Download Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder

Commonwealth Environmental Water
John Foster
Director, Environmental Water Planning
Commonwealth Environmental Water Office
Commonwealth environmental water
• CEWH comments on environmental outcomes having priority
over social and economic.
• CEWH plans/options documents.
• Yarrawonga flows/MSWT (15,000ML/day)
• Localism – discuss CEWO views
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• .... and anything else the committee would like to discuss
Commonwealth environmental water
Water Act – establishes Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder to
make decisions on using Commonwealth environmental water holdings to
protect or restore environmental assets in the Basin.
Management of the Commonwealth water holdings:
• Must be in accordance with statutory requirements (Water Act and
the Basin Plan) - water is used to meet environmental demands
• The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder can consider the ancillary
social, cultural and economic benefits.
• However, there must be a clear, demonstrable environmental benefit that
outweighs the other potential environmental outcomes that could be
achieved from the use of that water.
• Where there are opportunities, we seek to achieve multiple
outcomes
Water use options
2014-15 water use options documents
• Released 24 July 2014
• Developed in consultation with Environmental Water Advisory Groups
• Options are subject to CEWH decision
• Environmental needs are also identified through a combination of stakeholder
consultation, monitoring and rigorous contemporary science.
• Input can be provided at any time, not just through annual planning
Future planning
• Continue to expand consultation and local involvement
• Local knowledge is key to helping identify ways in which environmental water
can be used to its best effect.
• Long-term approach
• Focus remains on supplying water to meet demands – supply plans
Planning – Options
to Decision
• Real time conditions
• Collaboration
• Local advice –
CMA/LLS; EWAG;
other
• Delivery partners
CEWO decision-making process for watering actions
Summary of 2014-15 water use options for the Mid-Murray Region
Applicable level(s) of
resource availability
Low
Moderate
High
Option 1 – Edward–
Wakool system
Support increased variability of river flows by contributing towards baseflows and freshes to
maintain and improve ecosystem diversity and native fish populations.
Option 2 –
Ephemeral water
courses
Option 3 – MidMurray region water
quality and habitat
Support the condition and reproduction of native vegetation, fish and other vertebrates,
hydrological connectivity and end of system flows, and maintenance of refuges and water quality
(in particular dissolved oxygen, salinity and pH).
Option 4 – MidMurray River
Channel
Option 5 – MidMurray Forest
Very High
Support management of water
quality issues within in–stream
environments to protect
ecosystems and their
functions.
Options unlikely to be pursued
under this resource
availability.
Support management of water quality issues within in–stream environments to protect ecosystems and their functions.
Support increased variability
in–channel river flow by
contributing towards increased
baseflows and augmenting
other flow events to protect
and maintain the diversity and
condition of native species and
communities.
Options unlikely to be pursued
under this resource availability
Support variability of river flows by contributing towards
increased baseflows, and augmenting natural flow events for in–
channel freshes, bankfull and overbank flows to maintain and
improve the diversity and condition of native species and
support the recovery of floodplain ecosystems.
Contribute to returning a more natural pattern of flow to
elements of the hydrograph affected by regulation
Support management of water
quality issues within in–stream
environments to protect
ecosystems and their
functions.
Contribute to overbank flows (infrastructure assisted) within
Werai Forest, to increase ecosystem diversity and to support the
Options unlikely to be pursued
condition and reproduction of wetland and floodplain
under this resource
vegetation, native fish, waterbirds and other vertebrates, and
availability.
processes such as primary production, as well as contribute to
decomposition and nutrient and carbon cycling.
Option 6 – Fringing
To provide hydrological connectivity to refill low–lying wetlands to support wetland vegetation
Options unlikely to be pursued
and isolated wetland communities; provide habitat to maintain condition of waterbirds, fish, other aquatic vertebrates under this resource
sites and complexes (turtles, frogs) and macroinvertebrates; and allow for movement and dispersal of aquatic animals. availability.
Summary of 2014-15 water use options for the Lower Murray-Darling Region
Applicable level(s) of resource
availability
(see Section 4)
Low
Moderate
High
Support increased variability of river
flows by contributing towards
Support increased variability of river
Support increased variability in-channel
flows by contributing towards increased increased baseflows, and augmenting
river flow by contributing towards
Options 1 (low), 2 (mod) and 3
baseflows, and augmenting natural flow natural flow events for in-channel
(mod - high) – River Murray
increased baseflows and augmenting
freshes, bankfull and overbank flows
events for in-channel freshes and
from Euston to Lower Lakes and
natural flow events to protect and
bankfull flows to maintain ecosystem
to improve the diversity and
maintain the diversity and condition of
Coorong
diversity and improve condition of
condition of native species and
native species and communities.
support the recovery of floodplain
native species.
ecosystems.
Support increased variability of river flows by contributing towards baseflows
and freshes to maintain and improve ecosystem diversity and native fish
populations.
Option 4 – Lower Darling River
Options unlikely to be pursued under this
resource availability.
Option 5 – Great Darling
Anabranch
Support in-channel flows by contributing towards baseflows, freshes and
Options unlikely to be pursued under this
wetland inundation to maintain and improve ecosystem diversity and native
resource availability.
fish populations.
Option 6 – Nature Foundation
South Australia
Option 7 – Mallee Catchment
Management Authority
Provide environmental water to wetlands and
floodplains in the lower River Murray to maintain
ecosystem diversity and improve condition of native
species.
Options unlikely to be pursued under this resource availability.
Provide environmental water to wetlands and floodplains in the lower River Murray Mallee region to rehabilitate
targeted wetlands and floodplains, increase the abundance and distribution of Murray hardyhead, and improve the
diversity and condition of native species
Multi-site Watering Trial and
Environmental Flows d/s of Yarrawonga
Multi-site Watering Trial
• Agreement from Basin Officials Committee (BOC) to deviate from past river
operation practice. Includes:
• Revised accounting to minimise impacts to state shares
• Agreed loss rates for environmental water releases from Hume
• Allows water to be called from specific storages
• Flow rates for environmental water releases
• Under the trial, regulated releases of environmental water d/s of Yarrawonga are
limited to 15,000ML/day
CEWH involvement
•
•
•
•
Not involved in BOC decisions
CEWH decides if Commonwealth environmental water will be used in any trial
In 2014-15, only contributing to flows below 10,600ML/day d/s Yarrawonga
CEWH has only participated in the MSWT once (2013-14)
Localism
•
•
•
•
The Basin Plan requires greater consultation
Localism means different things to everyone
CEWH has a Basin-wide focus
Localism for the CEWH is about meaningful
local engagement in decision making
• Local engagement Officers will play
an important role
• Decisions on the use of
Commonwealth environmental
water are made by the CEWH
• Decisions can be delegated to
another SES officer in the CEWO/
Dept of the Environment
Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring v. Research
• CEWO Long-term Intervention Monitoring (LTIM) is focused on
statutory requirements
• CEWO LTIM will result in the monitoring of catchments where around
90 per cent of Commonwealth environmental water is held.
• CEWO does not generally fund research
Coordination
• MDBA role to coordinate monitoring and evaluation across the Basin
• CEWO LTIM is overseen by a steering committee involving the MDBA
• CEWO coordinating its efforts with those also undertaking monitoring
Community involvement
• Edward-Wakool Selected Area Working Group includes agency,
research and community representation
Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring v. Research
• CEWO Long-term Intervention Monitoring (LTIM) is focused on
statutory requirements
• CEWO LTIM will result in the monitoring of catchments where around
90 per cent of Commonwealth environmental water is held.
• CEWO does not generally fund research
Coordination
• MDBA role to coordinate monitoring and evaluation across the Basin
• CEWO LTIM is overseen by a steering committee involving the MDBA
• CEWO coordinating its efforts with those also undertaking monitoring
Community involvement
• Edward-Wakool Selected Area Working Group includes agency,
research and community representation
Feedback
We welcome suggestions
Contact: John Foster
[email protected]
or
www.environment.gov.au/ewater