the environment institute where ideas grow chewing over the cewh mike young executive director, the...

The Environment InstituteWhere ideas grow

Chewing over the CEWH Mike Young Executive Director, The Environment Institute

The Environment Institute

Life Impact The University of Adelaide

Some design principles and concepts• Hydrological integrity

– Most interception is included in the SDL algebra• Equitable risk sharing with Environment

– Conveyance reserve specified separately– Environment gets an entitlement for freshes and some overbank

work • Maximum subsidiarity

– Uniform definition of SDL across the Basin built around a 114 year average less 3% allowance for adverse climate change

– But CEWH takes a centralised view of the world .... • Robust planning as the “premier” control instrument

– Entitlement and allocation system sits under the plan



The LTASDL• Long Term

– Hides climate change signal• Average

– Mean not mode or median• Sustainable

– Not defined as a limit Don’t compromise key environment or productive base

• Diversion– Not allocated– Not “used”

• Limit• Not a share of inflows• Not a seasonal resource allocation



Section 2323 Long term average sustainable diversion limits‑(1) A long term average sustainable diversion limit for the Basin water ‑

resources, for the water resources of a particular water resource plan area or for a particular part of those water resources must reflect an environmentally sustainable level of take.

(2) A long term average sustainable diversion limit for the Basin water ‑resources, for the water resources of a particular water resource plan area or for a particular part of those water resources may be specified:(a) as a particular quantity of water per year; or(b) as a formula or other method that may be used to calculate a quantity of water per year; or(c) in any other way that the Authority determines to be appropriate.



“Take” not “net use”environmentally sustainable level of take for a water

resource means the level at which water can be taken from that water resource which, if exceeded, would compromise:(a) key environmental assets of the water resource; or(b) key ecosystem functions of the water resource; or(c) the productive base of the water resource; or(d) key environmental outcomes for the water resource.

• Not “allocated” • Little concept of optimal storage management



Conveyance Reserve• Conveyance water is water in the River Murray

System required to deliver water to meet critical human water needs as far downstream as Wellington in South Australia.

• Not to barrages• No requirement to have a minum annual flow to

the sea



South Australia – Tier 1 Flow

• SA has an administrative choke • Storage options, interstate trade & environment

flow management is severely constrained



Policy Commitment“Only buy water from willing sellers”50.Governments are to bear the risks of any reduction or less

reliable water allocation that is not previously provided for, arising from changes in government policy (for example, new environmental objectives). In such cases, governments may recover this water in accordance with the principles for assessing the most efficient and cost effective measures for water recovery.

Commitment to pay compensation for new policyCEWH has a big role to play but .... (3,000GL)



What is the role of the CEWH?environmentally sustainable level of take for a water

resource means the level at which water can be taken from that water resource which, if exceeded, would compromise:

(a) key environmental assets of the water resource; or(b) key ecosystem functions of the water resource; or(c) the productive base of the water resource; or(d) key environmental outcomes for the water resource.

• Any water held by the CEWH may be outside the SDL• Only way to fix an error is to redefine the SDL



A legislative dilemna• If the commitment is to a Robust Plan the

Water Act would be amended before a draft plan is released!!– Provide for Tier 1 conveyance and minimum flow

to barrages– Convert SA’s entitlement into a share of inflows– Establish a proper Basin Bulk Water Entitlement

System



Main types of Water• Regulated• Unregulated• Groundwater

– Connected to river– Disconnected but recharging– Fossil

• Overland flow• Interception

• Why not define “ALTSDL” differently for each type of system



Regulated water guidelines• Set aside conveyance water under

– T1 – conveyance to end possible– T2 – not enough water for 100% conveyance– T3 - Exceptional circumstances

• After conveyance reserve satisfied, share next slice of inflows between Environment and all other users in accordance with the size of their entitlement– Define sharing limit as amount when all entitlement holders have 100%

allocation– Define size high security pool as moving average of, say, last 10 years allocation

to that pool– Convert non-conveyance rules based water to an entitlement.– Move to continuous accounting everywhere

• Allocate last tranche to the environment under a rules based regime.



Unregulated water guidelines• Require plans to allow shepherding• Define trigger points• Allow trigger points in licences to be raised and

lowered• Change with compensation may be required in

some systems– Role of environmental water manager is less tactical

and more infrastructure rather than volume based



Interception and overland flow guidelines• Better to be approximately right than

comprehensively wrong• Licence separately • Introduce an offset rule

– Buy and surrender an entitlement equivalent to the expected mean impact

• Re-issue entitlement when interception licence is surrendered.



Connected Groundwater• Location matters• May need many zones within each region• Enable tagged transfer to river when

permission to extract is close to it.• Holding an environmental entitlement may

not work if there is no where to allocate it• Is the CEWH really going to buy this water?



Three Questions1. Is it possible to change the Act?2. Should this occur before the draft plan is

presented or proposed as part of the plan?3. Would the Basin be better served if with a

plan that proposes to buy a share for the environment and build a structure that makes this the prime management instrument?

The Environment InstituteWhere ideas grow

www.adelaide.edu.au/environment

www.myoung.net.au

http://www.adelaide.edu.au/environment

http://www.adelaide.edu.au/environment

http://www.myoung.net.au/

the environment institute where ideas grow chewing over the cewh mike young executive director, the...

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