South East Queensland
18.8 Entitled extraction of non-allocated groundwater to users

The volumetric value for the line item at the end of the 2012–13 year was 3064 ML.

This line item represents licensed metered groundwater extraction from the following groundwater management areas (GMAs), where the extraction was not considered in line item 18.11 Entitled extraction of allocated groundwater to users.

• Cressbrook Creek Alluvial GMA
• Lockyer Valley GMA–Implementation Area 1 (non-benefitted area of the Central Lockyer Water Supply Scheme [WSS])
• Warrill–Bremer Alluvial GMA
• Watercourse Buffer Zone GMA.

There are no meters in the other implementation areas of the Lockyer Valley GMA nor in the Warrill–Bremer GMA or the Watercourse Buffer Zone GMA; therefore no data were available for the 2012–13 year.

Despite the groundwater asset in all but the Lockyer Valley GMA benefitted area not being recognised as an asset in line item 2.1 Water table aquifer, 2012–13 metered extraction was still included in this line item where data were available.

¹ Only the non-benefitted area of the Lockyer Valley WSS was included in this line item. Benefitted area extractions are included in line item 18.11 Entitled extraction of allocated groundwater to users. As groundwater licences do not exist in the Upper Lockyer (Flagstone Creek alluvium, Ma Ma Creek alluvium, Tenthill Creek alluvium, Upper Lockyer Creek alluvium and Upper Laidley Creek alluvium) or Lower Lockyer (Lower Lockyer Creek alluvium and Buaraba Creek alluvium) extractions from these aquifers would have been included in line item 18.7 Groundwater extractions – other statutory rights if estimates could have been made.

In the Lockyer Valley groundwater management area (GMA), within the Central Lockyer WSS there is an area known as a 'benefitted area' for which groundwater licences are available. Benefitted 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, 2,078 ML was extracted from the benefitted area during the 2012–13 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 2012–13 year was included as line item 18.8 Entitled extraction of non–allocated groundwater to users.

Department of Natural Resources and Mines (DNRM): Cressbrook Creek Alluvial groundwater management area (GMA) data and Central Lockyer water supply scheme (WSS) interim resource operations licence (IROL) data.

DNRM.

Licensed extraction data were compiled for the Cressbrook Creek Alluvial GMA. Metered extraction data from the Central Lockyer WSS non–benefitted Area for the 2012–13 year were available.

The licensed metered extraction data have been underestimated due to the lack of data for three of the four GMAs. In future years, licensed metered extraction data may become available for other GMAs.

The uncertainty estimate was not quantified.