Sydney
Water access and use
Water rights, entitlements, allocations and restrictions
Introduction
This note provides information about the water access rights granted by the jurisdiction to the users of the region's water resources and the associated allocation announcements and abstractions.
The 2014 Account acknowledges that the legislative water resource management frameworks relating to Australian water rights vary greatly across jurisdictions, sometimes making comparisons difficult. To facilitate meaningful comparisons between the water accounting reports included in the 2014 Account, the Bureau of Meteorology has developed and applied an accounting concept to classify and report water entitlements within a water asset/water liability framework.
According to that framework, water rights for the Sydney region for the 2013–14 year have been classified as shown in the sections below. The water rights are categorised broadly into:
- water rights that may not create a water liability: other statutory water rights
- water rights that may create a water liability: water access entitlements for allocated abstractions.
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.
Surface water rights
The volume of surface water entitlements, corresponding water allocations and volumes of abstraction for the 2013–14 year compared with the previous two years, are shown in Figure 1. The percentage shows the ratio of abstraction to the water access entitlement (WAE).
In the Sydney region, surface water allocations for individual users and the urban water system are equal to 100% of the WAE. No allocations are associated with WAEs for other statutory water rights.
Note that water allocations and abstractions related to the urban water system appear in the Surface water note; however, they 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 total water assets and water liabilities.
Figure 1 Surface water access entitlements, allocations and abstractions in the Sydney region for the years ending 30 June 2014, 2013 and 2012
In the Sydney region, details of other statutory rights and surface water entitlements for allocated diversions to individual users and urban water system are available in Water Sharing Plan for the Greater Metropolitan Region Unregulated River Water Sources and the Water Sharing Plan for the Kangaroo River Water Source.
Figure 1 shows that other statutory rights and surface water entitlements for allocated diversions to individual users and urban water system during the 2013–14 year remain unchanged from the 2012–13 year. It is assumed that all allocated volume for riparian right for stock and domestic purposes and cultural purposes was abstracted during the year.
Surface water entitlements for allocated diversions to individual users increased during the previous two years. Surface water diversion to the urban water system marginally increased from the previous year.
Groundwater rights
Groundwater entitlements and rights in the Sydney region represent less than 5% of all water rights in the Sydney region. Groundwater entitlements are predominately used by irrigation, commercial, industrial, and domestic users. It is difficult to estimate the abstraction volume as there is currently no reliable quantification method. As a result, abstracted volumes have not been reported in the water accounting statements.
Figure 2 Groundwater access entitlements in the Sydney region for the years ending 30 June 2014, 2013 and 2012
Water restrictions
Water restrictions that applied to the Sydney region during the 2013–14 year are shown in Table 1 based on the responsible water agency. Further details about particular water restrictions can be found via the Bureau of Meteorology’s Water Restrictions website or the website of the relevant agency.
Authority | Water restrictions | Data source |
| Goulburn Mulwaree Council | Green level throughout the 2013–14 year.
| |
| Lithgow City Council | Level 1 restrictions | |
| Sydney Water Corporation | Water Wise rules throughout the 2013–14 year. | |
Wingecarribee Shire Council | Water Wise intiatives throughout the 2013–14 year. | |
Shoalhaven City Council (Shoalhaven Water) | No restrictions. |
The water restrictions listed in Table 1 for 2013–14 are all base level or permanent water restrictions that are common practices for promoting water conservation and efficient use of water in the community. There are no additional conditions to restrict normal water demand triggered by reduced availability of water.
Water market activity
No water trading took place in the Sydney region during the 2013–14 year as trading provisions are not yet in place.
Water use
Economic benefit
The water rights and use reported in this section are used to derive an economic benefit in the 2013–14 year.
This includes:
- water allocation and use for urban, rural and domestic purposes
- water allocation and use for industry, industrial, and commercial purposes (e.g., agriculture, irrigation, manufacturing, and mining)
- water allocation and use for power generation.
Social and cultural benefit
Water rights directly related to social and cultural benefits identified in the Sydney region for the 2013–14 year were:
- surface water: cultural basic right
- surface water: riparian right
- surface water: stock and domestic licences
- groundwater: basic right.
Cultural basic right allows abstraction of water by anyone who holds native title with respect to water, as determined under the Native Title Act 1993 (Cwlth). In the Sydney region, the right was available to abstract water from the Kangaroo River water source. No cultural basic rights were estimated to occur in other areas of the region. The rights holders can take and use water for a range of needs without holding a water access licence. This includes accessing water for personal, domestic, and non-commercial communal purposes such as:
- manufacturing traditional artefacts
- hunting, fishing, and gathering
- recreation
- cultural purposes
- ceremonial purposes.
The riparian right makes provisions to abstract water to meet basic household requirements (non-commercial uses in and around the house and garden) and for watering of stock. This water cannot be used for irrigating crops or garden produce that will be sold or bartered, washing down machinery sheds or for intensive livestock operations.
Stock and domestic licences for surface water and groundwater basic rights allow the right holders to abstract water to meet basic requirements for household and stock purposes.
Environmental benefit
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'.
Water for environmental benefit in the Sydney region is provided according to three different environmental water management scenarios:
- planned partly regulated surface water
- planned unregulated surface water
- held environmental water.
Environmental water legislation
The Water Management Act 2000 (New South Wales) makes provisions for the environmental health of the Sydney region's rivers and groundwater systems that are implemented as rules in water sharing plans and conditions of water access licences.
Environmental water provision: planned partly regulated (or 'supplemented') surface water
The dominant feature of environmental water management in this scenario is the planned environmental releases.
Environmental water provision
The Sydney Catchment Authority manages a large part of Sydney's water supply network. It has a Water Licence and Approvals Package which defines its water access rights and obligations including releases for environmental and other purposes, monitoring, and reporting requirements in accordance with the provisions of the water sharing plan. The water licences and approvals apply to all storages and weirs within Sydney's water supply system (see Table 2 below).
Schedule 1 of the Sydney Catchment Authority's Water Licence and Approvals Package details environmental releases, monitoring, and reporting requirements for the region.
Environmental water outcomes
Table 2 provides details of volumes released to meet environmental flow obligations specified in water management licences issued to the Sydney Catchment Authority. In addition to these flows, Sydney Water Corporation released 14,990 ML of treated water to environment from wastewater treatment plants and water recycling plants.
| Storage /weir | Streams benefiting from environmental flow release | Environmental flow release (ML) |
| Avon | Avon River up to its confluence with the Nepean River, and the Nepean River below that up to Pheasants Nest Weir | 11,406 |
| Broughtons Pass Weir | Cataract, Nepean and Hawkesbury rivers below the weir up to the sea | 4,532 |
| Cataract | Cataract River up to Broughtons Pass Weir | 14,670 |
| Cordeaux | Cordeaux River up to its confluence with the Avon River, and the Avon and Nepean rivers below that up to Pheasants Nest Weir | 8,961 |
| Fitzroy Falls | Yarrunga Creek up to Lake Yarrunga (Tallowa Dam) | 6,443 |
| Lake Burragorang (Warragamba Dam) | Warragamba, Nepean and Hawkesbury rivers below Lake Burragorang (Warragamba Dam) up to the sea | 1,825 |
| Lake Yarrunga (Tallowa Dam) | Shoalhaven River below Lake Yarrunga (Tallowa Dam) up to the sea | 204,370 |
| Nepean | Nepean River up to Pheasants Nest Weir | 11,149 |
| Pheasants Nest Weir | Nepean and Hawkesbury rivers below the weir up to the sea | 6,905 |
| Wingecarribee | Wingecarribee River up to Lake Burragorang (Warragamba Dam) | 1,095 |
| Woronora | Woronora River up to its confluence with the Georges River, and the Georges River below that up to the sea | 4,926 |
| Total | 276,2821 | |
1Releases from some storages contributed to environmental flows from downstream storages/weirs. Releases from these downstream storages have been separately accounted in the table.
Environmental water provision: planned unregulated surface water
In the Sydney region, water management under this provision occurs only at the unregulated river, Kangaroo River, by controlling the water access regime.
Environmental water provision
The Water Sharing Plan for the Kangaroo River Water Source states that water must be allocated for the fundamental health of the river and river-dependent ecosystems—such as wetlands and floodplains—as a first priority. This is achieved by establishing flow classes at a specified flow reference point. The flow reference point is at Hampden Bridge (Station 215220). Growth in extractions in the Kangaroo River was restricted by establishing long-term extraction limits. The New South Wales Office of Water manages the day-to-day operation of the entitlements allocated from the Kangaroo River water source. Figure 3 shows the Kangaroo River Water Sharing Plan area. A proportion of each flow class is set aside for environmental needs.
Figure 3 The Kangaroo River Water Sharing Plan area
Environmental water provision: held environmental water
Held environmental water in the Sydney region is held as banked environmental water in storages managed by the Sydney Catchment Authority.
Environmental water provisions
There are no environmental water provisions.
Environmental water outcomes
No environmental water releases were made during the 2013–14 year.
Bulk water supply agreement
Details of bulk water supply agreements applicable for water utilities operating within the Sydney region are provided in Table 3.
Water provider | Water receiver | Agreed volume/supply rate | Other details |
Sydney Catchment Authority
| Shoalhaven City Council | As requested by Shoalhaven City Council subject to the limit stated in its Water Management Licence. | Water is diverted from Lake Yarrunga (Tallowa Dam) and Bendeela Pondage as specified in the bulk water supply agreement between two parties. |
Wingecarribee Shire Council | Subject to the limit stated in the Wingecarribee Shire Council's WML (40 ML/day). | Water is diverted from Wingecarribee Reservoir as specified in the bulk water supply agreement between two parties. | |
Sydney Water Corporation | As agreed between Sydney Water Corporation and the Sydney Catchment Authority. | Water is diverted from supplier's storages and weirs to Sydney Water Corporation's water treatment plants, excluding North Richmond. |