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National Water Account 2018

Murray–Darling Basin: Water management

  • The Basin Plan adopted in 2012 guides how water is shared between the various needs in the region's 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.
  • Environmental water is managed as planned environmental water and held environmental water.

 

MDB_KeyMessage

 

For further information on the region's water management scroll down this page or click on the links below:

 

Surface water and groundwater management

Basin plan

  • The Murray–Darling Basin Authority's (MDBA) Basin Plan was adopted by the Commonwealth Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities in November 2012.
  • The plan sets long-term average sustainable diversion limits (SDLs) in 29 surface water SDL resource units and 80 groundwater SDL resource units. Compliance with the SDLs is required from 1 July 2019. The period from 2012–19 is the transition period from the Cap to SDLs.

 

Surface water management plans

Figure R10 Water Resource Plan areas for surface water within the Murray–Darling Basin region
Figure R10 Water Resource Plan areas for surface water within the Murray–Darling Basin region

 

  • There are 20 water resource plan areas to manage surface water resources within the region.
  • Detailed maps for SDL resource units for surface water are available from the MDBA website.

 

Groundwater management plans

Figure R11 Water Resource Plan areas for groundwater within the Murray–Darling Basin region
Figure R11 Water Resource Plan areas for groundwater within the Murray–Darling Basin region

 

  • There are 19 water resource plan areas to manage groundwater resources within the region.
  • Detailed maps for SDL resource units are available for groundwater and deep groundwater from the MDBA website.

 

Jurisdictional water management plans

Queensland

  • Surface water and groundwater are managed under water plans for catchment areas in the Queensland section of the Murray–Darling Basin region.
  • 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.
  • Water plans, as well as information on updated water management arrangements, are available at the Queensland Government Mining, Energy and Water website.

 

New South Wales

  • The water management instruments for surface water are water sharing plans. More information on these plans is available from the NSW Department of Industry website.

 

Australian Capital Territory

 

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 Victorian Government has in place the Victorian Waterway Management Strategy, which determines state waterway health and policy targets.
  • Two regional sustainable water strategies applicable to the Murray–Darling Basin region areas within Victoria are the Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy and the Western Region Sustainable Water Strategy.
  • More information on these strategies is available from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning website.

 

South Australia

 

Border Agreements

  • The New South Wales–Queensland Border Rivers Intergovernmental Agreement 2008 provides direction on water sharing and access, interstate trading, and managing the streamflows shared by both States, as well as water for the Darling River Basin. It also provides for broad agreement on the shared groundwater resources of the Dumaresq River groundwater area.
  • The Border Groundwater Agreement between South Australia and Victoria specifies 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

  • Under the Australian Government Water Act 2007, the Basin Plan must contain an environmental watering plan.
  • The Environmental water provisions outlined in the Basin Plan aim to achieve the best possible environmental outcomes using the increased but still finite amount of water made available.

 

Commonwealth environmental water programs

  • The Australian Government has introduced the Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program (Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources 2016). Under this program, water savings are recovered for the environment through three main components: irrigation infrastructure projects; supply measures (by using water more efficiently), and; water purchase.
  • The water rights acquired by the Australian Government under the program become part of the Commonwealth environmental water holdings that are managed by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder. More information can be found on the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office website.
  • The Living Murray Program established in 2002 is one of Australia's larger river restoration programs and aims to maintain the health of six icon sites along the Murray River. The program is a partnership among the Australian, New South Wales, Victorian, South Australian, and Australian Capital Territory Governments.

 

Jurisdictional water provisions

  • Within each jurisdiction, water management plans address requirements to provide water for the environment by setting aside volumes that cannot be abstracted for consumptive use, as well as through releasing volumes from a storage in a controlled manner to achieve a set of conditions downstream.

 

Queensland

  • The structure of the Queensland water plans is primarily aimed at providing planned environmental water rather than using held environmental water.
  • The Australian Government has acquired entitlements in Queensland for environmental benefit.

 

New South Wales

  • The Office of Environment and Heritage 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

 

Victoria

  • The Victorian Environmental Water Holder 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

 

Cultural water management

 

Organisations responsible for water management

  • Organisations responsible for water management in the region are shown below.

 

Table R1 Organisations and their responsibilities in managing water in Australian Capital Territory within the Murray–Darling Basin region
OrganisationResponsibilities
 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
123456789
Icon Water1    xxx  
Environment Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate xxx   xxx
National Capital Authority x       

1For Canberra water supply.

 

Table R2 Organisations and their responsibilities in managing water in New South Wales within the Murray–Darling Basin region
OrganisationResponsibilities
 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
123456789
Department of Industry1xxxx  xxx
NSW Office of Environment and Heritage2 x        
WaterNSW3    xx xx
Murrumbidgee Irrigation4    xx xx
Murray Irrigation Limited4    xx xx
Jemalong Irrigation4    xx xx
Coleambally Irrigation Cooperative Ltd4    xx xx
Western Murray Irrigation Ltd4    xx xx
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.
5In New South Wales, local councils hold water access entitlements to abstract water.

 

Table R3 Organisations and their responsibilities in managing water in Queensland within the Murray–Darling Basin region
OrganisationResponsibilities
 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
123456789
Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energyxxxxxxxxx
SunWater1x xxxx xx
Local councils2x x xx   

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.

 

Table R4 Organisations and their responsibilities in managing water in South Australia within the Murray–Darling Basin region
OrganisationResponsibilities
 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
123456789
Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Boardxxx   x x
Department for Environment and Waterxxxxxxxxx
SA Water    xx   
SA Murray–Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Boardxx x   x x
South East Natural Resources Management Boardxxx   x x
SA Arid Lands Natural Resources Management Boardxxx   x x
Central Irrigation Trust1    xx xx
Renmark irrigation Trust    xx xx
Creeks Pipeline Company Ltd    xx   
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.

 

Table R5 Organisations and their responsibilities in managing water in Victoria within the Murray–Darling Basin region
OrganisationResponsibilities
 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
123456789
Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning1xx    x  
Victorian Environmental Water Holderx        
Goulburn Murray Water Corporation  xxxxxxx
Lower Murray Water Corporation    xx xx
Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water Corporation    xxxxx
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).

 

Table R6 Other organisations and their responsibilities in managing water in the Murray–Darling Basin region
OrganisationResponsibilities
 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
123456789
Murray–Darling Basin Authorityxxx x    
Commonwealth Environmental Water Office1x        
Snowy Hydro Ltd2x   xx   

1Manages Commonwealth environmental water holdings under the Australian Government Water Act 2007.
2Transfers water into the Murray–Darling Basin region.