Ord: Water access and use
Almost 90% of the Ord region's water allocations were for surface water diversion to the Ord River Irrigation Area; less than 1% of the region's water allocations were for town supply. Cropping commenced in the Stage 2 development area of Goomig Farmlands during the previous year, but has required limited water supply to date.
For further information on water rights and water use within the Ord region during the year scroll down this page or click on the links below:
Water rights, entitlements, allocations and restrictions
Surface water rights
Figure S7 Surface water allocation for water resource plan subareas in the region
- There are approximately 100 surface water licences in the region, mostly for water sourced from the main Ord River channel. More information is available on the Bureau's Water Markets Dashboard.
Figure S8 Surface water allocations and diversions in the Ord region for the years ending 30 June, from 2012–2017
- Surface water allocations for irrigation scheme supply during the last 3 years increased due to a new entitlement licence being issued in mid-2015 for water diversion to the Goomig Farmlands.
- Diversions to the Ord River Irrigation Area decreased from the previous year. This decrease was influenced by the well above-average rainfall conditions over the region (see Climate and water).
- Surface water allocations and diversions for the urban system remained relatively unchanged. Town supply generally changes little from year to year.
Figure S9 Surface water allocation to individual users for each licence purpose
- 9% of the surface water allocation is for individual users. These licences primarily relate to water use for agricultural and mining purposes.
Groundwater rights
Figure S10 Groundwater allocation to water management areas in the region
- There are approximately 60 groundwater licences in the region, mostly for water sourced from combined fractured rock. More information is available on the Bureau's Water Markets Dashboard.
Figure S11 Groundwater allocations and extractions in the Ord region for the years ending 30 June, from 2012–2017
- Groundwater extraction for individual users decreased from last year due to the improved rainfall conditions over the region (see Climate and water).
- Allocations and extractions for the urban system remained relatively unchanged. Town supply generally changes little from year to year.
Figure S12 Groundwater allocation to individual users for each licence purpose
- 81% of the groundwater allocation is for individual users. These licences primarily relate to water use for mining purposes.
Water market activity
- During the 2016–17 year, no water entitlement trades or transfers occurred in the region.
- Information on water entitlement transactions that can occur in the region can be found on the Western Australia Department of Water and Environmental Regulation website.
Water use
Economic benefit
- Water is released from Lake Argyle for hydroelectric generation (see the Operating rules and constraints section in the 'Region description'). The water released is also used for irrigation supply and other consumptive use.
- For a summary of the water used for various economic purposes within the Ord region, refer to Surface water rights and Groundwater rights above.
Cultural benefit
- Periods of low flow in the lower Ord River are administered to support traditional hunting and fishing activities (see the Cultural water management section in the 'Region description'). This occurs when maintenance or inspection works on dam infrastructure is required.
- During the 2016–17 year there were no reductions in flow administered in the lower Ord River.
Environmental benefit
Environmental water provisions
- Environmental water provisions in the region are defined for the lower Ord River and include baseflow and wet season flood event requirements.
Figure S13 Example water provisions for the lower Ord River; required baseflows and wet season flood events are also shown
- The required flow regimes are maintained from a combination of water releases from Lake Argyle and Lake Kununurra, and unregulated catchment inflow.
- Larger, less frequent wet season flood events are also a component of the environmental water provisions, but are not shown on the figure above. These events occur as a result of runoff from the catchment downstream of Lake Argyle and cannot be managed by water releases from the storages.
- A more detailed description of the environmental water provisions for the lower Ord River is provided in Chapter 4 of the Ord Surface Water Allocation Plan.
Environmental water outcomes
Figure S14 Flow in the lower Ord River compared with the required flow regime during the 2016–17 year
- Flow in the lower Ord River exceeded the minimum baseflow and wet season peak flow requirements.
- Flood peaks also met the required 1 in 2- and 1 in 4-year flood events (average daily discharge > 750 m3/s and > 1,400 m3/s respectively).