Woori Yallock Creek Water Supply Protection Area Stream Flow Management Plan 2012 CONTENTS
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Water Act 1989 Woori Yallock creek Water Supply protection area Stream FloW management plan 2012 CONTeNTS Preface 1 7.6 Direct DoWnStream transferS irreSpective 30 paSt conSultative committee members 1 oF the transfer zone Woori yallock creek SFMP obServers 1 7.7 UpStream transferS Within a traDing zone 30 7.8 TransferS betWeen traDing zones 30 ParT 1: Past aNd PreSent maNagement 2 7.9 TransferS out oF the Woori yallock creek WSPA 30 1. IntroducTion 3 8. ProhibiTions oN NeW allocaTions 31 1.1 Declaration oF a Water Supply protection area 3 9. MeTeriNg aNd accountiNg for WaTer 32 2. The Woori Yallock creek WaTer SupplY 4 10. MoNiToriNg Program 33 ProTecTioN area 11. PrivaTe dams 34 2.1 The Water Supply protection area 4 11.1 ConStruction oF neW on-Stream Dams 35 2.2 Protection area DeScription 4 11.2 Off-Stream Dams 35 2.3 General environmental values 5 11.3 RegiStereD anD licenSeD catchment Dams 35 2.4 Stream Flows 6 11.4 UnregiStereD anD unlicenSeD catchment Dams 35 2.5 Current Flows compareD to natural Flows 6 11.5 AeSthetic Dams 36 2.6 HiStorical management oF Water licences 6 11.6 DamS on Sub-DiviSions 36 2.7 MoDelling the catchment 8 2.8 Environmental Flows 10 12. Annual rePort 37 2.9 Environmental FloW recommenDations 11 12.1 Compliance anD reporting 37 2.10 Sub-catchment Delineations 12 12.2 RevieW oF the plan 37 2.11 WaterWay management programS in the 13 catchment 13. FurTher recommeNdaTions from The 37 consulTaTive committee 3. WaTer entiTlements aNd uSe 13 13.1 Compliance 37 3.1 LicenSeD Water allocations 14 13.2 Groundwater 38 3.2 Water uSe not requiring a take anD uSe licence 14 13.3 Improving Water uSe efficiency 38 3.3 Dairy WaSh licences 14 13.4 DomeStic anD Stock uSe in the catchment 38 3.4 CapS on licence allocations 15 13.5 Other inFluenceS on SurFace Water 38 13.6 Other pressureS in the catchment 38 ParT 2: fuTure maNagement uNder The SFMP 16 14. Approval 39 4. ObjecTiveS of The SFMP 17 15. RefereNces 39 5. AdmiNistraTioN aNd eNforcement of The Plan 17 AppeNdix 1: rosteriNg arraNgements for 40 6. RestricTions oN TakiNg Surface WaTer 17 NoN-meTered uSerS 6.1 Permissible conSumptive volume 17 AppeNdix 2: STaNdard coNdiTions for Take 42 6.2 implementation oF minimum 19 aNd uSe liceNceS (staTe-Wide) environmental Flows 6.3 ChangeS to licence conDitionS to implement 22 AppeNdix 3: consulTaTive committee responseS 44 the environmental FloW recommenDationS To commuNity Submissions oN The drafT SFMP 6.4 Rationale For the reStrictions 22 AppeNdix 4: TechNical audiT PaNel (TaP) 54 6.5 RoStering anD reStrictions 23 revieW of The EnviroNmental floW studY 6.6 Potential impactS oF implementing the 24 environmental FloW regime AppeNdix 5: TechNical audiT PaNel (TaP) 55 revieW of REALM model aNd rePorT 7. LiceNce Transfers 27 7.1 IntroDuction 27 AppeNdix 6: TechNical audiT PaNel (TaP) 56 7.2 MatterS that muSt be taken into account 27 revieW of The SFMP drafT PlaN 7.3 TransferS into the Woori yallock creek WSPA 27 Schedule 1: liceNce coNdiTions 57 7.4 General conDitionS associateD With licence 28 transferS glossarY aNd Terms 59 7.5 TraDing zones 29 PREFACE the Water Act 1989 (the act) was amended in 2005 to PaSt conSultative committee MeMberS establish the environmental water reserve to provide a legally protected share of water for the environment. mr murray mcintyre in streams such as Woori yallock creek , the Department of Sustainability and environment environmental water reserve is made up of minimum mr ian roche parks victoria flows, and the water that is not used by others (“above cap” water). these members were appointed in accordance with under the act, management plans can be prepared for section 29 of the act. the appointments were made the sustainable management of the water resources of following nomination by the port phillip and an area. the Woori yallock creek catchment was Westernport catchment management authority and identified as an area where a management plan would in consultation with melbourne Water and the victorian be developed to protect the area’s surface waters. Farmers’ Federation. the preparation of this Stream Flow management plan (SFMP) commenced in april 2009 by a consultative Woori Yallock creek SFMP obServerS committee established by the act. the consultative ms danielle atkin committee, consisting of the following people, Department of Sustainability and environment has developed this plan following extensive discussions and consideration of technical work and in response mr Tim donovan melbourne Water to public submissions. the committee provided advice ms cheryl edwards melbourne Water and made decisions within guidelines provided in ms Sarah gaskill melbourne Water accordance with the act. mr Steve hosking melbourne Water Woori Yallock creek SFMP conSultative mr anthony urban VR Fish committee MeMberS mr greg Williams melbourne Water mr ian ada yarra ranges council mr bob anderson (OAM) Friends of the helmeted honeyeater This Plan has been divided into two parts: mr Steve chapman landholder part one describes the past management of water in mr gavin corbett landholder the Woori yallock creek catchment including its mr graeme frith landholder environmental values, the investigations that have mr mick kealy parks victoria been undertaken to understand it better and the water entitlements that have been issued and how mr leo koelewyn (chair) landholder they are used. mr Stephen livermore landholder dr daniel mainville part two recommends how water will be managed in Department of Sustainability and environment the Woori yallock creek catchment for the next five mr dan robertson melbourne Water years. it provides details on the implementation of the cap on licensed surface water diversions, the process by ms jan van rooijen landholder which licences will be rostered and restricted in dry ms jo Tenner environment victoria times, the rules around transferring licences, how licences mr franklin Trouw landholder will be metered and accounted, the monitoring program, ms Penny Winbanks Southern rural Water private dams and reporting. 1 part 1 Past aNd PreSent maNagement 2 a plan can only prescribe requirements, conditions or restrictions 1. IntroducTioN to licences issued under section 51 (‘take and use licences’) and section 67 (‘licences to construct works on a waterway or bore’). 1.1 Declaration oF a Water SupplY private rights to domestic and stock water under section 8 are Protection area not impacted by this plan. there are no bulk entitlements, environmental entitlements or water shares issued in the Woori an area may be declared a Water Supply protection area (WSPA) yallock creek catchment. under section 27(1) of the Water Act 1989 (the act), in order to protect the groundwater resources in the area, the surface water this plan has been prepared as part of melbourne Water’s resources in the area, or both. the Woori yallock creek catchment program for managing priority catchments throughout the yarra has been declared a WSPA under the act (see section 2 & 3) river basin. plans have already been prepared for Diamond creek, for surface water only. hoddles creek, plenty river, olinda creek, Stringybark creek and Steels, pauls and Dixons creeks. the little yarra and Don, once an area is declared as a WSPA, the minister must under and Woori yallock creek Stream Flow management plans are the section 29(1) of the act appoint a consultative committee last two plans being prepared under this priority catchments to develop a draft management plan for the declared area. program. existing plans will be reviewed periodically and if this consultative committee is made up of landholders, deemed necessary revised in consultation with relevant representatives of statutory bodies, government agencies and stakeholders. a representative from environment victoria. using advice from numerous scientific and other studies the a Stream Flow management plan (SFMP) considers the total consultative committee identified improvements that could be amount of surface water in a WSPA and prescribes how it will be made in the management of licences to take and use water, shared between water users and the environment. and made recommendations that aim to balance reliability for Section 32a(1) of the act states that the object of a management water users and environmental benefits. plan is to make sure that water resources are managed in an as a part of the plan development, the plan was released for equitable manner and to ensure the long-term sustainability of public comment allowing stakeholders to make those resources. it aims to recognise the needs of the existing recommendations or provide advice. the submissions have been and future users whilst attempting to maintain or improve considered to create this plan. a summary of the committee’s waterway health by protecting the environment’s share of water, response to the submissions is provided in appendix 3. including minimum flows and the water above what is available for consumptive use. providing sufficient environmental flows to the plan has been submitted to the minister for approval and achieve healthy rivers is a key part of ensuring the long-term tabled before parliament, after which time the prescriptions are sustainability of the water resource. administered and enforced by melbourne Water. this section of the act together with the guidelines issued this plan provides descriptions and/or prescriptions for: under the act, titled “guidelines for Draft management plan: • the WSPA (Section 1 & 2) Woori yallock creek catchment Water Supply protection area”, • water entitlements and use (Section 3) provide the scope for the Woori yallock creek catchment WSPA • objectives of the plan (Section 4) SFMP. these guidelines require the plan to implement a number • administration and enforcement (Section 5) of requirements under the act, including a requirement that • restrictions on taking surface water (Section 6) water will be reserved for the environment.