Our Vision

“To engage the

community in the

conservation and

enhancement of the

natural resources within

the South Australian

Murray-Darling Basin

region”

CONTACT US

STRATHALBYN OFFICE

1A Colman Tce

PO Box 4

STRATHALBYN SA 5255

www.samdbnrm.sa.gov.au

Phone. (08) 8536 4482

FAX. (08) 8536 8126

WATER ALLOCATION PLANNING NEWSLETTER EDITION NUMBER 2

PAGE 1 OF 6 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MURRAY-DARLING BASIN NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT BOARD

EASTERN MOUNT LOFTY RANGES WATER ALLOCATION PLANNING UPDATE

Welcome to the second newsletter on water allocation planning in the Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges (EMLR). This newsletter aims to provide information on the progress of the prescription process.

BACKGROUND

The Natural Resources Management Act 2004 (the Act) requires the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board (the Board) to prepare a water allocation plan (WAP) for each of the prescribed water resources in its area. A WAP is a statutory instrument that guides the granting of licences to take water and the transfer of a licence and/or water allocation.

The surface water (water in dams), watercourse water (water in streams) and groundwater (accessed via wells or bores) of the EMLR was prescribed on 8 September 2005,

and the Board is now in the process of preparing a WAP for the area.

As the existing Angas Bremer Prescribed Wells Area (PWA) now falls within the boundaries of the EMLR a single WAP will be prepared to cover both areas. For simplicity the combination of these areas will be referred to as the Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges Prescribed Water Resources Area (EMLR PWRA).

The EMLR PWRA, is located approximately 50 km to the south east of Adelaide and occupies an area of 2 845 km

2. The area

incorporates the eastern slopes of the Mount Lofty Ranges and the Murray Plains. The area is bound by Lake Alexandrina and the River Murray to the east, and extends from Currency Creek in the south, past the townships of Tungkillo and Mannum in the north. A map of the area is displayed on page 2.

Fleurieu Peninsula Swamp Photograph provided by the Mt. Lofty Southern Emu Wren and Fleurieu Peninsula Swamps Recovery Team. Conservation Council of South Australia

PAGE 2 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MURRAY-DARLING BASIN NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT BOARD

EASTERN MOUNT LOFTY RANGES COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEES

Community consultation is a central part of the water allocation planning process, and as a first step, the Board has appointed two Community Advisory Committees

(CACs). The Southern CAC has representatives from Currency Creek, Deep Creek, Tookayerta Creek, Finniss River and Sandergrove Plains catchment and the Northern CAC has representatives from Angas River,

Angas Plains, Bremer River, Reedy Creek and Milendella catchments.

The Committees play a key advisory role to the Board by developing policies for water sharing and management. They take into consideration social, economic and environmental needs.

The Committee members were selected (following an open call for nominations) due to their links with industry and key stakeholder groups, their geographical location

within the EMLR, the sources of water they utilise and other relevant skills and experience.

In addition to working with the CACs, the Board continues to work closely with the Angas Bremer Water Management Committee Inc. who play a key role in developing policy for the ongoing management of the prescribed groundwater resource.

For further information regarding the Angas Bremer Water Management Committee visit www.angasbremerwater.org.au

WATER RESOURCE INVESTIGATIONS

The Board is currently funding a number of investigations examining how much water is available from each water resource in the EMLR and determining the current demands on those resources. These investigations include; Aquifer recharge investigations which aims to determine how much rainfall replenishes the aquifers and what the current demands are on those resources; this includes fractured rock and sedimentary aquifers. Review of the Angas Bremer groundwater resource based on trend analysis which aims to determine the sustainable extraction volume of the groundwater resource. Surface water modelling of gauged catchments which aims to determine the capacity of the resource, estimate the current demand on the resource and understand the impact of farm dams on stream flow.

PAGE 3 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MURRAY-DARLING BASIN NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT BOARD

INVESTIGATIONS CONT

The models established will also be used to test the effectiveness of proposed policies on the water resources.

Modelling of the Angas and Bremer river flows across the plains aims to estimate the capacity of the water resources flowing across the plains to Lake Alexandrina.

Determining the environmental water requirements aims are to identify the required flow regimes and groundwater levels required to maintain our ecological assets such as the Fleurieu Peninsula Swamps, permanent pools and springs and fishes etc. In addition, investigations are also being undertaken to aid the development of policy suitable for ongoing management of the resources, these include:

Surface water groundwater interactions investigations which aims to identify regions of connected water resources to prevent double accounting and potential over allocation. Fractured rock aquifer response investigations which aims to better understand the drawdown response to pumping in fractured rock aquifers. A summary of the results, as they become available will be presented in future newsletters.

STOCK AND DOMESTIC WATER USE INVESTIGATIONS

The Board is also working to

estimate the current and future stock and domestic demands on the water resources. This project will assist with determining how much water needs to be set aside for stock and domestic purposes. It is a requirement of the water allocation plan to identify current and future demand on the prescribed water resources including stock and domestic use. The Board would like to gather local information on stock and domestic use of water so that these can be better understood and protected in the planning process.

Information sought includes:

How domestic water use is divided between resources?

Area of garden watered?

What water sources are used for stock water?

Average numbers of each type of stock on a property?

The Board strongly encourages you to be involved, as accurate, locally relevant information is essential in developing a water allocation plan that meets our community’s needs. All efforts will be made to ensure confidentiality of the information. The Board will be undertaking a stock and domestic water use telephone survey during July and August 2007. If you are not contacted by the Board but wish to contribute to the project please contact Martin Nolan from the Board’s Strathalbyn Office on 8536 4482 or email martin.nolan@samdbnrm.sa.gov.au

Finniss River Stream flow gauging station

River Blackfish

PAGE 4 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MURRAY-DARLING BASIN NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT BOARD

NOTICE OF PROHIBITION

A Notice of Prohibition or temporary moratorium was issued for the EMLR in October 2003. The Notice of Prohibition prohibits further development of the water resources in the EMLR while allowing existing water users to continue their practices. The moratorium is a separate process to Prescription. The purpose of the moratorium is to allow investigations to be undertaken to determine whether or not current and future use of the water resources are sustainable. Under the moratorium, current water users are issued authorisations to continue their practices. A number of water uses are exempt from the Notice of Prohibition and do not require an authorisation. These include water used for:

stock and domestic purposes

the application of chemicals on crops

fire fighting purposes and

road making purposes

Domestic use is for use of water in a home and up to 0.4 hectares (1 acre) of garden.

Stock use is defined as water

taken for watering stock. This

does not include irrigation of pasture for stock, or stock that is intensively farmed. A moratorium will apply until the water allocation plan for the EMLR is adopted.

AUTHORISATIONS

An authorisation is not a water licence, it is a temporary authorisation to use water for the time the Notice of Prohibition is in effect. Information on an Authorisation will cover things such as: - Authorised Water Limit – which refers to the area of water use. Components of Water Limit – which refers to the different areas of water use and identifies the different crops or different water uses (e.g. 5 hectares of vines and 5 hectares of pasture) Detailed Source of Water – which refers to where the water is from e.g. a dam, well or watercourse.

Please note the identification of a dam on the Authorisation, such as a 10 ML dam, is not a volumetric allocation. The reference to 10 ML is only to identify the dam from other sources of water upon the property. The legal recognition of the land - which refers to the land the water is being used upon e.g. Allotment, Deposited Plan, Section, in the Hundred and the CT. Conditions - under which the water is to be used, for example it may refer to the installation and maintenance of a meter. In some circumstance a condition on an authorisation may refer to a volume of water that can be taken and used, however there is no guarantee that the volume expressed on the authorisation will be the volume allocated on a water licence.

WATER ALLOCATION

Under the Act, the entitlements of existing water users are considered first, subject to the sustainable capacity of the resources and the needs of the environment and non-licensed users. Water that remains available after the entitlements of existing users have been considered can be allocated under the rules set out in the WAP. The WAP does not set out how the allocations to existing water users are determined, but it does set out the sustainable limits for the water resources and provides a framework for setting licence conditions for existing users. The WAP also provides policies for ongoing management of the water resources including water use efficiency, transfer of allocations, monitoring and reporting and policies for water affecting activities such as construction of wells and dams, works in watercourses and the use of effluent and imported water.

Angas River

PAGE 5 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MURRAY-DARLING BASIN NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT BOARD

ALLOCATIONS TO EXISTING WATER USERS

Allocations to existing water users are the responsibility of the Minister for Environment and Conservation and this process is being undertaken by the Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation (DWLBC). In accordance with the Act existing water users are entitled to an allocation that meets their reasonable requirements balanced against the capacity of the resource. A workshop was held with key stakeholders in April 2007 to discuss proposed methods for determining reasonable requirements to existing water users. A number of key industry groups have provided feedback to assist the DWLBC in developing a suitable method. To qualify as an existing water user you must have;

applied for a water licence by 8 March 2006 and

taken water from the prescribed water resources in the EMLR at anytime between 1 July 2000 and 16 October 2003, or

made a legal or financial committment to take water prior to 16 October 2003.

If you believe you qualify as an existing user and do not have an authorisation to use water under the Notice of Prohibition please contact the DWLBC on 8339 9806.

PERMITS FOR WATER AFFECTING ACTIVITIES

Under the Act a permit is required to undertake a water affecting activity. A water affecting activity includes;

the construction or repair of a well

draining or discharging water into a well

the erection, construction or enlargement of any dam, wall or other structure that will collect or divert water flowing in a watercourse or overland

the erection, construction or placement of any building or structure in a watercourse or lake or on the floodplain of a watercourse

draining or discharging water directly or indirectly into a watercourse or lake

depositing or placing an object or solid material in a watercourse or lake

excavating or removing of rock, sand or soil from a watercourse or lake or the floodplain of a watercourse, or an area near to the banks of a lake

using effluent in the course of carrying on a business.

If you are planning on undertaking any of the above mentioned activities approval must first be obtained by DWLBC unless development approval has been granted by your Local Government Council. Permit application forms can be obtained by contacting DWLBC on 8463 6863 or via the website: http://www.dwlbc.sa.gov.au/licensing/information/permits/index.html If you have any queries regarding water affecting activities in the EMLR please contact Simon Welch from the Board’s Mount Barker Office on 8391 7503 or email simon.welch@samdbnrm.sa.gov.au

Angas River

PAGE 6 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MURRAY-DARLING BASIN NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT BOARD

IRRIGATION EFFICIENCY WORKSHOPS

The Board will be conducting a number of free irrigation management workshops in the coming months. The workshops cover a wide variety of topics and are applicable to all irrigated enterprises.

This year the Board will be presenting two new workshops. The Weather Data Interpretation workshop has been developed to complement the Boards new automatic weather station network and provides irrigators with information on how to access and incorporate climatic data into irrigation scheduling practices.

A Root Zone Salinity Management workshop is also in development and should be ready for delivery later this year. This workshop focuses on how to monitor and manage root zone salinity to promote long term productivity and sustainability. The 2007 Lower Lakes/Murray region workshop schedule is shown below however additional workshops can be programmed as required across the wider EMLR region.

PO Box 4 Strathalbyn SA 5255

Postage Paid

Australia

IRRIGATION EFFICIENCY WORKSHOPS CONT.

To register or for further information please contact Michael Cutting at the Board’s Strathalbyn office on 8536 4979 or michael.cutting@samdbnrm.sa.gov.au

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information on the prescription process please contact Lyz Risby, Project Officer – EMLR Water Policy at the Boards Strathalbyn office on 8536 4482 or email lyz.risby@samdbnrm.sa.gov.au

WHATS INSIDE

Community Advisory Committees 2. Water Resource Investigations 2. Stock and Domestic Water Use Investigations 3. Notice of Prohibition 4. Authorisations 4. Water Allocation 4. Allocations to Existing Users 5. Permits for Water Affecting Activities 5. Irrigation Efficiency Workshops 6.

Workshop Title Date Location

Weather Data Interpretation

Thursday 13th September

2007 Langhorne Creek

Weather Data Interpretation

Tuesday 18th September

2007 Currency Creek

Drip Irrigation Evaluation

Wednesday 17th October

2007 Langhorne Creek