Canberra: Water access and use
Water rights, entitlements, allocations and restrictions
Introduction
This note provides information about the water access rights granted by jurisdictions to the users of the region's water resources and the associated allocation announcements and abstractions.
The 2015 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 2015 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 Canberra region for the 2014–15 year have been classified as shown below.
Surface water rights
Surface water rights in the Canberra region during the 2014–15 year refer to surface water supply for:
- other statutory rights—297 ML
- individual users: non-allocated—3,553 ML
- individual users: allocated—1,832 ML
- urban water system—71,000 ML.
In the Canberra region, surface water allocations for individual users and the urban water system are equal to 100% of the water access entitlement. No allocations are associated with water access entitlements for non-allocated diversions and other statutory water rights.
The volume of surface water entitlements, corresponding water allocations, and volumes of diversion for the 2014–15 year compared with the 2013–14 year are shown in Figure N25. The percentage shows the ratio of diversion to the water access entitlement.
Note that water allocations and diversion 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 N25 Surface water access entitlements, allocations and diversions in the Canberra region for the 2013–14 and 2014–15 years
Figure N25 shows that surface water entitlements for non-allocated diversions to individual users during the 2014–15 year increased from the previous year; diversions associated with this water right also increased. Surface water entitlements for allocated diversions to individual users and the urban water system, and other statutory rights, all remain unchanged from the previous year. Entitled diversion of allocated surface water to individual users and diversions for other statutory rights could not be quantified accurately due to a lack of data. Surface water diversion to the urban water system marginally decreased from the previous year.
The Water Sharing Plan for the Murrumbidgee Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources, commenced on 4 October 2012, covers the NSW area within the Canberra region that falls under the jurisdiction of DPI Water. It provides the information on surface water allocation for individual users. Entitlements referred to as share component under NSW legislation are specified on water licences as unit share and the allocation announcement is based on share component.
The water supply licences for individual users are divided into a number of licence entitlement categories. Figure N26 shows that the annual allocation announcement for each licence category for 2014–15 remained the same as the previous year, as planned.
Figure N26 Surface water allocation announcements to individual users for each licence purpose for the 2014–15 and 2013–14 years
The surface water allocation announcements for the urban water system (71,000 ML) relate to licences to divert water from storages to the Canberra region's urban water supply system. This annual allocation is not sub-divided into separate allocations for each of the storages.
Groundwater rights
Groundwater rights in the Canberra region during the 2014–15 year refer to groundwater supply for:
- other statutory rights— 435 ML
- individual users: non-allocated—1,600 ML
- individual users: allocated—851 ML
There are no groundwater allocations for the urban water system.
The groundwater allocation for individual users is based on information available in the Water Sharing Plan for the Murrumbidgee Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources. Entitlements referred to as share component under NSW legislation are specified on water licences because unit share and the allocation announcement is based on share component.
In the Canberra region, groundwater allocations for individual users are equal to 100% of the water access entitlement. No allocations are associated with water access entitlements for non-allocated extractions and other statutory water rights.
The volume of groundwater entitlements, corresponding water allocations, and volumes of extraction for the 2014–15 year compared to the previous year are shown in Figure N27. The percentage shows the ratio of extraction to the water access entitlement.
Figure N27 Groundwater access entitlements, allocations and extractions in the Canberra region for the 2013–14 and 2014–15 years
Figure N27 shows that groundwater entitlements for non-allocated extractions to individual users during the 2014–15 year increased from the previous year; extractions associated with this water right also increased. Groundwater entitlements for allocated extractions to individual users and other statutory rights remain unchanged from the previous two years.
Figure N28 shows that the annual groundwater allocation announcement for each licence category for 2014–15 remained the same as the previous year, as planned.
Figure N28 Groundwater allocation to individual users for each licence purpose for the 2014–15 and 2013–14 years
Combined surface water and groundwater rights
In the ACT, there are provisions to abstract water from either surface water or groundwater as specified in the entitlement category, 'combined surface water and groundwater rights'. For the 2014–15 year, the entitled volume was 2,466 ML.
Water restrictions
Icon Water introduced 'Permanent Water Conservation Measures' for potable water use in November 2010 that are mandatory and enforceable. Nonpotable sources are not restricted. These commonsense rules govern how water can be used on gardens and lawns, during pool filling, car washing, and cleaning. For more information, refer to the Bureau of Meteorology's Water Restrictions website.
Water market activity
Groundwater entitlement trade reported in the Canberra region during the 2014–15 year was 1 ML. There was no surface water entitlement trade reported during this period.
Water use
Economic benefit
Water resources within the Canberra region are used for urban consumption, agriculture, and industries. For a summary of the water volumes allocated for various economic purposes within the region including the actual volumes abstracted, refer to Surface water rights and Groundwater rights above.
Environmental benefit
Introduction
Information on legislative, administrative, and governing arrangements of environmental water in the Canberra region is available in the Environmental water management section of the 'Contextual information'.
The ACT Government's Environment Planning Directorate identifies and manages water for ecosystems under the Water Resources Act 2007 (ACT). The 2013 Environmental Flow Guidelines is a statutory instrument that is used to determine allowable volumes when licensing the taking of water. These guidelines are consistent with the Territory Plan 2008 and use the precautionary principle in accordance with the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Environment (1992).
Water for environmental benefit in the region is provided as 'planned partly regulated surface water'. The dominant feature of environmental water management in this scenario is the ability to control or influence flow by operational releases from storage.
Environmental water legislation
Environmental water provisions are defined for different aquatic ecosystems in the Canberra region. These provisions are outlined in the 2013 Environmental Flow Guidelines.
The guidelines recognise that there have been substantial changes to flow regimes due to changes in land use in parts of the region. As a result, aquatic ecosystems have been classified into four broad types:
- Natural: ecosystems that remain in a relatively pristine condition
- Water supply: ecosystems in catchments that are used for water supply
- Modified: ecosystems modified by land use or by changes to the flow regime
- Created: ecosystems in water bodies developed as a result of urbanisation.
The key management goals and ecological objectives for each of these aquatic ecosystems are outlined in chapters 2 and 4, respectively, of the guidelines.
Environmental water provisions
Environmental water provisions in the Canberra region include the protection of the following components of the flow regime:
- baseflow
- small floods (riffle maintenance flows)
- larger floods (pool or channel maintenance flows)
- special purpose flows
- impoundment drawdown level.
All of these components of the flow regime are important for maintaining aquatic ecosystems in the region.
For each component of the flow regime, environmental flow requirements have been established to maintain each of the four types of aquatic ecosystems defined above. These flow requirements are described in Chapter 5 of the 2013 Environmental Flow Guidelines and are outlined for specific river reaches within the region.
The required environmental flows are maintained through a combination of strategic water releases or spills from storages and by restricting the volume of water that can be abstracted from a catchment.
Environmental water outcomes
Information on monitoring environmental water outcomes is provided in Chapter 6 of the 2013 Environmental Flow Guidelines. The following water releases were made from the reservoirs during 2014–15 year for environmental purposes and control of dam spillings.
- Bendora Reservoir: 25,889 ML
- Corin Reservoir: 56,852 ML
- Cotter Reservoir: 19,055 ML
- Googong Reservoir: 26,849 ML