Working Draft WAP for the Marne-Saunders PWRA
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Water Allocation Plan for the Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area Prepared by the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board 2010 ii Contents 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Objectives of the Marne Saunders Water Allocation Plan ............................................ 1 1.2 Structure of the Plan .................................................................................................... 2 1.2.1 Supply and demand .............................................................................................. 2 1.2.2 Policy framework .................................................................................................. 2 1.2.3 Monitoring and evaluation ..................................................................................... 3 1.3 Allocation of water to existing users ............................................................................. 3 1.4 Legislative history of water regulation in the Marne Saunders ...................................... 3 2 Physical characteristics of the Marne Saunders PWRA ...................................................... 5 2.1 Landscape and geology ............................................................................................... 5 2.2 Climate ........................................................................................................................ 5 2.3 Prescribed water resources ......................................................................................... 7 2.3.1 Surface water and watercourse water ................................................................... 8 2.3.2 Underground water ..............................................................................................14 2.4 Other water sources in the Marne Saunders PWRA ...................................................19 3 Needs of water-dependent ecosystems .............................................................................22 3.1 Determination of environmental water requirements ...................................................22 3.2 Environmental reaches ...............................................................................................23 3.3 Ecological assets ........................................................................................................26 3.3.1 Fish ......................................................................................................................27 3.3.2 Macro-invertebrates .............................................................................................28 3.3.3 Vegetation ...........................................................................................................29 3.3.4 Other native water-dependent animals ................................................................30 3.3.5 Key environmental assets ....................................................................................31 3.4 Objectives and environmental water requirements for assets .....................................31 3.4.1 Setting environmental objectives .........................................................................31 3.4.2 Identifying water requirements to achieve environmental objectives ....................34 3.5 Environmental water requirements for each reach ......................................................40 3.6 Representing environmental water requirements as flow metrics ................................44 3.6.1 Identification of ecologically important flow metrics ..............................................45 3.6.2 Assessment of environmental stress through flow deviation analysis ...................46 3.7 Environmental water quality requirements ..................................................................47 4 Capacity of the resources to meet demands ......................................................................48 4.1 Demand for water .......................................................................................................48 4.1.1 Aboriginal water needs ........................................................................................48 4.1.2 Non-licensed water needs ...................................................................................49 4.1.3 Licensed water needs ..........................................................................................51 4.2 Capacity of the resource to meet current demands .....................................................54 4.2.1 Effects of water resource development - surface water and watercourse water ...54 4.2.2 Effects of water resource development - underground water ...............................58 4.2.3 Impacts of current water resource development on water-dependent ecosystems 62 4.3 A new water management framework .........................................................................75 4.3.1 General approach when setting allocation limits and extraction rules ...................76 4.3.2 Developing the surface water and watercourse water allocation limits and extraction rules ..................................................................................................................82 4.3.3 Developing the underground water allocation limits and extraction rules .............86 4.3.4 Impacts of management approach .......................................................................89 5 Effects on other water resources ........................................................................................90 5.1 Effects of taking surface water and watercourse water on other water resources .......90 5.2 Effects of taking underground water on other water resources ....................................90 5.3 Effects of use on other water resources ......................................................................91 5.4 Summary ....................................................................................................................91 6 Water allocation criteria .....................................................................................................92 6.1 Water allocation objectives .........................................................................................92 iv 6.2 General allocation principles ...................................................................................... 92 6.3 Allocation of underground water ................................................................................. 96 6.4 Allocation of artificially recharged water...................................................................... 99 6.5 Allocation of surface water and watercourse water ................................................... 100 6.6 Allocation of roof runoff (surface water) .................................................................... 108 7 Transfer criteria ............................................................................................................... 109 7.1 Water transfer objectives .......................................................................................... 109 7.2 General transfer principles ....................................................................................... 109 7.3 Transfer of underground water ................................................................................. 109 7.4 Transfer of artificial recharge allocations .................................................................. 110 7.5 Transfer of surface water and watercourse water ..................................................... 110 7.6 Transfer of roof runoff (surface water) ...................................................................... 111 8 Water affecting activities.................................................................................................. 112 8.1 Principles for complying activities ............................................................................. 113 8.2 General objectives and principles ............................................................................. 114 8.2.1 Objectives ......................................................................................................... 114 8.2.2 Principles .......................................................................................................... 114 8.3 Constructing, backfilling or repairing wells ................................................................ 115 8.4 Drainage or discharging water into a well ................................................................. 116 8.4.1 Objectives ......................................................................................................... 116 8.4.2 Principles .......................................................................................................... 117 8.5 Water storages and diversions ................................................................................. 119 8.6 Building, structure, object or solid material in a watercourse, lake or floodplain ........ 126 8.7 Drainage or discharge of water into a watercourse or lake ....................................... 127 8.8 Vegetation clearance ................................................................................................ 127 8.9 Excavation or removal of rock, sand or soil .............................................................. 127 8.10 Use of effluent and imported water ........................................................................... 128