National Water Account 2015

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Region overview

Contextual information

Physical information

Administration

Water rights

Climate and water overview

Water Accounting Statements

Water Assets and Water Liabilities

Changes in Water Assets and Water Liabilities

Water Flows

Notes

Accounting policies

Supporting information

Quantification approach

Reconciliations

Water resources & systems

Water access & use

Future outlook

References

Accountability statement

Adelaide: Water accounting policies

Introduction

The information presented in the Adelaide region water accounting report is based on collaboration between the Bureau and:

• South Australian Department for Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR)
• South Australian Water Corporation (SA Water).

The report has been prepared using an accrual basis of water accounting, with the exception of the water flow information. The water attribute being quantified is volume and the unit of account is megalitres (ML). Where a reported volume is negative, it is shown in brackets. The applicable reporting period is from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015.

Recognition of water assets and water liabilities

Only water that is held or managed by the State licensing authority or the region's urban water system, and from which future benefit can be derived by stakeholders of the region, is defined as a water asset. Water liabilities are constituted by present commitments to supply water, the discharge of which is expected to result in a decrease of the region's water assets or an increase in another water commitment to supply water.

Provided its volume can be quantified in a way that is complete, neutral, and free from material error, the volume of the water asset or water liability is recognised in the Statement of Water Assets and Water Liabilities. Water held in farm dams that has already been abstracted from the entitlement system is deemed not to be part of the region (regardless of the storage's size or connection to the system). This is because the attendant water right has already been exercised. 

Recognition of changes in water assets and water liabilities

The increases and decreases to the reported water assets and water liabilities consist of changes that can be quantified in a way that is complete, neutral, and free from material error. These volumes are presented in the Statement of Changes in Water Assets and Water Liabilities or the Statement of Water Flows.

Precipitation and evaporation are recognised only in relation to the surfaces of open storage volumes. They do not represent all precipitation, evaporation and evapotranspiration within the region (notably, these processes occurring from the landscape are not captured).

That portion of runoff that flows into the surface water store (storages and rivers) is quantified and recognised on the Statement of Changes in Water Assets and Water Liabilities. This runoff includes precipitation captured in the catchment, less evaporation and infiltration, and is recorded as Runoff to surface water.

Allocation announcements on entitlements that create a water liability have been recognised as an increase in water liabilities. Note that the definition of entitlements that create a water liability for the purpose of the National Water Account (refer to 'Glossary') may be different to the meaning applied by the jurisdiction. For more information on allocations, refer to the Water rights, entitlements, allocations and restrictions note.

Water assets and water liabilities that fail the recognition criteria

The volumes of several water assets identified in the Adelaide region were not reported in the water accounting statements but replaced by dashes ('–') as they 'failed the recognition criteria' specified in the Australian Water Accounting Standard 1, because:

• they could not be quantified in a way that is complete, neutral, and free from material error; and/or
• they were unlikely to provide a future benefit to the region or to the region's stakeholders.

Water assets that failed the recognition criteria include rivers, lakes and wetlands (see Surface water store note), groundwater aquifers (see Groundwater store note), and apart of the wastewater and recycled water systems (see Urban water system note) 

Changes to water assets and water liabilities that fail the recognition criteria

The volumes of several changes to water assets and water liabilities identified in the Adelaide region were not reported in the water accounting statements but replaced by dashes ('–') as they 'failed the recognition criteria' specified in the Australian Water Accounting Standard 1, because:

• they could not be quantified in a way that is complete, neutral, and free from material error; and/or
• in the case of changes to water assets, they were unlikely to provide a future benefit to the region or the region's stakeholders; and/or
• in the case of changes to water liabilities, they were unlikely to result in a decrease in the region's water assets or an increase in another water liability when the obligation is discharged.

Changes to water assets and water liabilities that failed the recognition criteria include surface water recharge to landscape (see Surface water store note), groundwater recharge from surface water and groundwater discharge to farm dams (see Groundwater store note), and leakage from irrigation schemes to groundwater (see Irrigation schemes note).

Restatement of comparative year information

In accordance with the Australian Water Accounting Standard 1, comparative year volumes must be restated in the statements if there is a prior period error or a change in line item presentation. Comparative year volumes are not required to be restated if there is a change in scope or methodology, or subsequent data availability for the quantification of a line item.

The following comparative year changes were made resulting in restatement of the volumes presented in Table N1:

• correction of an error in the volumes reported in the 2014 National Water Account (2014 NWA) for groundwater recharge to and discharge from landscape due to incorrect shapefiles used to generate the volumes
• change in presentation of urban information separating water flows to and from the urban water supply system from flows to and from the wastewater and recycled water systems
• change in presentation of the River Murray entitlement. In the 2014 NWA (and previous years), the River Murray entitlement was reported as an entitlement held by the urban water system. In the 2015 NWA (and future accounts), the River Murray entitlement is reported as an entitlement held by the surface water store. This is because water that is diverted under the River Murray entitlement is first delivered to the surface water store, where it can be diverted by the urban water system at a later date.  The change in reporting means that the physical delivery of water to the surface water store and the delivery of water to the urban water system can be represented in the National Water Account. 

These changes are summarised in Table N1.

Transactions within the region

Transactions between water assets and water liabilities within the region (e.g., between the surface water store and the groundwater store) are not reported in the water accounting statements because they do not affect the region's total water assets and water liabilities.

This information is reported in the Water resources and systems note which includes water accounting statements for each water store. These contain internal transactions that were excluded from the consolidated water accounting statements. This ensures that transactions between water assets and water liabilities within the region are still reported.