
Western Mount Lofty Ranges PWRA	25,460
Kangaroo Flat portion of the Northern Adelaide Plains PWA	1,187
Total	26,647

The volume of non-licensed extractions in the Central Adelaide PWA could not be quantified in a way that is complete, neutral and free from material error due to lack of data and a suitable quantification approach.

Non-licensed groundwater extractions are managed by authorisations under sections 128, 132 and 164N of South Australia's Natural Resources Management Act 2004 (the Act). For further information on these authorisations refer to the Water entitlements and other statutory water rights section of the 'Contextual information'.

South Australian Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR): Water Information and Licence Management Administration System (WILMA) database; Bureau of Meteorology: calculations of non-metered groundwater extractions.

DEWNR; Bureau of Meteorology.

Metered extraction data for the Kangaroo Flat portion of the Northern Adelaide Plains PWA were obtained from the WILMA licensing database.


Non-metered groundwater extractions in the Western Mount Lofty Ranges were calculated by estimating the percentage of allocated groundwater diverted in the Barossa PWRA, then applying this percentage to the total groundwater licence volume for the Western Mount Lofty Ranges, as recorded in the WILMA licencing database. The Western Mount Lofty Ranges PWRA Water Allocation Plan was adopted on 17 September 2013 under the Act. As a result of this adoption, groundwater licences were issued throughout the Western Mount Lofty Ranges PWRA. As this adoption occurred after the 2012–13 reporting period, groundwater extractions were still considered as non-licensed for the 2012–13 year.

The calculation of non-metered groundwater extractions in the Western Mount Lofty Ranges is summarised in the following table.

Calculation of non-metered groundwater extractions in the Western Mount Lofty Ranges during the 2012–13 year

Calculation	Line item	Volume (ML)
	18.11 Entitled extraction of allocated groundwater to users (for the Barossa PWRA)	4,851
divided by	22.1 Groundwater allocation announcements (for the Barossa PWRA)	7,828
equals	percentage extraction of allocated groundwater in the Barossa PWRA	61.97%
multiply by	licence volume in the Western Mount Lofty Ranges1	41,084
equals	non-metered—estimated groundwater extractions in the Western Mount Lofty Ranges	25,460

¹ The licences were issued after the 2012–13 year and were used for estimating extraction volume only.

The Barossa climate, management practices, mix of available water sources and water intensive industries are quite different to the WMLR PWRA. Extrapolation of changes observed in the Barossa PWRA compared to the WMLR should only be considered as an indication of annual groundwater extractions.

The uncertainty estimate was in the range of +/– 30–50%.