depart

ment

ofnatu

ral

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NSW GOVERNMENT

Department of Natural Resources

dn

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Depart

ment

of

Wate

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En

erg

yDepartment of

Water and

Energy

DW

E

Rob O’Neill, A/Director Water Planning & Interstate Programs

Greater Metropolitan

Region- Surface WSP

- GW WSP

Presentation

Context

Major issues

Current status and way forward

Metropolitan RegionArea Covered by Metro WSPs– Hawkesbury/Nepean

– Shoalhaven & Illawarra

– Northern and Southern Sydney

Metropolitan RegionEnvironment– Wild Rivers: Kowmung + Colo,Grose

– GDEs: wetlands and caves

– HN Forum 2004: evidence of significant stress on the river

– algae, weeds, native fish, oyster beds, erosion and siltation

– proposed environmental flow regime

Metropolitan RegionPotable Water Supply– 4.5 million people

– 75% of State’s economy

– several major storages = 2,600 GL

– approx. 600GL of extractions

Irrigation– $259m p.a.

– fruit and veg, florist, nurseries, turf

– approx. 100GL of entitlement

– utilise STP discharges

WSP DriversNational Water Initiative– statutory-based water planning

– transparency

– statutory provision for the environment

– environmentally sustainable extractions

– removal of barriers to trade:

separation of land and water

clear and secure water entitlements

– assignment of risk for future changes

– encourage efficiency & innovation

– SW/GW connectivity

WSP DriversState Plan– Priority E1: meet NWI commitments to

restore extractions to sustainable levels

– Priority E4: state-wide NRM targets:5. Improvement in riverine ecosystems6. Improvement in ability of GW systems

to support GDEs

WSP DriversWater Management Act 2000

– WSP enables WMA– protect and enhance our water sources

– efficiently and equitably share water between all users and the environment

– implement principles of ecologically sustainable development (PoEA Act 1991)

precautionary principle

inter-generational equity

conservation of biological diversity & ecological integrity

What does the WSP cover?

Metro WSP does NOT address:

– supply/demand balance (MWP)

– desalination

Metro WSP deals with:

– extractions from surface water

– extractions from GW (GW plan)

– a component of the supply-side

Major Policies

Managing potable water supply extractions– SCA entitlements

– SCA extraction limits

– flexibility

– statutory requirements to supply water in an ecologically

sustainable manner

– replacement flows project

– unassigned GW: potable water supply priority, but within

sustainable yields

Major Policies

Managing other extractions– irrigation entitlements

– irrigation extraction limits

– security

– trading

– daily access rules = changes to access conditions

– local GW rules: drawdown

– SW/GW connectivity

Major Policies

Managing the environment– daily access rules = environmental flow

protection

– environmental releases from major storages:

Tallowa Dam (80/20)

Upper Nepean Dams (2010: 80/20)

Warragamba Dam (2010 and 2015)

– local GW rules: distance to GDEs

– Aquifer Interference Policy for incidental water

– GW recharge protection in conservation areas

Targeted Consultation

2 stages of consultation– targeted consultation & public exhibition

– SW and GW together

Feedback from key stakeholders– overview of major draft policy positions

– Individual report cards for mgt zones

TimetableTo-date:

– resolve draft policy positions

– prepare Plan and material for consultation

3rd and 4th quarter 2008:

– Cabinet approval of draft policy positions

– targeted consultation

1st quarter 2009:

– public exhibition

2nd quarter 2009:

– finalisation of policy positions

Gazettal July 2009