National Water Account 2017

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Key findings

Climate and water

Water Accounting Statements

Supporting information

Region description

Reference information

Adelaide: Water Management

Surface water and groundwater management

Water legislation

Water resources, including watercourses in the Adelaide region, are managed according to South Australia's Natural Resources Management Act 2004 (the Act), which is administered by the South Australian Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation.

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.

Water management plans

The Act enables the water resources of an area to be prescribed. Following prescription, the development of a water allocation plan is required. Water allocation plans set principles and objectives for the management of prescribed water resources through:

• granting of water licences or other authorisations to extract water
• the determination of environmental water provisions
• management of water-affecting activities through works approvals, site-use approvals, and permits.

Water-affecting activities that do not pertain to the taking of water from prescribed water resources are provided for through water-affecting activity permits.

Water allocation plans are prepared by the relevant natural resources management (NRM) board. The South Australian Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources coordinates the adoption of water allocation plans by the South Australian Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, and administers the plans following adoption. The Adelaide region lies within the responsibility of the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges NRM Board. The following water allocation plans applied to the surface water and groundwater resources in the Adelaide region during the 2016–17 year:

• Barossa Prescribed Water Resources Area Water Allocation Plan
• McLaren Vale Prescribed Wells Area Water Allocation Plan
• Northern Adelaide Plains PWA Water Allocation Plan
• Western Mount Lofty Ranges PWRA Water Allocation Plan

Other prescribed water resources within the Adelaide region did not have an operational water allocation plan during the 2016–17 year, including:

• Central Adelaide Plains PWA: this area will be covered by the proposed Adelaide Plains PWA water allocation plan, which will also include the Northern Adelaide Plains PWA.
• Dry Creek PWA: this area will be covered by the proposed Adelaide Plains PWA water allocation plan.

The Murray–Darling Basin Natural Resource Management (NRM) Board is also relevant to the Adelaide region because it is responsible for developing the River Murray Prescribed Watercourse Water Allocation Plan. River Murray water is vital for the Adelaide region, particularly in times of limited supply.

The prescribed water resources areas in the Adelaide region in the 2016–17 year are shown in Figure C9.

Figure C9 Surface water management areas in the Adelaide region

Groundwater management areas in the Adelaide region are shown in Figure C10.

Figure C10 Groundwater management areas in the Adelaide region

Environmental water management

Environmental water legislation

Environmental water in the Adelaide region is managed under the Natural Resources Management Act 2004 (the Act). 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 NRM Board has an active role with respect to the management of natural resources within the Adelaide region pursuant to section 29 of the Act.

Under section 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 in response to the provision of environmental water under the plan.

Environmental water provisions

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

The Barossa PWRA Water Allocation Plan

• 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 farm dams; construction of farm dams and activities involving groundwater resources are managed through a permit for water-affecting activities.
• Relevant policies are described in sections 2, 5, and 7.

McLaren Vale PWA Water Allocation Plan

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

Northern Adelaide Plains PWA Water Allocation Plan

• 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.

Western Mount Lofty Ranges PWRA Water Allocation Plan

• Relevant policies and provisions are outlined in sections 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.
• 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.

Adelaide Plains Water Allocation Plan is under development. It covers Northern Adelaide Plains PWA and includes Central Adelaide and Dry Creek areas. The new plan will include environmental water provisions.

Cultural water management

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'.

Organisations responsible for water management

The organisations responsible for water management in the Adelaide region are presented in Table C3.