Adelaide
Administration

Water resources, including watercourses in the Adelaide region, are managed according to South Australia's Natural Resources Management Act 2004 (the Act).

The Act  aims to promote sustainable and integrated management of the State's natural resources and to provide for the protection of the State's natural resources. The Act sets the framework for water planning and management including provisions for declaring a water resource to be prescribed and the development of water allocation plans.

South Australia's Water Industry Act 2012 consolidates legislation relating to water supply throughout South Australia to deliver a more efficient, competitive and innovative industry. It facilitates planning in connection with water demand and supply and aims to regulate the water industry through the regulation of prices, customer service standards, and technical standards, and also by providing performance monitoring of the water industry. The key objectives of the legislation are outlined in Part 1 (3) of the Water Industry Act 2012.

The prescribed surface water areas in the Adelaide region in the 2013–14 year are shown in Figure A1.

Figure A1 Surface water management areas in the Adelaide region

Environmental water in the Adelaide region is managed under the South Australia's Natural Resources Management Act 2004 (the Act), which is administered by the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation in South Australia. The South Australian Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources is the principal regulatory agency established to manage environmental water in the Adelaide region on behalf of the Minister. The Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board has an active role with respect to the management of natural resources within the Adelaide region pursuant to s. 29 of the Act.

Under s. 76(4)(aab) of the Act water allocation plans are required to include:

• an assessment of the capacity of the water resource to meet environmental water requirements
• information about the water that is to be set aside for the environment
• a statement of the environmental outcomes expected to be delivered on account of the provision of environmental water under the plan.

Environmental water provisions within the Adelaide region are managed by the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges  NRM Board and the South Australian Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. The provisions vary for each prescribed area.

• Recommends target streamflow regimes for surface water and low flows to by-pass dam storage on watercourses.
• Includes limits on the total volume of water captured and stored in off-channel water storages; construction of off-channel water storages and activities involving groundwater resources are managed through a permit for water-affecting activities.
• Describes relevant policies are described in ss 2, 5 and 7.

• The requirements, with respect to water quantity and quality, of groundwater dependent ecosystems within the area can be found in s 2.1.4 of this water allocation plan.
• Water users are required to hold a water-affecting activity permit for activities involving groundwater resources.

• Outlines environmental requirements for the maintenance of important groundwater-dependent ecosystems in the area.
• Water users are required to hold a water-affecting activity permit for activities involving groundwater resources.

• Relevant policies and provisions are outlined in s 2.4 and 2.5.
• Provisions are made for water to the Fleurieu and Central Hills wetlands by virtue of a surface water extraction limit.
• Includes provisions for watercourses across the plains downstream of reservoirs, managing the impacts of water extractions through the use of threshold rates.
• Requires participation by SA Water in an environmental flow trial with the objective of establishing, timing, frequency, duration and governance of environmental flows downstream of public supply reservoirs, up to 16,500 ML per year.

A water allocation plan for the Central Adelaide PWA and Northern Adelaide Plains PWA is under development. This plan will include environmental water provisions.

Water use for cultural benefit is considered a basic right in the Adelaide region. These rights are described in the Act and the Australian Government Native Title Act 1983. 

A 'notice of authorisation to take water for stock and domestic purposes and for native title purposes' (South Australian Government 2005) authorises the taking of water from the Western Mount Lofty Ranges PWRA by a person who is a native title holder. The notice authorises that 'the taking is for the purpose of satisfying that person's personal, domestic, cultural, spiritual, or non-commercial communal needs where they are doing so in the exercise or enjoyment of their native title rights and interests'.

The Western Mount Lofty Ranges PWRA Water Allocation Plan includes a specific section on Indigenous water needs. The plan outlines that 'Access to, and use of, water from prescribed water resources by Indigenous people for the purpose of social, cultural, or spiritual use is exempt from licensing, provided they do not stop, impede or divert the flow of water'.

The organisations responsible for water management in the Adelaide region are presented in Table A1.