March 2017 amendment
The March 2017 amendment revises provision of Category 5 and Category 7 water information as outlined in the sections below. The changes affect data provision from the 2016-17 financial year onwards.
Background
The amendment gives effect to Recommendations 2 and 3 of the Interagency working group on Commonwealth water information provision report.
The recommendations were to remove duplication in provision of water information to the Commonwealth, and to reduce reporting burden for State and Territory government agencies in Person Categories A and B, rural water utilities in Category E and urban water utilities in Category F.
Category 5 (water use information) changes
The amendment changes the requirements to total annual water use volumes aggregated to the water management area level for surface water use, and per licence for groundwater use. This reduces the complexity of the requirements and better aligns them with the information that named persons can supply and that the Bureau can use. The changes provide the Bureau with more consistent national coverage of water use information.
- Eight revised subcategories replace the previous 15 subcategories.
- Person Category A gives all 8 subcategories.
- Person Category E gives 4 subcategories (subcategories 5b, 5c, 5d and 5e).
- New subcategory 5h (aquifer replenishment) replaces subcategory 2c. Only Person Category A will give subcategory 5h.
- Persons give Category 5 data annually by 31 October (for the previous financial year).
- Persons must give Category 5 data by way of the internet, including by email or a database application.
- The amendment changes the following definition:
- water management area means an area (however described) used by an agency of the Commonwealth or an agency of a State for the purposes of managing surface water or groundwater.
Revised subcategories in category 5—water use information
| Subcategory number | Description of subcategory information |
|---|---|
| 5a | Total volume of surface water take in each water management area, expressed in megalitres |
| 5b | Volume of surface water take for irrigation networks in each water management area, expressed in megalitres |
| 5c | Volume of surface water returned from irrigation networks to a watercourse in each water management area, expressed in megalitres |
| 5d | Volume of surface water take (excluding take for irrigation networks) in each water management area, expressed in megalitres |
| 5e | Volume of water delivered to a surface water resource through inter-basin transfer (excluding transfers relating to water trades) in each water management area, expressed in megalitres |
| 5f | Volume of ground water extracted under each ground water licence, expressed in megalitres |
| 5g | Volume of ground water extracted in each water management area, otherwise than under a ground water licence, expressed in megalitres |
| 5h | Volume of water delivered to a ground water resource for aquifer replenishment in each water management area, expressed in megalitres |
Category 7 (information about urban water management) changes
The changes to Category 7 align a number of different streams of urban water management information so that only essential information is required. The changes replace the previous list of 51 subcategories and simplify and align the urban National Performance Report water resource indicator requirements and the urban water information requirements of the National Water Account.
- Four high-level subcategories replace 51 subcategories.
- Each high-level subcategory covers information about a different part of the urban water system (water supply, wastewater, recycled water and stormwater).
- Data providers give various water volumes as components of each subcategory.
- All information to be given as total annual water volumes (no requirement to break information down to monthly volumes).
- A new document sets out detailed requirements, including the component water volumes and the metadata and contextual information requirements.
- Urban water utilities are listed either as Category F, L or M persons.
- Categories F and M give high-level information on urban water management. This is the set of water resource indicator volumes (W indicators) that utilities provide for the urban National Performance Report. Category F also gives water information in other water information categories.
- Category L gives more detailed information on urban water management in addition to the information required from Category F or M. This is the set of U code volumes that utilities provide for the National Water Account. Category L also gives water information in other water information categories.
- Category L provides amended Category 7 information within a month of amending it.
- Category 7 information must be given by way of the internet using a database application.
- Persons give Category 7 data annually by 31 October (for the previous financial year).
- The amendment adds the following definitions:
- urban water supply information means information about water supplied by urban water utilities
- urban wastewater information means information about wastewater that is disposed of through a sewerage system
- urban recycled water information means information about the treatment and reuse of urban wastewater
- urban stormwater information means information about water in the urban stormwater drainage system
Revised subcategories in category 7—information about urban water management
| Subcategory number | Description of subcategory information |
|---|---|
| 7a | Urban water supply information, provided as volumes and expressed in megalitres, of a kind specified for the purposes of this item in the document titled Urban Water Management Information Requirements (see regulation 1.06). |
| 7b | Urban wastewater information, provided as volumes and expressed in megalitres, of a kind specified for the purposes of this item in the document titled Urban Water Management Information Requirements (see regulation 1.06). |
| 7c | Urban recycled water information, provided as volumes and expressed in megalitres, of a kind specified for the purposes of this item in the document titled Urban Water Management Information Requirements (see regulation 1.06). |
| 7d | Urban stormwater information, provided as volumes and expressed in megalitres, of a kind specified for the purposes of this item in the document titled Urban Water Management Information Requirements (see regulation 1.06). |
