Murray–Darling Basin: Water management
Water resource plan areas exist for surface water and groundwater resources across the Murray–Darling Basin region. These management areas were specified in the Basin Plan adopted in 2012. The Basin Plan guides how water is shared between the various needs in the water resource plan areas. Existing water resource plans covering both surface water and groundwater resources and implemented under the jurisdictional legislative instruments will be aligned with the Basin Plan in future. Currently environmental water is managed as planned environmental water and held environmental water.
Surface water and groundwater management
Water legislation
The main legislative instruments governing water resource management within the Murray–Darling Basin region are:
- Australian Government Water Act 2007
- The Basin Plan 2012
- Queensland Water Act 2000
- New South Wales Water Act 1912
- New South Wales Water Management Act 2000
- Australian Capital Territory Water Resources Act 2007
- Victorian Water Act 1989
- South Australia Natural Resources Management Act 2004.
Water management plans
Basin plan
The Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) released the draft Murray–Darling Basin plan for public exhibition in November 2011 (MDBA 2016c). Thereafter during the 2012–13 year, consultation with community, stakeholders, and the Basin States and the Territory was undertaken. After the end of the consultations and negotiations, the Basin Plan was adopted by the Commonwealth Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities in November 2012.
The Basin Plan aims to optimise social, economic and environmental outcomes arising from the use of the Basin water resource in the national interest. It sets long-term average sustainable diversion limits (SDLs) in 29 surface water SDL resource units and 81 groundwater SDL resource units. Compliance with the SDLs is required from 1 July 2019. The period from 2012–13 to 2018–19 is the transition period from the Cap to SDLs.
Surface water
The 2017 Account provides information on the volume of surface water available for water resource plan areas in the region. This is presented in Figure R10 (Murray–Darling Basin Authority 2016d).
Figure R10 Water Resource Plan areas for surface water within the Murray–Darling Basin region
Detailed maps for SDL resource units for surface water are available from the MDBA website.
Groundwater
The 2017 Account provides information on the volume of groundwater available for water resource plan areas in the region. This is shown in Figure R11 (Murray–Darling Basin Authority 2016d).
Figure R11 Water Resource Plan areas for groundwater within the Murray–Darling Basin region
Detailed maps for SDL resource units are available for groundwater and deep groundwater from the MDBA website.
Surface water and Groundwater management plans
Details regarding the Basin States' and Territory's water and groundwater management plans in the Murray–Darling Basin region are as follows:
- Queensland: As a result of an amendment to the Water Act 2000 on 6 Dec 2016, water resource plans were renamed 'water plans' and the resource operations plans were separated into water management protocols, resource operations licences, distribution operations licences and operations manuals. More information on updated water management arrangements is available at the Queensland Government Mining, Energy and Water website . Water plans are also available at the Queensland Government Mining, Energy and Water website . Groundwater is also managed under water plans for catchments in the Qld section of the MDB. Draft water plans (which align with Basin Plan requirements) for the Condamine and Balonne, Border Rivers and Moonie catchments were released on 11 April 2018.
- New South Wales: The water management instruments for surface water are water sharing plans. Details regarding these plans are available from the NSW Department of Industry - Land and Water website. The water sharing plans are generally in place for a 10-year period after which they are reviewed. From time to time they may be suspended due to severe water shortages, under s.49(a) of the Water Management Act 2000 (NSW). As stated in the NSW Department of Industry - Land and Water website, a number of initial plans that commenced in 2004 have been replaced with new plans, and a number of existing plans have been amended to incorporate smaller plans, with effect from 1 July 2016.
- Australian Capital Territory: The Water Resources Act 2007 (ACT) does not provide for statutory water management plans. Instead, the ACT Government has in place its own water management guidelines. Details regarding water management activities in the ACT may be viewed on the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate website, or in the Water management section in the Canberra region account.
- Victoria: Victoria's water entitlement and allocation framework provides the basis for the management of Victoria's water resources and governs how water can be abstracted and used. The framework considers all water resources (surface water and groundwater) for both consumptive and environmental purposes. The Victorian Government has in place the Victorian Waterway Management Strategy which determines state waterway health and policy targets. The strategy is available from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. Two regional sustainable water strategies applicable to Murray–Darling Basin region areas within Victoria are the Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy and the Western Region Sustainable Water Strategy.
- South Australia: A number of water allocation plans and regional natural resource management plans are in place. All water allocation plans and regional natural resource plans are required to be reviewed within 10 years of adoption under the Natural Resources Management Act 2004 (SA).
Further details regarding these water allocation plans and natural resource plans are available from the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, or from the Water management section in the Adelaide region account. - Border Groundwater Agreement (Victoria–South Australia): Victoria and South Australia entered into this agreement in 1985. It was subsequently updated in 2005 (Government of South Australia 2005). It states that the available groundwater shall be shared equitably between the two states along a 20-km wide designated area extending on both sides of the border.
Environmental water management
Environmental water legislation
Environmental water in the Murray–Darling Basin region is governed by the same legislation as surface water, as detailed in surface water legislation (see Water legislation).
Under Section 22 of the Water Act 2007 (Cwlth), the Basin Plan must contain an environmental watering plan. The content of the environmental watering plan must also comply with Section 28 of the Water Act 2007 (Cwlth).
Environmental water provisions
The Environmental water provisions (EWP) is a part of the Basin Plan. Its purpose is to achieve the best possible environmental outcomes using the increased but still finite amount of water made available by the Basin Plan. The EWP (MDBA 2016a) is designed to restore, protect and nourish the Basin's environment as a whole, as well as specific environmental assets such as wetlands, red gum forests, and floodplains. It will also protect the Basin's biodiversity and its native plants and animals.
Environmental water management information applicable to the Murray–Darling Basin region can be found in environmental water web page of Murray–Darling Basin Authority. Some key features within the Murray–Darling Basin region are stated below:
- Each jurisdiction has legislative goals for managing surface water and groundwater systems. This includes managing environmental water outcomes in the Murray–Darling Basin region.
- Within each jurisdiction, the water management plans that have been developed or are still in development address requirements to provide water for the environment by setting aside volumes that cannot be abstracted for other purposes from the system and through releasing volumes from a storage in a controlled manner to achieve a set of conditions downstream. The restrictions on abstraction also apply to groundwater systems.
- In addition to water management plans, other programmes have been introduced by the Basin State and Territory Governments and the Australian Government to increase the volume of water that is provided for the environment. For example, the Australian Government has introduced the Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program (SRWUIP), which is a national programme investing in rural water use, management and efficiency projects, including improved water knowledge and market reforms. Under the programme, water savings are recovered for the environment through three main components: irrigation infrastructure projects; supply measures (by using water more efficiently); and water purchase (Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources 2016). The water rights acquired by the Australian Government under this programme become part of the Commonwealth environmental water holdings. These holdings are managed by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH).
- Jurisdictions have also delivered significant water recovery programmes over the recent past, such as New South Wales River Bank, Rivers Environmental Restoration Program and the Wetland Recovery Program.
- Entitlements are held for the purpose of watering the environment as a result of the above-mentioned and other programmes (e.g. environmental entitlements held by the Minister for Environment in New South Wales, the Murray–Darling Basin Authority for the Living Murray program, and the Victorian Environmental Water Holder in Victoria (VEWH)).
Commonwealth environmental water programmes
Information about Commonwealth environmental water management involving the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) can be found on the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office website.
The CEWH can trade Commonwealth environmental water and water holdings subject to conditions in the Australian Government Water Act 2007. Commonwealth environmental water holdings are published in the CEWH's annual report and are updated each month on the Commonwealth environmental water holdings website.
The Living Murray Program was established in 2002 to improve the health of the River Murray system. It is one of Australia's larger river restoration programs. The Living Murray Program focuses on maintaining the health of six icon sites along the river. Most of these sites are listed as internationally significant wetlands under the Ramsar convention and are of cultural significance to Indigenous people and the broader community. The program is a partnership among the Australian, New South Wales, Victorian, South Australian, and Australian Capital Territory Governments.
Queensland
The structure of the Queensland water plans is primarily aimed at providing planned environmental water rather than using held environmental water. There is no environmental water holder within Queensland. The Australian Government has acquired entitlements in Queensland for environmental benefit.
New South Wales
Department of Industry - Land and Water is responsible for water licences and regulation, including oversight of planned environmental water. The Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) within the Department of Planning and Environment collaborates with many other partners to manage environmental water in New South Wales, including delivery of allocations from held environmental water and utilising planned environmental water to deliver environmental benefits.
Australian Capital Territory
The Environment Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate (EPSDD) has developed the 2013 Environmental Flow Guidelines. The objectives set in the guidelines are met by releases from the storages, as planned partly regulated surface water management, rather than using held environmental water.
There is no environmental water holder within the Australian Capital Territory and the Commonwealth Government has not purchased any entitlements for environmental benefit within the Australian Capital Territory.
Victoria
The Victorian Environmental Water Holder (VEWH) holds entitlements that could be used for environmental benefits. A mixture of planned environmental water and held environmental water is delivered to achieve environmental benefits.
South Australia
The South Australian Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) manages environmental water. A mixture of planned environmental water and held environmental water is delivered to improve the ecological health of the River Murray, including wetlands, floodplains, the Lower Lakes and the Coorong.
Cultural water management
The jurisdictional legislative instruments governing water resource management and relevant water management plans including the Basin Plan within the Murray–Darling Basin region allow for beneficial use of water. Beneficial uses include urban water supply, stock and domestic, and community and education. They also include cultural beneficial use which is water that meets aesthetic, recreational, and cultural needs. Section 10.54 of the Basin Plan states that 'A water resource plan must be prepared having regard to the views of Indigenous people with respect to cultural flows'. An example for cultural flow provision is the high security entitlements assigned in the Water Sharing Plan for the Murrumbidgee Regulated River Water Source 2016 for Aboriginal cultural water use.
Organisations responsible for water management
Tables R1 to R6 detail the organisations responsible for water management within the Murray–Darling Basin region.
| Organisation | Responsibilities | ||||||||
| 1. environmental water management | |||||||||
| 2. water resource management | |||||||||
| 3. water availability determinations | |||||||||
| 4. water allocation announcements | |||||||||
| 5. wholesale water delivery | |||||||||
| 6. water infrastructure operations | |||||||||
| 7. administration and management of water legislation and licensing | |||||||||
| 8. administration and processing of water trades | |||||||||
| 9. water extraction and use approvals | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| Icon Water1 | x | x | x | ||||||
| Environment Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate | x | x | x | x | x | x | |||
| National Capital Authority | x | ||||||||
1For Canberra water supply.
| Organisation | Responsibilities | ||||||||
| 1. environmental water management | |||||||||
| 2. water resource management | |||||||||
| 3. water availability determinations | |||||||||
| 4. water allocation announcements | |||||||||
| 5. wholesale water delivery | |||||||||
| 6. water infrastructure operations | |||||||||
| 7. administration and management of water legislation and licensing | |||||||||
| 8. administration and processing of water trades | |||||||||
| 9. water extraction and use approvals | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| Department of Industry – Lands and Water1 | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | ||
| NSW Office of Environment and Heritage2 | x | ||||||||
| WaterNSW3 | x | x | x | x | |||||
| Murrumbidgee Irrigation4 | x | x | x | x | |||||
| Murray Irrigation Limited4 | x | x | x | x | |||||
| Jemalong Irrigation4 | x | x | x | x | |||||
| Coleambally Irrigation Cooperative Ltd4 | x | x | x | x | |||||
| Western Murray Irrigation Ltd4 | x | x | x | x | |||||
| Local councils5 | |||||||||
1Focusses on policy, planning, and water market regulation, with oversight of major water infrastructure projects.
2Environmental water management: and discretionary environmental water.
3Leads customer activities.
4Includes also trade prerogatives: process and approve water trades internal to the irrigation corporation. Intrastate trades and interstate trades require Water NSW approval for allocation trades and DPI Water approval for entitlement trades.
5In New South Wales, local councils hold water access entitlements to abstract water.
| Organisation | Responsibilities | ||||||||
| 1. environmental water management | |||||||||
| 2. water resource management | |||||||||
| 3. water availability determinations | |||||||||
| 4. water allocation announcements | |||||||||
| 5. wholesale water delivery | |||||||||
| 6. water infrastructure operations | |||||||||
| 7. administration and management water legislation and licensing | |||||||||
| 8. administration and processing of water trades | |||||||||
| 9. water extraction and use approvals | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| SunWater1 | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | ||
| Local councils2 | x | x | x | x | |||||
1Only administers water allocation within the water supply schemes it manages and operates.
2In Queensland, local councils may hold water licences, supplemented water allocations and/or unsupplemented water allocations.
| Organisation | Responsibilities | ||||||||
| 1. environmental water management | |||||||||
| 2. water resource management | |||||||||
| 3. water availability determinations | |||||||||
| 4. water allocation announcements | |||||||||
| 5. wholesale water delivery | |||||||||
| 6. water infrastructure operations | |||||||||
| 7. administration and management of water legislation and licensing | |||||||||
| 8. administration and processing of water trades | |||||||||
| 9. water extraction and use approvals | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Water and the River Murray, and Climate Change | x | x | x | x | x | ||||
| SA Water | x | x | |||||||
| SA Murray–Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board | x | x | x | x | x | ||||
| South East Natural Resources Management Board | x | x | x | x | x | ||||
| SA Arid Lands Natural Resources Management Board | x | x | x | x | x | ||||
| Central Irrigation Trust1 | x | x | x | x | |||||
| Renmark irrigation Trust | x | x | x | x | |||||
| Creeks Pipeline Company Ltd | x | x | |||||||
| Local councils2 | x | ||||||||
1Responsibilities in administration and processing of water trades include internal water trade processing and approving within the irrigation trust. Intrastate and interstate trades require the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources's approval.
2In South Australia, water access entitlements are held by SA Water, which has retail arrangements with local councils for water abstractions.
| Organisation | Responsibilities | ||||||||
| 1. environmental water management | |||||||||
| 2. water resource management | |||||||||
| 3. water availability determinations | |||||||||
| 4. water allocation announcements | |||||||||
| 5. wholesale water delivery | |||||||||
| 6. water infrastructure operations | |||||||||
| 7. administration and management of water legislation and licensing | |||||||||
| 8. administration and processing of water trades | |||||||||
| 9. water extraction and use approvals | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning1 | x | x | x | ||||||
| Victorian Environmental Water Holder | x | ||||||||
| Goulburn Murray Water Corporation | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | ||
| Lower Murray Water Corporation | x | x | x | x | |||||
| Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water Corporation | x | x | x | x | x | ||||
| Local councils1 | |||||||||
1In Victoria, bulk water access entitlements are held by the water corporations, which are obliged to supply entitlements under the licences referred to in the schedules within their bulk entitlement conversion orders. Water and wastewater management functions under the Victorian Water Act 1989 are performed by statutory water corporations (not by local councils).
| Organisation | Responsibilities | ||||||||
| 1. environmental water management | |||||||||
| 2. water resource management | |||||||||
| 3. water availability determinations | |||||||||
| 4. water allocation announcements | |||||||||
| 5. wholesale water delivery | |||||||||
| 6. water infrastructure operations | |||||||||
| 7. administration and management of water legislation and licensing | |||||||||
| 8. administration and processing of water trades | |||||||||
| 9. water extraction and use approvals | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| Murray–Darling Basin Authority | x | x | x | x | |||||
| Commonwealth Environmental Water Office1 | x | ||||||||
| Snowy Hydro Ltd2 | x | x | x | ||||||
1Manages Commonwealth environmental water holdings under the Australian Government Water Act 2007.
2Transfers water into the Murray–Darling Basin region.