Burdekin: Water access and use
Total surface water use declined by 10% from the previous year in response to increased rainfall. Around 92% of the Burdekin region's water allocations were for surface water diversion to individual users and irrigation schemes. Allocated groundwater extractions reduced by over 30% compared to the previous year.
For further information on water rights and water use within the Burdekin region during the year scroll down this page or click on the links below:
Water rights, entitlements, allocations and restrictions
Surface water rights
Figure S5 Surface water allocations and diversions in the Burdekin region for the 2015, 2016 and 2017
- Diversions to individual users and irrigation schemes have decreased during the last 2 years. This is likely to be a result of improved rainfall conditions experienced through the year (see Climate and water).
- Allocated diversions make up approximately 80% of the total diversion. Non-allocated diversion: individual users accounts for the remaining 20% and this has risen steadly during the last 3 years.
- Diversions to the urban system have also increased from 2,263 ML in 2015–16, to 8,604 ML during 2016–17.
Groundwater rights
Figure S6 Groundwater allocations and extractions in the Burdekin region for the 2015, 2016 and 2017
- Non-allocated extraction: individual users was estimated to be 53,378 ML during the 2016–17 year.
- Allocated extractions reduced by over 30% from last year. Given irrigation use represents 93% of the total, this is likely to reflect improved rainfall conditions during the year.
Water restrictions
- The year started (1st July) at 80% AA for the Burdekin Haughton wss and reached 100% by 21 July.
Water market activity
- In the Burdekin region, trade or lease of surface water access entitlements or allocations do not occur between water supply schemes but can occur within them.
- There is no trade or lease of groundwater in the region.
- Regulated Water Allocations are separate from land rights and are tradeable and registered on the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines water allocation register. Within the Burdekin region there are currently markets for surface water only. The rules for trade of water access entitlements and allocations are detailed in the Burdekin Basin water management protocol.
| Transaction | Volume ML | No. of trades |
| Regulated (supplemented) surface water access entitlement trade: water only | 4,382 | 18 |
| Regulated (supplemented) surface water access entitlement trade: water only | 4,799 | 14 |
| Unregulated (unsupplemented) surface water access entitlement trade: water only | 0 | 0 |
| Unregulated (unsupplemented) surface water access entitlement trade: land and water | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 9,181 | 32 |
Source: Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines 2016-17a, 2016-17b
Water use
Economic, social and cultural benefit
- Supplemented surface water and connected groundwater is managed as surface water in the Giru Benefited Area (as part of the Burdekin Haughton Water Supply Scheme).
- Supplemented water is used for irrigation, industrial and urban supply. Unsupplemented water including groundwater is also used for similar purposes.
- 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.
- The Water plan (Burdekin Basin) 2007 defines the general, ecological and specific ecological outcomes and outlines strategies to achieve these outcomes. This includes social and cultural benefits.
- Surface water stores are managed through a rules-based system outlined in the Water plan (Burdekin Basin) 2007, resource operating plans, the operations manual and the Burdekin Basin water management protocol.
- Groundwater stores in regulated areas are managed through a rules-based system outlined in the Burdekin groundwater management area water–sharing rules.
Environmental benefit
Introduction
- Water for environmental benefit in the Burdekin region is provided according to two different water management scenarios: planned, partly regulated surface water and planned, unregulated surface water.
Environmental water provisions
- Environmental water provisions in the Burdekin region include the protection of both the low-flow and medium-to-high flow components of the flow regime. Both components of the flow regime are important for maintaining the natural ecological processes in the region.
- For both components of the flow regime, environmental flow requirements have been established through modeling and were designed to maintain the specific ecological objectives provided in Schedule 5 of the Water plan (Burdekin Basin) 2007
- Environmental water provisions under the planned, partly regulated scenario are in place for the two water supply schemes in the region (Table S8).
| Water supply scheme | Storage | Release period or trigger | Storage release ML/day |
| Bowen Broken |
| 1 April–30 June 1 July–30 September 1 October–31 December | up to 40 |
| Burdekin Haughton |
| Minimum streamflow for the Burdekin River is measured at Clare Gauging Station, just downstream of Clare Weir. Minimum streamflow is equal to the previous 24 hour cumulative daily flow recorded in the Burdekin River at Sellheim Gauging Station and 1.2 times the daily flow recorded in the Bowen River at Myuna Gauging Station.Minimum stream flows for the Haughton River are measured past Giru Weir. Minimum streamflow is equal to the previous 24 hour cumulative daily flow recorded in the Haughton River at Mt. Piccaninny Gauging Station and the daily flow recorded in Majors Creek at Majors Creek Gauging Station. | January to March - up to 390 ML/day |
Environmental water outcomes
- The environmental outcomes under the Water Plan (Burdekin Basin) 2007 have been derived in consideration of the current state of the water resources in the plan area, recognising that the natural state of the water courses, lakes and springs has changed because of water infrastructure, flow supplementation and water use.
- Under the Queensland Water Act 2000 (Water Act), the effectiveness of water plans must be assessed every five years. The current plan underwent a preliminary assessment prior to the scheduled expirary in September 2017. Details of this assessment can be found in the Minister's Performance Assessment Report, Water Plan (Burdekin Basin) 2007, June 2007.
- The plan seeks to achieve the ecological outcomes through maintaining natural flow variability and connectivity, maintaining the freshwater and sediment delivery to the sea, and promoting improved understanding of how flow effects ecosystem health.
- Environmental outcomes are generally assessed over a longer time frame and combine streamflow, water supply scheme and ecological research data.
Figure S7 Flows in the Burdekin River compared with the minimum flow requirements in 2016–17
- One example of the environmental water outcomes relating to the operations licence rules in 2016–17 is shown in Figure S7 for the Burdekin River.
- Storage releases in the Burdekin River were managed to ensure flows in the Lower Burdekin remained higher than the minimum flow requirements.
- Similar provisions apply to several other rivers in the region.
- More information on the environmental water provisions for the operations licences is provided in Water management.