Canberra
Administration

Surface water and groundwater management

Water legislation

Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

The Water Resources Act 2007 (ACT) provides for the management of surface water and groundwater resources within the ACT boundaries through the issuing of water access entitlements and water licences.

The Territory Plan 2008 provides the policy framework for the administration of planning in the ACT. It also details the management policies for environmental values in every catchment and serves as an umbrella document for the 2013 Environmental flow guidelines.

Lake Burley Griffin is an Australian Government responsibility and is administered under the Lake Ordinance 1976.

 

New South Wales (NSW)

The Water Management Act 2000 (NSW) governs the management of surface and groundwater resources within New South Wales.

 

Water management plans

ACT

The Canberra region is divided into 14 water management areas (WMAs).The WMA boundaries are shown in Figure A1. There are are 32 subcatchment areas within the WMAs. Each of these WMAs is consistent with the planning framework of the Territory Plan 2008.  Some of these water management areas fall outside the ACT state boundaries; however, the ACT Government has an interest in these areas as they supply water to, or flow through, the ACT.

The ACT Government manages the WMAs areas that fall within ACT boundaries. The NSW Government manages the sections that fall outside the ACT boundaries.

 

Figure A1 Water management areas in the Canberra region
Figure A1 Water management areas in the Canberra region

 

WMAs in ACT cover both surface water and groundwater resources. Within each WMA, maximum surface water plus groundwater abstractions were set. The management of each WMA is dictated by the primary environmental value of the subcatchments within that WMA. Subcatchments within the ACT boundaries are assigned one of three potential primary environmental values:

  • conservation
  • water supply
  • drainage and open space.

The management policies for each type of catchment are detailed in section 11.8 of the Territory Plan 2008.

Table A1 shows the summary of WMAs in the Canberra region and their associated maximum surface water and groundwater abstraction threshold.

 

Table A1  Water management areas in the Canberra region during the 2013–14 year

Water management area

Maximum available surface water for diversion plus groundwater for extraction (ML)1

Maximum available groundwater for extraction (ML)2

Upper Murrumbidgee3

2,5174

640

Lower Murrumbidgee

29,925

189

Naas

2,641

855

Gudgenby

3,558

1,170

Cotter

111,408

2,050

Paddys

2,905

909

Tuggeranong

1,461

190

Upper Molonglo

102

24

Central Molonglo

7,832

685

Lower Molonglo

3,304

297

Lower Queanbeyan

7

0

Jerrabomberra headwaters

0

0

Googong catchment

98,914

0

Ginninderra

5,352

239

Total

269,926

7,248

Notes:

1Water Resources Act 2007 (ACT).
2National Water Commission (NWC) 2011, Australian Water Markets Report 2010–11.
3Only part of the WMA area is within the Canberra region.
4Maximum abstraction includes an allowance for those parts of the WMAs that lie outside the Canberra region.

 

NSW

The combined surface water and groundwater sharing plan for the Murrumbidgee Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources commenced on 4 October 2012.

The groundwater management areas (GMAs) in the NSW part of the Canberra region (Table A2) are currently subject to embargoes prohibiting new groundwater licences to be issued unless exemption criteria are met.

 

Table A2  Groundwater embargoes impacting the Canberra region

Groundwater management area

Embargo

Lachlan Fold Belt GMA

New South Wales Inland Groundwater Shortage Zones Order No. 2 2008

Mid and Upper Murrumbidgee Fractured Rock GMA, Yass Catchment

New South Wales Inland Groundwater Shortage Zones Order No. 1 2008

 

 

Environmental water management

Environmental water legislation

ACT

Environmental water within the Canberra region is managed by the ACT Government, Environment and Planning Directorate (EPD). The Water Resources Act 2007 (ACT) provides for the identification and management of water for ecosystems which are identified in the 2013 Environmental flow guidelines.

Environmental water in the Canberra region is delivered in two ways:

The 2013 Environmental flow guidelines provide guidance on ecological objectives, environmental flow components and environmental flow requirements for the region.

 

NSW

The Water Management Act 2000 (NSW) recognises the following classes of environmental water:

  • environmental health water: water that is committed for fundamental ecosystem health at all times, and may not be taken or used for other purposes
  • supplementary environmental water: water that is committed for specified environmental purposes at specified times or in specified circumstances, but may, at other times and in other circumstances, be taken and used for other purposes
  • adaptive environmental water: water that, pursuant to an access licence, is committed for specified environmental purposes, either generally or at specified times or in specified circumstances.

Rules for the identification, establishment and maintenance of each class of environmental water (environmental water rules) are to be established for all of the water sources in the State, by means of a management plan, as soon as practicable after the commencement of the Act.

For groundwater, the Water Sharing Plan for the NSW Murray–Darling Basin Porous Rock Groundwater Sources was established under the Water Management Act 2000 and commenced on 16 January 2012.

 

Environmental water provisions

ACT

Environmental water provisions are the responsibility of the relevant ACT minister and are administered and managed through the ACT Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). 

The 2013 Environmental flow guidelines (Environment and Planning Directorate) is the primary document which outlines environmental water provisions in the ACT. The purpose of the guidelines is to identify the components of flow from the variable flow regime that are necessary to maintain stream health (National Water Commission 2012).

The 2013 Environmental flow guidelines categorise each of the 14 WMAs and 32 subcatchments outlined in the Territory Plan 2008 as one of four possible aquatic ecosystem types and assigns each an environmental management goal. The ecosystem categories and their environmental management goals are described in the 2013 Environmental flow guidelines. The guidelines also identify four components of environmental flow to be maintained within these ecosystem types (see Environmental benefit note for more details).

 

NSW

Section 8 of the Water Management Act 2000 (NSW) defines environmental water requirements. In addition to environmental water defined under section 8, NSW Office of Water recognises that a significant number of water access licences are purchased and/or held for an environmental purpose. This type of licensed environmental water is described in the Environmental Water Register as having a 'non-statutory' environmental purpose. A licence is classified as having a 'non-statutory' environmental purpose by agreement between  NSW Office of Water and the holder of the respective licence.

This register provides a record of:

  • licensed environmental water information
  • environmental water set aside as 'rules' in water sharing plans
  • environmental water use plans approved by the Minister.

The register also provides reports on:

  • the assignment of water allocations to and from adaptive environmental water access licences
  • changes in the share component of adaptive environmental water access licences over time.

 

Cultural water management

The Aboriginal Water Initiative was established in June 2012 to improve Aboriginal involvement and representation in water planning and management within NSW. The programme will allow the NSW Office of Water to commence monitoring the success of water sharing plans in meeting their statutory requirements for Aboriginal specific performance indicators, including:

  • providing water for native title rights
  • recognising spiritual, social, customary and economic values of water to Aboriginal people.

 

Organisations responsible for water management

The organisations that are responsible for water management within the Canberra region are detailed in Table A3.

 

Table A3  Organisations responsible for water management in the Canberra region during the 2013–14 year
OrganisationResponsibilityMajor storages operated within the region
ACT Government, Environmental and Planning Directorate (EPD)
  • manage ACT water resources
  • approve water trades within and outside the ACT
  • grant water entitlements
  • manage and monitor environmental flows.
n/a
ACTEW Corporation (trading as ACTEW Water)
  • manage urban water supply
  • manage and maintain water supply infrastructure
  • operate water distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, and wastewater recycling infrastructure operator.
  • Corin Reservoir
  • Cotter Reservoir
  • Bendora Reservoir
  • Googong Reservoir
NSW Office of Environment and Heritage
  • manage the environment
  • manage water quality, water pollution and water treatment
  • conserve and manage wetlands
  • securing water for the environment.
n/a
NSW Office of Water
  • set policy and necessary legal instruments and oversee mechanisms to manage water within NSW.
n/a
ACT Government, Territory and Municipal Services
  • plan and manage ACT's parks, reserves, forestry plantations and public domains.
  • Lake Ginninderra
  • Lake Tuggeranong
National Capital Authority
  • manage Lake Burley Griffin.
  • Lake Burley Griffin
Queanbeyan City Council
  • distribute urban water in Queanbeyan region.
n/a
Palerang Council
  • distribute urban water in Captains Flat.
n/a