Overview of Water Planning in Overview of Water Planning in QueenslandQueensland

Kaylene PowerActing Principal Planning and Policy Officer, Water Allocation and PlanningDepartment of Environment and Resource ManagementBrisbane, Queensland – 23 February 2011

Previous Water Management Arrangements

In the past, new water development proposals (public and private) were:

assessed incrementally over time;generally only assessed in terms of local impacts.

Problems with the old management system:basin-wide impacts were not considered;water entitlements were effectively eroded over time;each decision was open to legal challenge;water entitlement tied to land and could only be traded with theland;no explicit environmental provisions.

State’s Responsibility for Water Planning

In Australia, State Governments have the responsibility for managing water and other resources;The rights to water are vested in the State under the Water Act 2000;An entitlement under the Water Act is required for taking & storing water associated with watercourses;In designated areas, groundwater and overland flow (flood water) is managed through licences.

The Water Act requires the Department to:

Plan for the allocation and sustainable management of water to meet

Queensland’s future water requirements, including for the protection of natural ecosystems and security of supply for

water users.

Types of water entitlements under the Water ActWater licences

Attached to landGranted for up to 10 years (up to 20 years for stock and domestic)Need to be renewed

Water allocationsSeparate from land with separate titleTradableIn perpetuity (do not need to be renewed)

Some other water authorisations:Water permits (temporary - foreseeable end date required)Resource operations licences & distribution operations licences (infrastructure/water supply scheme authorisations)

Water Resource Planning

Since the Water Act was enacted, approach to allocating and managing water has focused on a Water Resource Planning process, which:

applies to a whole river catchment or groundwater basin;triggers arrangements for managing overland flow and groundwater ;shares the water resources between human and environmental needs;is developed with community consultation;initialises and supports trading of water entitlements; and protects non-consumptive values including cultural and environmental.

Water Resource Planning cont’d

Under the Water Act (2000), there is a two part water planning process:

Part (1) Water Resource Plan (WRP)strategic framework for allocating and managing water;prepared by the Minister for Water;

Part (2) Resource Operations Plan (ROP)implements the framework and details day-to-day rules for managing an area’s water resources.prepared by the Chief Executive of the Department.

Technical Assessments, Data Auditing & Hydrology Modelling

Water Resource Planning Process

Release of background info in Information Paper & Tech Reports

Consultation with Community Reference Panel during development of draft WRP

Public consultation on and review of draft WRP

Plan Approval by Government and Implementation through a ROP

WRP, ROP & associated decision support systems

Monitoring, assessment, reporting and 10 year review

Water Resource Plans

State outcomes establishing the balance between water made available for consumption and water retained in the river.Contain strategies for achieving these including environmental flow objectives and water allocation security objectives.Include criteria for preparing Resource Operations Plans in each part of a catchment (re. licence conversions, water sharing rules, water trading rules).May include requirements for the allocation and management of overland flow and groundwater.

Resource Operations Plans

Convert existing water licences to tradable water allocations:Clearly specified volume, location of take, purpose and prioritygroup.Records ownership on a Water Allocation Register similar to the State’s Land Titles system;Allows banks and others to register their interest in the title through a mortgage;

Contain water sharing rules and trading rules (permanent and seasonal);Contain rules for the granting of any new water entitlements;Specify water infrastructure operating and environmental management rules;Detail future monitoring & reporting requirements;

Tradable Water AllocationsEstablishment of tradable water allocations provides the opportunity for water to move to high value uses;Trading is an incentive for higher efficiency and high value use;The trading rules (specified in the Resource Operations Plan) are based on hydrological and physical limitations as well as social and economic considerations,Water allocations held and dealt with under a titling system similar to that used to record land titles;Water allocations may be bought, sold and bequeathed (just like land).To date more than 10,000 tradable water allocations valued at estimated $2.0 billion have been established in the Water Allocation Register.

Technical reports

Hydrology

Social and Economic Assessment

Groundwater

Overland Flow

Environmental Condition Assessment

Traditional Owner

Hydrologic Modelling• Performs a water balance across a whole river-basin• Simulates flows, losses, water use etc. for a historical test period• Involves substantial collection & checking of data• Models are typically balanced daily for up to 100 years• Each model run balance may produce the equivalent of 88,000 pages of output! • Post-processes produce reports of key statistical outputs

Storage

RainfallInflow

Evaporation

Seepage

Water Use(TWS, Irrigation)

Environmental RequirementsOverflows

Downstream Water Use

Basin boundary

• processes (nodes)

inflows

dam

Town6000 ML/a

1300 ML/a

1600 ML/a

1100 ML/a

Regulated - irrigation

500 ML ofs

300 ML ofs400 ML ofs

Regulated - water harvesting

40 ha60 ha

Unregulated - irrigation

150 ML ofs

Unregulated - water harvesting

• connect processes (links)• calibrate a flow simulation model based on a period of recorded flows and use

Model Cases, Options & Scenarios

Calibration Case (Measured vs Simulated)Undeveloped CaseExisting Development CaseEnvironmental Flow Management StrategiesFuture Water Allocation ScenariosModels will ultimately provide decision support systems for implementing the Plans by:-

Assessing impacts of proposed tradesAssessing impacts of issuing new licencesAssessing impacts of proposed developmentsTesting different operational strategies

How are results used?

Compare predicted long-term flow-regime impacts and assess potential ecological impacts

Determine water resource plan objectivesEnvironmental flow objectives (EFOs)Water allocation security objectives (WASOs)

Decision-making toolModel can be used to assess compliance with objectives

Dealing with Climate Change and Climate Variability

Queensland’s water resource planning framework employs the following strategies for dealing with climate change and climate variability:

Adaptive management:monitoring water availability, water use and natural ecosystems;regular reporting and review of plan outcomes; and mandatory 10-yearly water resource plan reviews.

Water sharing arrangements:to identify water available for consumptive needs as well as theenvironmental flow patterns necessary to maintain natural ecosystems;based on long-term yields assessed against natural pre-development flow patterns

Hydrological modelling:using simulation periods of typically around 100 years, which captures historical climate variability;regularly updated with recorded water use and streamflow data.

Progress in Developing Water Resource Plans and Resource Operations Plans

Water Resource Plans are in place for 22 areas covering 93% of Qld.

Resource Operations Plans are in place for 18 of these 22 areas.

Thank you!

Questions?