South East Queensland
Water access and use

Water rights, entitlements, allocations and restrictions

a. Introduction

This note provides information about the water access rights granted by jurisdictions to the users of the South East Queensland (SEQ) region's water resources and the associated allocation announcements, diversions, and forfeitures–adjustments. Information about restrictions to water access rights is also included in this note.

Information about restrictions to urban consumers is not included in this note, but rather in the urban system interactions with the region note and the Water rights, operating rules and constraints within the 'Contextual information'.

Other arrangements, contracts or inter–basin agreements that may or may not result in the creation of water assets and water liabilities are not reported here. These can be found in the Surface water note, Groundwater note, and the Urban water system note.

The 2013 Account acknowledges the varying jurisdictional legislative water resource management frameworks related to Australian rights to water that support water resource management in Australia. The 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 2013 Account, the Bureau has developed and applied an accounting concept to classify and report water rights within a water-asset/water-liability framework.

In the 2013 Account, the broad categories of water access entitlements relate to the capacity of an entitlement to create or not to create a water liability on the region's water resource and not to any jurisdictional classification.

Surface water rights are categorised broadly into:

Groundwater rights are categorised broadly into:

In the National Water Account 'Other statutory water rights' are defined as water rights conferred by water legislation (a water act or water sharing plan), for which there is no individual entitlement.

b. Surface water rights

The 2013 Account acknowledges the varied terminology used by jurisdictions to describe and classify their water entitlements.

In the 2013 Account, water rights associated in the South East Queensland (SEQ) region with diverting water from a watercourse (river/stream/channel) are reported as surface water rights.

In the SEQ region surface water rights that create a water liability include supplemented water access entitlements and are reported in line item 32.3 Surface water access entitlement for allocated diversionsSupplemented water is the water supplied under an interim resource operations licence, resource operations licence, or other authority to operate water infrastructure.

All other surface water access entitlements in the SEQ region are unsupplemented water and are reported in line item 32.2 Surface water access entitlement for non-allocated diversions. Under these entitlements, no water liability was recognised in the 2013 Account prior to the diversion taking place. Unsupplemented water is the water that is not supplemented water.

Non–entitled water rights, such as riparian water rights are reported in line item 32.1 Other statutory surface water rights.

There are no seasonally applied restrictions to water access entitlements.

Table 1 summarises, for the surface water resource, the annual volumes of the water right (entitlement on issue or estimation of the other statutory water rights), the allocations announced, the actual abstractions and use of allocation, and the forfeiture and adjustments of allocations, during the 2012–13 year.


Table 1 Summarised information on surface water rights, allocations, abstractions, adjustments and forfeiture for the South East Queensland region during the 2012–13 year
Water rights (at 30 June 2013)

Water allocation (2012–13)

Water abstraction/use
(2012–13)

Forfeiture, adjustment
(2012–13)

Line item

Volume (ML)

Line item

Volume (ML)

Line item

Volume (ML)

Line item

Volume (ML)

32.1 Other statutory surface water rights

         3,628 n/a n/a

17.6

         3,628 n/a n/a

32.2 Surface water access entitlement for direct diversion

       54,418 n/a n/a

17.7

9,035 n/a n/a
n/a n/a

17.8

3,529 n/a n/a

32.3 Surface water access entitlement for allocation diversion

515,760

21.1

73,304

17.11

5,986

13.1

67,318
 

21.2

442,826

17.12

220,891

13.2

221,935
573,806   516,130   243,069   289,253

Table Notes:

1. n/a = not applicable.

2. Note that water allocations, abstraction/use and forfeiture, adjustment shown in the Tables 1 for the urban water system do not appear in the water accounting statements because they are transactions that occurred within the region. These transactions did not impact the region's water assets and water liabilities.

3. More information about the items presented in Table 1 is provided in the linked line item notes.

c. Groundwater rights

In the South East Queensland (SEQ) region, groundwater rights that create a liability include groundwater rights for the benefitted area of the Central Lockyer Valley water supply scheme (WSS). Refer to line item 18.11 Entitled extraction of allocated groundwater to users for a definition of benefitted area.

These water rights are reported in line item 33.3 Groundwater access entitlement for allocated extractions.

All other licensed groundwater extractions in the SEQ region are unsupplemented. No water liability was recognised for them in the 2013 Account. The volumes of the corresponding entitlements could not be quantified (line item 33.2 Groundwater access entitlement for non–allocated extractions).

Unlicensed groundwater extractions occurred outside groundwater management areas. No volumetric estimate for these groundwater rights was available (line item 33.1 Other statutory groundwater rights).

Table 2 summarises, for the groundwater resource, the annual volumes of the water right (entitlement on issue or estimation of the other statutory water rights), the allocations announced, the actual abstractions and use of allocation, and the forfeiture and adjustments of allocations, during the 2012–13 year.

Table 2 Summarised information on groundwater rights, allocations, abstractions, adjustments and forfeiture for the South East Queensland region during the 2011–12 year
Water rights (at 30 June 2013)

Water allocation (2012–13)

Water abstraction/use
(2012–13)

Forfeiture, adjustment
(2012–13)

Line item

Volume (ML)

Line item

Volume (ML)

Line item

Volume (ML)

Line item

Volume (ML)

33.1 Other statutory groundwater rights

18.7

n/a n/a

33.2 Groundwater access entitlement for direct extraction

n/a n/a

18.8

3,064 n/a n/a
n/a n/a n/a

18.9

158 n/a n/a

33.3 Groundwater access entitlement for allocation extraction

9,340

22.1

9,340

18.11

2,078

14.1

7,262
9,340   9,340   5,300   7,262

 Table Notes:

  1. n/a = not applicable.
  2. en dash (–) = no data available.
  3. More information about the items can be found in the respective linked line item notes.

Water market activity

Purpose of the note

This region note reports on water market activities that occurred during the 2012–13 reporting year in the South East Queensland (SEQ) region.

Content of the note

In the SEQ region, trade or lease of water entitlements or allocations does not occur between water supply schemes but can occur within them. Trade or lease of water entitlements or allocations between the region and outside the region does not occur. Trade or lease of groundwater entitlements or allocations in the region does not occur.

Regulated water access entitlements (called 'water allocations' using Queensland terminology) are separate from land rights, and are tradeable and registered on the former Department of Environment and Resource Management's (DERM's) water allocation register. This function is now performed by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines (DNRM) and/or the Department of Energy and Water Supply (DEWS). There are currently markets for surface water rights trade only, but markets for groundwater rights trade may be developed in the future. The rules for trade of water access entitlements are detailed in the relevant resource operation plan. The rules for water allocation trade (called 'temporary trading' or 'seasonal water assignment' using Queensland terminology) are detailed in the Queensland Water Regulations 2002), and the relevant resource operation plan and interim resource operation licence. 

Accordingly, surface water trade (Table 3) reported for the SEQ region during the 2012–13 year includes surface water entitlement trades, and leases, and allocation trades within water supply schemes in the region.

The following information on water trades is reported in this note:

  • trade of surface entitlements within the region
  • lease of surface entitlements within the region
  • trade of surface water allocations within the region.
Surface water trade

Table 3 Summarised information on surface water trade in the South East Queensland region during the 2012–13 year
Line item

Volume
(ML)

No. of trades

Surface water entitlement trade    

35.1 Trade of surface water entitlement within region

287 9
Surface water entitlement lease    

36.1 Lease of surface water entitlement within region

0 0
Surface water allocation trade    

37.1 Surface water allocation trade within region

664 11
951

20


Water restrictions

The SEQ region was on permanent water conservation measures (PWCM) from 1 December 2009. On April 2012, the PWCM were amended to remove a number of mainly non-residential restrictions which already existed elsewhere in the legislation or were shown to have been put in place. The residential restrictions only had minor changes which would not have significantly impacted on the overall consumption. The PWCM were then lifted on 1 January 2013 as a result of the abolition of the Queensland Water Commission.

It was noted that Yarraman was under Level 1 restrictions and Crow's Nest and Preston were under PWCM in 2012-13 (refer to  http://www.toowoombarc.qld.gov.au/environment-and-waste/water-restrictions).

Water use

a. Environmental benefit

Introduction

Information on legislative, administrative, and governing arrangements of environmental water in the region is available in the Environmental water management section of the 'Contextual information'.

In the South East Queensland (SEQ) region, environmental benefit is delivered through three water management scenarios:

  • Planned partly supplemented surface water: the dominant feature of environmental water management in this scenario is the ability to control or influence flow by operational releases from storage.
  • Planned unsupplemented surface water: in this scenario, water is managed for environmental benefit through controlling the water access regime.
  • Top-up release: it does not apply to Seqwater; an exception can be made for Mt Crosby Weir where water is sometimes released from Wivenhoe Dam to maintain environmental flows and use for water treatment plant. 

For each scenario, the information, if available, is structured as follows:

  • Environmental water determinations, including ecological and environmental flow objectives are identified in water resource plans (WRPs). There are three water management areas and subsequently three WRPs that apply to the SEQ region (a map of the WRP areas can be seen in Table A2 in the Water management plans in 'Contextual information').
  • The environmental water commitment describes how these objectives are achieved through operating and environmental management rules and access rules for water allocations detailed in resource operations plans (ROPs).
  • Environmental outcomes, including whether environmental flow objectives were achieved and compliance with operating and environmental management rules, are reported on as part of the monitoring and reporting requirements in the ROPs.

Within each WRP area, water allocations are made for water supply schemes (WSSs) with regard to supplemented surface water and for water in a river with regard to unsupplemented surface water.

The ecological and environmental flow objectives detailed in the relevant WRP apply to both WSSs and unsupplemented water allocations; however, the operating and environmental management rules applicable to the WSSs are different from the access rules applicable to unsupplemented water allocations. Rules for WSSs prescribe operating levels for infrastructure such as storages and weirs, and require releases from storages to satisfy minimum flow conditions. Rules for unsupplemented water allocations prescribe rates of taking water and that the licence holder must comply with any specific conditions of the licence.

For clarity of presentation environmental water determinations, commitments, and outcomes are summarised/presented for each WRP area. The differences in operating and environmental management rules are indicated where appropriate.

Although the Moreton WRP also includes several groundwater management units, environmental objectives specific to the groundwater resource are not described in the WRP. Therefore, it is considered that there are no environmental water provisions for groundwater in this area.

Gold Coast water resource plan area: planned partly supplemented and unsupplemented surface water

Environmental water determination

Schedule 5 of the Gold Coast WRP identifies ecological and environmental flow objectives for the catchments located within the Gold Coast WRP area.

Environmental flow objectives are identified for specific locations along the watercourses within the management area (referred to as 'nodes') and are described in Schedule 4 of the WRP. Schedule 5 of the WRP describes in detail the low, medium and high flows and seasonal flow objectives for each of these nodes. In addition to detailing the environmental flow objectives the Gold Coast WRP also sets out performance indicators for environmental flow objectives, described in Clause 12 of the WRP and summarised briefly in Table 4.

Table 4 Gold Coast water resource plan performance indicators for environmental flow objectives

Low flow

Medium to high flow

Seasonal flow

  • The daily flow at each node will equal to or exceed 50% daily flow for the pre-development flow pattern on more than 65% of the days or fewer than 35% of the days in a particular month over the simulation period (1 January 1890 to 30 December 2000); and
  • The daily flow at each node will equal to or exceed 90% daily flow for the pre-development flow pattern on fewer than 75% of the days in a particular month over the simulation period; and
  • The percentage of the total number of days in the simulation period on which the daily flow is less than 1ML be between the minimum and maximum percentages stated for the nodes; and 
  • The number of periods of no flow of at least 1 month but less than 3 months in the simulation period is less than the minimum or more than the maximum number stated for the nodes; and
  • The number of periods of no flow of at least 3 months but less than 6 months in the simulation period is less than the minimum or more than the maximum number stated for the nodes; and
  • The number of periods of no flow of at least 6 months in the simulation period is less than the minimum or more than the maximum number stated for the nodes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • The mean annual flow (the MAF), expressed as a percentage of the MAF for the pre-development flow pattern, be at least the percentage stated for the nodes; and 
  • The 1.5-year daily flow volume (the 1.5-year DFV), expressed as a percentage of the 1.5-year DFV for the pre-development flow pattern, be at least the percentage stated for the nodes; and
  • The 5-year daily flow volume (the 5-year DFV), expressed as a percentage of the 5-year DFV for the pre-development flow pattern, be at least the percentage stated for the nodes; and
  • The 20-year daily flow volume (the 20-year DFV), expressed as a percentage of the 20-year DFV for the pre-development flow pattern, be at least the percentage stated for the nodes.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • The annual proportional flow deviation be no greater than the annual proportional flow deviation stated for the nodes; and
  • The flow regime class be maintained as late summer flow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Gold Coast environmental flow objectives

Ecological outcomes expected of the Gold Coast WRP are described in clause 11 of the plan. Briefly, they are to minimise changes to:

  • the flow regimes of rivers described as waters of high ecological value in the Environmental Protection (Water) Policy 1997
  • river-forming processes and changes to flow regimes in the Nerang River and Nerang Creek.
Environmental water commitment

The Gold Coast ROP describes the operating and environmental management rules and water access rules for the Nerang WSS (supplemented) and the lower Nerang Water Management Area (unsupplemented).

Nerang Water Supply Scheme: supplemented (regulated) system

The Gold Coast ROP sets out the rules the licence holder (Seqwater) must follow to achieve the outcomes of the Gold Coast WRP. The ROP requires Seqwater to make releases from water storages as described in Table 5 (see clauses 71 and 72A of the ROP).

Table 5. Gold Coast resource operations plan storage release requirements

Storage

Storage volume/level

Storage Release (ML/day)

Hinze

water level > 45.6 mAHD

7.25

water level > 45.6 mAHD and flow at Numinbah gauging station on the Nerang River is greater than 100ML/day

12

Little Nerang

water level > 139.3 mAHD

3

mAHD = metres Australian height datum

Lower Nerang water management area: unsupplemented

Water access rules that apply to water allocations in the Lower Nerang water management area are detailed in clause 94 of the Gold Coast ROP and include that:

  • water is abstracted at a rate not exceeding the maximum rate on the allocation
  • the allocation holder complies with any special conditions on the allocation.
Environmenal water outcomes

In accordance with clauses 118A and 119 in the ROP, the resource operations licence (ROL) holder is responsible for reporting on streamflow levels, infrastructure levels, and releases from infrastructure and ultimately their compliance with environmental objectives throughout the water year. Data on stream flow is available through the Queensland Government's water monitoring website.

Top–up environmental releases (ROL holder releases from infrastructure) did not occur within the Gold Coast WRP area.

The Seqwater allowed 3,976 ML (Little Nerang Dam 1,102 ML, and Hinze Dam 2,874 ML) specific releases for environmental purposes at various times during the 2012–13 year.

Moreton water resource plan area: planned partly supplemented and unsupplemented surface water

Environmental water determination

The Moreton WRP identifies ecological and environmental flow objectives for the catchments located within the Moreton WRP area as described in schedules 1, 4, and 5 of the WRP.

Environmental flow objectives are identified for specific locations along the watercourses within the management area (referred to as 'nodes') and are described in Schedule 6 of the WRP. Schedule 7 of the WRP describes in detail the low flow, medium to high flow, and seasonal flow objectives for each of these nodes. In addition to detailing the environmental flow objectives the Moreton WRP also sets out performance indicators for environmental flow objectives, described in Clause 14 of the WRP and summarised in Table 6.

Table 6 Moreton water resource plan performance indicators for environmental flow objectives

Low flow

Medium to high flow

Seasonal flow

  • The daily flow at each node will equal to or exceed 50% daily flow for the pre-development flow pattern on more than 65% of the days or fewer than 35% of the days in a particular month over the simulation period (1 January 1890 to 30 December 2000); and
  • The daily flow at each node will equal to or exceed 90% daily flow for the pre-development flow pattern on fewer than 75% of the days in a particular month; and
  • The percentage of the total number of days in the simulation period on which the daily flow is less than 1ML be between the minimum and maximum percentages stated for the nodes; and 
  • The number of periods of no flow of at least 1 month but less than 3 months in the simulation period is less than the minimum or more than the maximum number stated for the nodes; and
  • The number of periods of no flow of at least 3 months but less than 6 months in the simulation period is less than the minimum or more than the maximum number stated for the nodes; and
  • The number of periods of no flow of at least 6 months in the simulation period is less than the minimum or more than the maximum number stated for the nodes.

 

 

 

 

  • The mean annual flow (the MAF), expressed as a percentage of the MAF for the pre-development flow pattern, be at least the percentage stated for the nodes; and 
  • The 1.5-year daily flow volume (the 1.5-year DFV), expressed as a percentage of the 1.5-year DFV for the pre-development flow pattern, be at least the percentage stated for the nodes; and
  • The 5-year daily flow volume (the 5-year DFV), expressed as a percentage of the 5-year DFV for the pre-development flow pattern, be at least the percentage stated for the nodes; and
  • The 20-year daily flow volume (the 20-year DFV), expressed as a percentage of the 20-year DFV for the pre-development flow pattern, be at least the percentage stated for the nodes.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • The annual proportional flow deviation be no greater than the annual proportional flow deviation stated for the nodes; and
  • The flow regime class be maintained as late summer flow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Moreton environmental flow objectives

Ecological outcomes expected of the Moreton WRP are described in clause 11 of the plan. Briefly, they are to:

  • minimise changes to flows that support river-forming processes and to the low flow regime in the Stanley River and tributaries
  • provide freshwater flows to the Boondall Wetlands.
Environmental water commitment

Water supply schemes: supplemented
The Moreton ROP describes the operating and environmental management rules for the three WSS operating under a ROL within the Moreton WRP area. Environmental water rules, in the form of storage releases, are in force for two WSS and are described in Table 7:
  • Central Brisbane River and Stanley River WSS (Seqwater): see clause 75
  • Cressbrook Creek WSS (Toowoomba Regional Council): see clauses 122 and 123.

Table 7 Moreton resource operations plan storage release requirements

Water supply scheme

Storage

Storage release rate

Storage release conditions/criteria

Central Brisbane River and Stanley River Water Supply Scheme

Mount Crosby Weir

Minimum flow of 8.64 ML/day

When critical water sharing arrangements are not in force

Cressbrook Water Supply Scheme

Lake Cressbrook

Once triggered the release should satisfy the following conditions:

  • must be sufficient to maintain the water level at Cressbrook Creek weir > 98.75 mAHD

  • must be sufficient to maintain the water level in lower Cresbrook Creek weir > 77.47 mAHD

  • cease if both Cressbrook Creek weir and Lower Cressbrook Creek weir are full


The following conditions need to be satisfied to trigger a release:

  • combined percentage of volume storage in Lake Cressbrook and Lake Perseverance is >35%
  • Lake Cressbrook is not spilling
  • water level in Cressbrook Creek weir is < 98.75 mAHD
  • water level in lower Cressbrook Creek weir is < 77.47 mAHD
  • the flow in Cressbrook Creek at Rosentretters gauging station is less than 5 ML/day



      

Lake Perseverance

Minimum flow of 4.92 ML/day

When:

  • the water level in Lake Perseverance is equal to or greater than 431.6 mAHD
  • an inflow into Lake Perseverance is equal to or greater than 5 ML/day

mAHD = metres Australian height datum

In addition to the Pine Valleys WSS, water supply schemes that currently operate under an interim resource operation licence also do not include any environmental provisions.

Moreton WRP area: unsupplemented
Water access rules that apply to water entitlements in the Moreton WRP area that are unsupplemented are detailed in clause 35 of the Moreton ROP and include that:
  • water is abstracted at a rate not exceeding the maximum rate on the allocation
  • the allocation holder complies with any special conditions on the allocation.
Environmenal water outcomes

In accordance with clauses 152 and 153 in the ROP, the resource operations licence holder is responsible for reporting on streamflow levels, infrastructure levels, releases from infrastructure, and, ultimately, their compliance with environmental objectives throughout the water year.

The Seqwater allowed 8,552 ML from Wivenhoe Dam as specific release for environmental purposes at various times during the 2012–13 year.

Logan Basin water resource plan area: planned partly supplemented and unsupplemented surface water

Environmental water determination

The Logan Basin WRP identifies ecological and environmental flow objectives for the catchments located within the Logan Basin WRP area as described in Schedule 2 and 3 of the WRP.

Environmental flow objectives are identified for specific locations along the watercourses within the management area (referred to as 'nodes') and are described in Schedule 4 of the WRP. Schedule 5 of the WRP describes in detail the low flow, medium to high flow and seasonal flow objectives for each of these nodes. In addition to detailing the environmental flow objectives the Logan Basin WRP also sets out performance indicators for environmental flow objectives, described in clause 12 of the WRP and summarised in Table 8.

 

Table 8 Logan Basin Water Rresource plan performance indicators for environmental flow objectives

Low flow

Medium to high flow

Seasonal flow

  • The daily flow at each node will equal to or exceed 50% daily flow for the pre-development flow pattern on more than 65% of the days or fewer than 35% of the days in a particular month over the simulation period (1 January 1890 to 30 December 2000); and
  • The daily flow at each node will equal to or exceed 90% daily flow for the pre-development flow pattern on fewer than 75% of the days in a particular month; and
  • The percentage of the total number of days in the simulation period on which the daily flow is less than 1ML be between the minimum and maximum percentages stated for the nodes; and 
  • The number of periods of no flow of at least 1 month but less than 3 months in the simulation period is less than the minimum or more than the maximum number stated for the nodes; and
  • The number of periods of no flow of at least 3 months but less than 6 months in the simulation period is less than the minimum or more than the maximum number stated for the nodes; and
  • The number of periods of no flow of at least 6 months in the simulation period is less than the minimum or more than the maximum number stated for the nodes.

 

 

 

 

  • The mean annual flow (the MAF), expressed as a percentage of the MAF for the pre-development flow pattern, be at least the percentage stated for the nodes; and 
  • The 1.5-year daily flow volume (the 1.5-year DFV), expressed as a percentage of the 1.5-year DFV for the pre-development flow pattern, be at least the percentage stated for the nodes; and
  • the 5-year daily flow volume (the 5-year DFV), expressed as a percentage of the 5-year DFV for the pre-development flow pattern, be at least the percentage stated for the nodes; and
  • The 20-year daily flow volume (the 20-year DFV), expressed as a percentage of the 20-year DFV for the pre-development flow pattern, be at least the percentage stated for the nodes.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • The annual proportional flow deviation be no greater than the annual proportional flow deviation stated for the nodes; and
  • The flow regime class be maintained as late summer flow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Logan Basin environmental flow objectives 

Ecological outcomes expected of the Logan WRP are described in clause 11 of the plan. Briefly, they are to minimise changes to:

  • the flow regimes of rivers described in clause 11(b)
  • the flooding regime in the Carbrook wetlands
Environmental water commitment

Logan Water Supply Scheme: supplemented

The Logan Basin ROP describes the operating and environmental management rules for the Logan WSS (regulated/supplemented). The ROP requires Seqwater to make releases from water storages as described in the Table 9 (see clauses 87 and 88 of the ROP). The resource operations licence (ROL) holder must minimise the occurrence of adverse environmental impacts by ensuring release of water  incrementally from the storages depending on the flow criteria.

Table 9 Logan Basin resource operations plan storage releases requirements
Storage Storage release rate Storage release conditions/criteria
Lake Maroon equal to the volume of inflow when inflow is equal to or less than 4 ML/day
4 ML/day when inflow is > 4ML/day
Bromelton Weir equal to the volume of inflow when inflow is equal to or less than 5 ML/day
5 ML/day when inflow is > 5ML/day
Cedar Grove Weir equal to the volume of inflow when inflow is equal to or less than 5 ML/day
5 ML/day when inflow is > 5ML/day
Wyaralong dam 0 ML/day when inflow to Wyaralong Dam is less than 2 ML/day
2 ML/day when inflow to Wyaralong Dam is equal to or greater than 2 ML/day, but less than 5 ML/day
5 ML/day when inflow to Wyaralong Dam is equal to or greater than 5 ML/day, but less than 50ML/day
50 ML/day when inflow to Wyaralong Dam is equal to or greater than 50 ML/day.
 

source: Environmental flow release

Logan WRP area: unsupplemented

The area covered by unsupplemented water allocations in the Logan WRP area are described in Attachment 2 of the ROP. Water sharing rules are detailed in Attachment 7 of the ROP and require that relevant licence holders:

  • ensure that water is abstracted at a rate not exceeding the maximum rate on the allocation
  • ensure that daily volumetric limits are not exceeded
Environmenal water outcomes

In accordance with clauses 137 and 138 in the ROP, the ROL holder is responsible for reporting on streamflow levels, infrastructure levels, releases from infrastructure and, ultimately, their compliance with environmental objectives throughout the water year.

Top–up environmental releases (ROL holder releases from infrastructure) did not occur within the Logan Basin WRP area.

There were no specific releases for environmental purposes in the 2012–13 year.

b. Social, cultural and economic benefit

The Gold Coast, Logan Basin, and Moreton WRPs require that water be managed for general and ecological purposes. This includes social and cultural benefits. 

There are no formal entitlements held for social or cultural purposes in the Gold Coast, Logan Basin, or Moreton WRP areas. Surface water stores are managed through a rules-based system outlined in the WRPs and ROPs.

In Queensland, entitlements and allocations do not have intended use as an attribute, and all metered abstractions do not have entitlement priority or use as attributes. Water held for cultural, social or economic purposes can not be differentiated explicitly.