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DRAFT WATER ALLOCATION PLAN Western Mount Lofty Ranges 2010 Western Mount Lofty Ranges Draft Water Allocation Plan Draft Water Allocation Plan Western Mount Lofty Ranges Prepared by Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board October 2010 2 Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges NRM Board DISCLAIMER: The Government of South Australia, its Employees and servants do not warrant or make any representation regarding the use, or results of use of the information contained herein as to its correctness, accuracy, currency or otherwise. The Government of South Australia, its employees and servants expressly disclaim all liability or responsibility to any person using the information or advice contained herein. © Government of South Australia 2010. This work is Copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cwlth), no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission obtained from the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be directed to the General Manager, Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board, 205 Greenhill Road, Eastwood, SA 5063. Produced By: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board Maps produced by: Department for Water Projection: Transverse Mercator Datum: Geocentric Datum of Australia 1994 Source: Department for Water Date: October 2010 Western Mount Lofty Ranges Draft Water Allocation Plan 3 Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 9 1.1. The Prescribed Area ................................................................................................................. 9 1.1.1. Western Mount Lofty Ranges Prescribed Water Resources Area................................................... 9 1.1.2. Little Para Proclaimed Watercourse ............................................................................................ 12 1.2. McLaren Vale Prescribed Wells Area ...................................................................................... 12 1.3. Water allocation planning ........................................................................................................ 13 1.3.1. Water licences and allocations ................................................................................................... 13 1.3.2. Existing users ............................................................................................................................ 13 1.3.3. Other users................................................................................................................................ 13 1.4. Water resources and catchments in the Prescribed Area ......................................................... 14 1.4.1. Types of water resources ........................................................................................................... 14 1.4.2. Central Hills Catchments ............................................................................................................ 15 1.4.3. Willunga Basin and Fleurieu Peninsula Catchments .................................................................... 19 1.4.4. Watercourses across the Plains ................................................................................................. 23 2. Needs of Water-Dependent Ecosystems ............................................................................. 28 2.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 28 2.1.1. Environmental water requirements and provisions....................................................................... 28 2.1.2. Water-dependent ecosystems .................................................................................................... 28 2.1.3. Flow regime ............................................................................................................................... 29 2.2. Environmental water requirements ........................................................................................... 30 2.2.1. Underground water-dependent ecosystems ................................................................................ 31 2.2.2. Determining environmental water requirements........................................................................... 31 2.2.3. Measuring environmental water requirements ............................................................................. 35 2.2.4. Current state of water-dependent ecosystems ............................................................................ 40 2.2.5. Environmental water quality requirements ................................................................................... 42 2.3. Environmental water provisions ............................................................................................... 43 2.3.1. Ecologically acceptable level of risk ............................................................................................ 43 2.3.2. Determination of environmental water provisions ........................................................................ 44 2.3.3. Environmentally sustainable extraction limit ................................................................................ 44 2.3.4. Underground water-dependent ecosystems ................................................................................ 46 2.4. Environmental water requirements and provisions for wetlands ............................................... 46 2.4.1. Fleurieu Wetlands ...................................................................................................................... 46 2.4.2. Central Hills wetlands ................................................................................................................. 47 2.5. Environmental water requirements and provisions for watercourses across the Plains ............. 50 2.5.1. Environmental water provisions from SA Water reservoirs ........................................................... 50 3. Effects on Other Water Resources ....................................................................................... 51 3.1. Little Para Proclaimed Watercourse ........................................................................................ 53 3.2. McLaren Vale PWA ................................................................................................................. 53 4 Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges NRM Board 3.3. Central Adelaide PWA............................................................................................................. 53 3.4. Northern Adelaide Plains PWA ................................................................................................ 54 3.5. Barossa PWRA ....................................................................................................................... 54 3.6. Marne Saunders PWRA .......................................................................................................... 55 3.7. Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges PWRA ........................................................................................ 55 3.8. River Murray Prescribed Watercourse ..................................................................................... 56 4. Assessment of Demand on Water Resources ..................................................................... 57 4.1. Needs of water users .............................................................................................................. 57 4.2. Demand .................................................................................................................................. 57 4.2.1. Historical demand ...................................................................................................................... 57 4.3. Present demand...................................................................................................................... 59 4.3.1. Water use for licensed purposes ................................................................................................ 59 4.3.2. Water use for non-licensed purposes .......................................................................................... 63 4.4. Climate change ....................................................................................................................... 64 4.5. Future demand ....................................................................................................................... 65 5. Capacity of the Water Resources in the Prescribed Area ................................................... 66 5.1. Capacity of underground water................................................................................................ 66 5.2. Underground water extraction limit .......................................................................................... 66 5.3. Capacity of surface water and watercourse water .................................................................... 75 5.4. Surface water and watercourse water extraction limits ............................................................. 75 5.5. Diversion limits ........................................................................................................................ 76 5.6. Capacity of watercourses across the Plains ..........................................................................