Burdekin: Water access and use
- 95% of the region's water allocations were associated with surface water resources.
- Most of the allocations in the region are associated with water supply to the Burdekin River Irrigation Area.
- Additional groundwater licences were issued in 2017–18, which contributed to an increase in groundwater use from last 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 and use
Surface water rights
Figure S5 Surface water allocations and diversions in the Burdekin region for the year ending 30 June, from 2015–2018
- Diversions to both the irrigation scheme and the urban system increased from the previous year. These increases were influenced by the drier conditions across the region compared to last year.
- Surface water diversion for individual users decreased from last year, which follows the continued reduction in surface water use to individual users in the region, over the last few years.
Groundwater rights
Figure S6 Groundwater allocations and extractions in the Burdekin region for the years ending 30 June, from 2015–2018.
- Groundwater extraction for the irrigation scheme increased by more than 100% from last year. Similar to surface water supply for irrigation, this increase reflects the lower rainfall across the region compared to last year when above-average rainfall conditions were experienced.
- The large increase in groundwater extractions to individual users was due to a number of additional licences being issued during the the 2017–18 year.
Water market activity
- A total volume of 19,797 ML of surface water allocations and 21,839 ML of surface water entitlements were traded during the 2017–18 year.
- A total volume of 4,026 ML of groundwater allocations and 6,557 ML of groundwater entitlements were traded during the 2017–18 year.
- Further information on water traded in the Burdekin region can be accessed at the Bureau of Meteorology's Water Market Dashboard.
- 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. The rules for the trade of water access entitlements and allocations are detailed in the Burdekin Basin water management protocol.
Cultural and environmental water
Cultural benefit
- The Water plan (Burdekin Basin) 2007 supports water-related cultural values, including the values of the traditional owners in the plan area, and provides mechanisms that support water being made available for Indigenous communities.
- Cultural water provisions within the region are generally included within the environmental water provisions.
Environmental benefit
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 expiry in September 2017. Details of this assessment can be found in the Minister's Performance Assessment Report, Water Plan (Burdekin Basin) 2007, June 2017.
- 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 2017–18
- One example of the environmental water outcomes relating to the operations licence rules in 2017–18 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.