Status of surface water caps
Approximately half of the surface water management areas in Australia (195
out of 340) have a surface water cap in place. The areas without surface water
caps (all of Western Australia and parts of Queensland, New South Wales,
South Australia and Tasmania ) generally have either minimal surface water
resources or extractions; so surface water caps are not necessary for many
of these areas. The exceptions to this are some of the coastal areas in New
South Wales, the southern Queensland areas, and the Ord River area in Western
Australia ; these could benefit from having a surface water cap to limit future
diversions.
Australian Capital Territory —surface water caps
There is an absolute cap on all surface water in the Australian Capital Territory
.
New South Wales —surface water caps
In New South Wales , all areas covered by a water sharing plan and those included
in the Murray-Darling Basin have a surface water cap in place. Most other areas
will be given a cap when the macro plans are finalised (due to be gazetted
1 July 2007).
Northern Territory —surface water caps
Provisional surface water resources caps in the Northern Territory were implemented
in 2000, with extraction limited to a fixed percentage of annual flow. In the
humid, tropical area of the Northern Territory (78 per cent of surface water
management areas) the cap is set at 20 per cent of mean annual flow. In the
arid region of the Northern Territory (22 per cent of surface water management
areas), extraction is limited to five per cent of mean annual flow.
Queensland —surface water caps
There are surface water caps in place in 60 per cent of water resource plan
areas in Queensland . Of the caps that are in place, about 40 per cent are
an absolute limit to diversions. The remainder are provisional caps, most of
which are a moratorium on further entitlements until the water resources plans
are finalised. None of the caps that have been implemented in Queensland is
audited.
Tasmania —surface water caps
In 38 of Tasmania 's 48 surface water management areas, a provisional cap
has been placed on surface water usage and abstraction. A moratorium on all
summer abstractions in many of these surface water management areas came into
effect in 1995, although winter filling of farm dams is allowed under certain
conditions. In only one surface water management area is the cap considered
to be representative of the sustainable yield; in most other cases the cap
is much lower than the sustainable yield (refer to surface water
sustainability).
South Australia —surface water caps
Only four surface water management areas have been prescribed in South Australia
, and these all have caps (absolute limit) on surface water use. The caps represent
the sustainable yield. Another 13 areas are in the process of being prescribed,
and these also have a provisional cap set at the sustainable yield.
A notice of prohibition was invoked in 2004–05 for the eastern and western
Mount Lofty Ranges catchments. The notice restricted new surface water use
development and did not provide a water entitlement. As a result, landholders
in the Western Mount Lofty Ranges water supply catchments (Torrens, Onkaparinga
and Patawalonga) require a permit to construct a farm dam, but there is no
attached water entitlement. This restricts the level of surface water use under
the statewide provisions of the State Water Plan 2000.
For non-prescribed areas, water is managed by a mixture of statewide policy
through the State Water Plan 2000 and the following regional plans:
- River Murray Catchment Water Management Plan (10 partial or
complete surface water management areas)
- Arid Areas Catchment Water Management Plan (12 partial or
complete surface water management areas)
- South East Catchment Water Management Plan (six partial or
complete surface water management areas)
- Northern Adelaide and Barossa Catchment Water Management Plan
(four partial or complete surface water management areas)
- Eyre Peninsula Catchment Water Management Plan (four partial
or complete surface water management areas)
- Onkaparinga Catchment Water Management Plan (one surface water
management area).
Caps are often placed on the amount water that can be used from an area in order
to protect the environment
Image by Arthur Mostead, sourced from the MDBC
Victoria —surface water caps
Every Victorian surface water management area has a surface water cap. The
caps are a combination of the Murray-Darling Basin cap, bulk entitlements,
statewide sustainable diversion limits, and no new all-year licences. The caps
represent an absolute limit to allocation, with the exception of the Gippsland
Lakes. Audit reports for Victoria are available in the state
water reports.
All of Victoria 's basins can be categorised as being capped at the sustainable
yield, with current programmes in place to deliver plans that meet the sustainable
yield.
Western Australia —surface water caps
Western Australia has no caps on surface water use because there are limited
surface water resources in the state. There are only six surface water management
areas in Western Australia that currently have significant surface water use
and that potentially require a surface water cap to protect the water resource,
as shown in the map illustrating the level of surface water entitlements
relative to sustainable yield.
Murray-Darling Basin —surface water caps
The Murray-Darling Basin Cap is an absolute cap on surface water extractions
in the Murray-Darling Basin —this includes four states and the Australian Capital
Territory . Apart from Queensland , the Australian Capital Territory and the
Border Rivers of New South Wales, each river valley in the Murray-Darling Basin
has an annual cap volume; the states decide how they manage and allocate water
under the Cap. The Murray-Darling Basin Commission has appointed an Independent
Audit Group to audit the cap compliance of each river valley each year. The
audit report is publicly available in print and through the Murray-Darling
Basin Commission's website ( Annual
Independent Audit Group Report on Cap Implementation ).
The Murray-Darling Basin Commission also publishes an annual Water
Audit and Monitoring Report on Cap Implementation.
This report provides a broader picture of the following:
- Cap compliance
- water use
- accuracy of water use figures
- climatic overview for the water year
- water availability through allocations
- off-allocations and water trading
- storage losses
- groundwater use
In Queensland , the water resources planning process will determine its Cap
level of diversions. In New South Wales, the Cap for the Border Rivers is
subject to the conclusion of an intergovernmental agreement between New South
Wales and Queensland. The Cap for the Australian Capital Territory is currently
being discussed.
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