Canberra: Water access and use
- About 94% of the region's water allocations were for the urban system, primarily for residential use.
- Total water use was more than last year, reflecting the reduced rainfall conditions across the region.
For further information on water rights and water use within the Canberra region during the year scroll down this page or click on the links below:
Water rights and use
Surface water rights
Figure S9 Surface water allocations and diversions in the Canberra region for the years ending 30 June, from 2012–2018
- Surface water allocations for individual users and the urban system were very similar to the previous year.
- Actual diversions were higher than the previous year, reflecting the reduced rainfall conditions throughout the region.
Figure S10 Surface water allocation to individual users for each licence purpose for the 2017–18 year
- 2% of the surface water allocated is for individual users. These licences primarily relate to water diversions for domestic consumption and commercial activities under the ‘unregulated river’ entitlement class.
Groundwater rights
Figure S11 Groundwater allocations and extractions in the Canberra region for the years ending 30 June, from 2012–2018
- Groundwater allocations for individual users increased compared to recent years, reflecting a small increase in the entitlement volumes of a few licences.
- Actual extractions remained very similar to recent years.
Figure S12 Groundwater allocation to individual users for each licence purpose for the 2017–18 year
- 100% of the total groundwater allocated was for individual users. These licences primarily relate to water extractions for irrigation purposes under the ‘aquifer’ entitlement class.
Combined surface water and groundwater rights
- In the Canberra region, there are provisions to abstract water from either surface water or groundwater resources as specified in the entitlement category 'combined surface water and groundwater rights'.
- The combined surface water and groundwater entitlement volume was 2,412 ML.
Water restrictions
- Icon Water introduced 'Permanent Water Conservation Measures' for potable water use in November 2010 that are mandatory and enforceable. Non-potable sources are not restricted. These rules govern how water can be used on gardens and lawns, during pool filling, car washing, and cleaning.
- For more information, refer to the Bureau of Meteorology's Water Restrictions website.
Water market activity
- Surface water and groundwater entitlement trades reported in the Canberra region during the 2017–18 year were 0 ML and 3 ML respectively.
- For more information on water markets in the region, see the Water Markets Dashboard.
Cultural and environmental water
Cultural benefit
- In NSW there is often a close alignment in cultural values and environmental outcomes. In cases where complementary outcomes can be achieved, environmental water, delivered for environmental purposes, then also meets the cultural requirements.
- Refer to the cultural water management section of the Contextual information for further information on water for cultural benefit.
Environmental benefit
Environmental water provisions
- Environmental flow requirements are defined for aquatic ecosystem categories and specific river reaches in Chapter 5 of the 2013 Environmental Flow Guidelines.
- Data for the Cotter River were available at the time of publication and are presented here as an example of the region's environmental flow provisions.
Figure S13 Example environmental water provisions for the Cotter River below Corin Dam
- The required environmental flows are maintained through a combination of strategic water releases or spills from storages and by restricting the volume of water that can be diverted from a catchment.
- The baseflow requirement is specified on a monthly basis, with fortnightly variations in the rate of release preferred compared to constant discharge for the month.
- Drawdown limits for impoundments, and protection of larger, less frequent 'channel maintenance' flows are also a part of the environmental water provisions, but are not shown on the figure above.
Environmental water outcomes
Figure S14 Example outcome: flow in the Cotter River compared with the required flow regime during the 2017–18 year
- Flows in the Cotter River below Corin Dam exceeded the monthly baseflow requirements and bi-monthly riffle maintenance requirements, and were very close to meeting the annual pool maintenance requirements.