Download six steps to water leadership for victoria

six steps to water
leadership for victoria
Improving the health of our waterways and catchments is fundamental to supporting jobs,
increasing economic productivity and enhancing Victoria’s liveability, health and wellbeing. These
six steps will set us on the path to healthy rivers and sustainable water use.
Step 1: A Murray-Darling Basin Plan that restores our
rivers, wetlands and national parks
ecommit to an ecologically focused Basin Plan that returns 3200 GL to the rivers of the Basin.
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Reinstate water buyback as the principal means of water recovery.
Reduce reliance on engineering to achieve environmental outcomes.
Deal with constraints on the delivery of environmental water to floodplains.
Step 2: A state-wide plan for water sensitive cities
Comprehensively embed Integrated Water Cycle Management into the planning framework.
Capture more stormwater runoff and improve rates of water recycling in urban areas.
Embed water efficiency in new and existing homes and businesses.
Establish a domestic drinking water consumption target of 100 litres/person/day.
Step 3: A Victorian Environmental Assessment Council
(VEAC) investigation into freshwater ecosystems
ssess the management and level of protection afforded to freshwater ecosystems, including
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rivers, wetlands, estuaries and groundwater.
Make recommendations for improved management and any additions to land or water reserves
necessary for their protection.
Step 4: Reforming the Victorian Water Act to give our
rivers a fair share of water
ive rivers a guaranteed ‘sustainable baseflow’ that is secure under all climatic conditions.
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Protect the environment’s share of available water from redirection by the Minister.
License all water use under the Water Act to resolve inequities and allow fair sharing of risk.
Establish catchment caps based on sustainability criteria for all Victorian river basins.
Step 5: Reconnecting river corridors and restoring
river banks
Invest more money in fencing river banks to exclude livestock.
Accelerate the conversion of grazing licences to riparian management licences on Crown land.
Declare the Murray River park and ask VEAC to identify other possible linear parks.
Step 6: Managing surface and groundwater together
lign review cycles and timeframes for surface water and groundwater planning to allow
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consideration of opportunities and cross-impacts.
Develop integrated management plans that cover both groundwater and surface water.
six steps to water leadership | briefing paper
Key facts
Only 23 percent of Victoria’s rivers are in good or excellent condition (see Figure 1 below). Rivers are a key component
of the natural capital that supports all our economic activity and are particularly important for our major export
earners – agriculture and tourism. (See page eight of the full report for details.)
Figure 1. Overall river condition in
Victoria in 2010. Source: Third Index of
Stream Condition.
Climate change will have a big impact on Victoria’s water resources. Figure 2 below shows that when inflows to rivers
are reduced the environment’s share of water is affected the most. (See page 12 of the full report for details.)
Figure 2. The impact of climate change
on water availability in the Goulburn
River (based on CSIRO Sustainable Yields
project). The environment’s share is
more heavily impacted than water for
consumptive use.
six steps to water leadership | briefing paper