Commonwealth environmental
water use options 2013-14:
Planning approach
1
Cover image credit: Murrumbidgee Catchment. Photo by Andrew Lowes © CEWO.
Acknowledgement of the Traditional Owners of the Murray-Darling Basin
The Commonwealth Environmental Water Office respectfully acknowledges the Traditional
Owners, their Elders past and present, their Nations of the Murray– Darling Basin, and their
cultural, social, environmental, spiritual and economic connection to their lands and waters.
This report should be cited as ‘Commonwealth environmental water use options 2013-14: Planning approach’.
Published by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder for the Australian Government.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2013.
This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by
any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction
and rights should be addressed to Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Populations and Communities,
Public Affairs, GPO Box 787 Canberra ACT 2601 or email public.affairs@environment.gov.au
Information presented in this document may be copied for personal use or published for education purposes, provided
that any extracts are fully acknowledged. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors
and do not necessarily reflect those of the Australian Government or the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water,
Population and Communities. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that the contents of this publication
are factually correct, the Commonwealth does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the
contents, and shall not be liable for any loss or damage that may be occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of,
or reliance on, the contents of this publication
2
Commonwealth environmental water use options
2013-14: Planning approach
Table of contents
1. Introduction
5
1.1.
Document purpose .......................................................................................................................... 5
1.2.
The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder .................................................................... 5
1.3.
Statutory obligations on Commonwealth environmental water use under the Water Act
and the Murray-Darling Basin Plan ................................................................................................ 5
1.4.
Determining Commonwealth environmental water use .......................................................... 6
1.5.
Working with delivery partners ....................................................................................................... 7
1.6.
Your Suggestions ............................................................................................................................... 7
1.7.
Further information ........................................................................................................................... 8
2. Background
9
2.1.
Description of the Murray-Darling Basin and our planning areas ........................................... 9
2.2.
Delivering environmental water in the Murray-Darling Basin ................................................. 10
2.3.
Operational and management considerations for environmental water use in the
Murray-Darling Basin ...................................................................................................................... 10
3. Water availability
12
3.1.
Commonwealth environmental water holdings in the Murray-Darling Basin in 2013-14.. 12
3.2.
Other sources of environmental water allocations ................................................................. 13
3.3.
Natural or unregulated flows and planned environmental water ....................................... 13
4. Approach to planning for water use in 2013-14
4.1.
Key drivers of planning for water use ......................................................................................... 14
5. Planning for a range of inflows in 2013-14
5.1.
14
15
Inflows as a driver of opportunities, constraints, risks and water resource availability...... 15
6. Environmental objectives of Commonwealth environmental water use
16
6.1.
Basin scale environmental objectives as a driver of expected ecological outcomes .... 16
6.2.
Expected outcomes from the use of Commonwealth environmental water .................... 16
6.3.
Determining a purpose for watering options ............................................................................ 18
7. Implementing watering actions throughout 2013-14
19
7.1.
Determining the purpose of the watering action .................................................................... 19
7.2.
Determining the flow type and expected ecological outcomes ........................................ 20
8. Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting
22
9. References
24
3
List of Figures
Figure 1: Environmental water planning process. .......................................................................................7
Figure 2: Summary of the key matters of annual planning and operational decision-making. ......14
Figure 3: Example of how inflows may vary and impact on water resource availability over the
course of a water year. ..................................................................................................................................15
Figure 4: Illustration of the different flow types that may be targeted by environmental watering
............................................................................................................................................................................21
Figure 5: Operational and broad-scale monitoring under the Basin Plan. ..........................................22
List of Tables
Table 1: Commonwealth environmental water holdings and forecast water availability as at 30
April 2013. ..........................................................................................................................................................12
Table 2: Basin Plan overall objectives for water-dependent ecosystems............................................16
Table 3: Logic showing how expected outcomes from watering actions contribute to Basin Plan
objectives. ........................................................................................................................................................17
4
1. Introduction
1.1.
Document purpose
This document sets out the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office’s (the Office) approach
to planning for water use during the 2013-14 water year. Sections 1 and 2 set the context for
Commonwealth water use in 2013-14, given the role of the Commonwealth Environmental
Water Holder as established by the Water Act 2007 (the Water Act) and guided by the MurrayDarling Basin Plan, and summarises how the Office works with delivery partners to plan and
implement watering actions across the Murray-Darling Basin.
The availability of Commonwealth environmental water is summarised in Section 3, with the
broad approach to planning, implementing and monitoring watering actions in 2013-14 set out
in Sections 4 to 8.
This document provides the overall context and approach to Commonwealth environmental
water use planning and is complemented by individual water use options for each of ten
planning areas across the Murray-Darling Basin. The documents that describe these water use
options are available at www.environment.gov.au/ewater/publications/index.html#reports.
1.2.
The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder
The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder is an independent statutory position
established by the Water Act to manage the Commonwealth environmental water holdings.
The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder leads and is supported by the Commonwealth
Environmental Water Office, a division of the Australian Government Department of
Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.
The Commonwealth Environmental Water Business Plan outlines the approach the Office takes
to working with partners and the community, portfolio management and financial management
and accountability, and is published at:
www.environment.gov.au/ewater/publications/index.html.
The Office seeks to ensure the environmental outcomes achieved from available water are
maximised through efficient and effective management of the portfolio of Commonwealth
environmental water holdings. This requires a continuous assessment of options including
whether water should be used within the current year, carried over for use in future years, or
whether trade should occur (disposal or acquisition) to support improved environmental
outcomes.
This document primarily focuses on Commonwealth environmental water use in the 2013-14
water year—information regarding trade and carryover is available from our website at:
www.environment.gov.au/ewater/management/portfolio.html.
1.3.
Statutory obligations on Commonwealth environmental water use under
the Water Act and the Murray-Darling Basin Plan
Under the Water Act, Commonwealth environmental water must be managed to protect or
restore environmental assets, so as to give effect to relevant international agreements.
The Water Act also requires that the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder perform its
functions and exercise its powers consistently with and in a manner that gives effect to the Basin
Plan, and specifically, that Commonwealth environmental water is managed in accordance
with the Basin Plan’s environmental watering plan.
5
Under the Basin Plan, Commonwealth environmental water use must:

be consistent with the environmental watering plan’s objectives

be consistent with the Basin-wide environmental watering strategy (to be developed by the
Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) by November 2014)

have regard to the Basin annual environmental watering priorities (to be developed by the
MDBA prior to the start of each watering year)

be in accordance with the principles to be applied in environmental watering, which
include maximising environmental outcomes, having regard to risks and costs, working
effectively with local communities, applying adaptive management; and the precautionary
principle

have regard to the water quality and salinity targets for managing flows.
The Basin Plan also places a number of other obligations relating to the Office’s water trading
and monitoring, evaluation and reporting activities.
The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder must comply with the specific requirements
and standards of Commonwealth legal, policy and environmental frameworks, including the
Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997, the Public Service Act 1999 and the
Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
1.4.
Determining Commonwealth environmental water use
To ensure the use of Commonwealth environmental water is efficient, effective and consistent
with statutory obligations, the Office has developed a framework (available at:
www.environment.gov.au/ewater/publications/cewh-framework.html) to guide the
determination of Commonwealth environmental water use. A key component of this process is
annual planning and the development of water use options.
Annual planning provides a robust information base to support decision-making throughout the
water year. Consistent with statutory obligations, annual planning by the Office considers
environmental water demands across the Murray-Darling Basin. Recognising that environmental
demands occur across state borders, the Office’s annual planning sees the development of
potential options for water use that aim to contribute to these Basin-wide demands, and along
with Water Resource Plan (WRP) area priorities developed by Basin States, these options are
made available to inform the MDBA’s determination of Basin annual environmental watering
priorities by June.
The diagram below (Figure 1) broadly represents the environmental water planning process in
the Murray-Darling Basin and how Commonwealth annual water use options fit within the
process. The diagram does not represent every input but provides an overview of how each
element of planning fits together, with each stage informing the last, and the general timeframe
within which it occurs. Local input is used throughout, helping to advise environmental water
managers and provide valuable on ground knowledge to support decision-making.
6
Figure 1: Environmental water planning process.
The options, which describe potential watering actions, series of actions, or watering strategies,
do not represent a commitment for water use. Consistent with the Office’s framework, decisions
to make water available for any of the potential options will be subject to an assessment against
five published criteria (available at:
http://www.environment.gov.au/ewater/publications/index.html#criteria) and seasonal,
operational and management considerations at the time of the action. All relevant watering
actions will be assessed to ensure the best possible use of environmental water within the
relevant planning area and across the Murray-Darling Basin, and having regard to the MDBA’s
Basin annual environmental watering priorities, once published. In addition to the Basin annual
priorities, consideration will also be given to WRP area priorities as identified by Basin States, and
other environmental water needs identified by local natural resource management
organisations and community (including Indigenous) groups.
1.5.
Working with delivery partners
The management, delivery and monitoring of Commonwealth environmental water relies on
considerable advice and assistance from delivery partners, water management authorities and
a broad range of stakeholders.
Annual water use options are developed in consultation with state government departments
and agencies, river operators, catchment management authorities, local environmental
watering advisory groups, wetland managers, holders of environmental water, individual local
water users and landholders, the MDBA, and the Commonwealth Environmental Water Scientific
Advisory Panel.
1.6.
Your Suggestions
The Office welcomes information from the community on how environmental water can best be
managed. If you have any comments or suggestions, please call 1800 218 478 or send an email
to: ewater@environment.gov.au
Local groups, state governments and others are helping to manage Commonwealth
environmental water, including by assisting to:

inform where it is best used

deliver the water

monitor outcomes.
Individuals and groups within the Basin are also encouraged to submit suggestions for the use of
Commonwealth environmental water. This includes, but is not limited to, catchment
management authorities, not-for-profit organisations, community groups, Indigenous
7
organisations, and landholders. For more information on how to submit a suggestion please visit:
www.environment.gov.au/ewater/contacts/suggestions.html.
All information and suggestions will be considered in conjunction with existing engagement
processes established by state governments (such as local environmental water advisory
groups) where possible.
1.7.
Further information
The Office website: http://www.environment.gov.au/ewater/index.html - contains a broad
range of publications and information about the activities undertaken by the Office. Many of
the key publications relating to the planning and management of Commonwealth
environmental water that have been referred to in this report are listed in the References
section.
Further information relating to this report and the related planning area reports can also be
obtained from the Office by calling 1800 218 478 or emailing to: ewater@environment.gov.au.
8
2. Background
2.1.
Description of the Murray-Darling Basin and our planning areas
The Murray-Darling Basin is home to Australia’s largest river system and extends over one million
square kilometres of south-eastern Australia. It includes a variety of different landscapes with
unique climatic conditions and can broadly be divided into northern and southern systems.
Rivers in the northern catchments are less regulated and have extremely variable flows. Most
floods in the northern catchments take place as a result of summer rainfall. At high flows, water
spreads out over a vast floodplain and a significant amount of water does not return to the
rivers. Periods of low or no flow in the northern catchments can last months or even years.
The southern catchments are highly regulated systems that flow through a variety of landscapes
across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. The headwaters of the Murray River and
several of its northern Victorian tributaries, as well as the Murrumbidgee River catchment,
originate in the wetter, cooler climate of the Australian Alps before flowing westward into the
warmer, drier climate of the floodplains. In comparison to the northern catchments, the southern
catchments are generally cooler with the highest rainfall occurring in winter and spring.
The Basin is divided into 19 regions and the Office has grouped several of these together for
planning purposes, where regions share similar characteristics regarding environmental water
management. For example, the Queensland and New South Wales portions of the Warrego,
Moonie, Condamine-Balonne/Nebine and the upper Border Rivers catchments (including a
short reach of the Queensland Severn River and the Macintyre River), and 1,640 km of the
Barwon-Darling River as far as Menindee Lakes, are grouped together as the northern
unregulated rivers. These catchments are predominantly unregulated systems in which the
majority of water use occurs by diversion of river and overland flows during episodic flow events.
The 10 planning areas used by the Office are:
Northern unregulated rivers
Lachlan River valley
Border Rivers
Murrumbidgee River valley
Gwydir River valley
Victorian rivers
Namoi River valley
Mid-Murray region
Macquarie River valley
Lower Murray-Darling region
The natural environment of the Basin includes rivers, wetlands and floodplains that support a
diverse range of native plants and animals, many of which are threatened or not found
anywhere else in the world. The Basin is also home to several migratory bird species protected
under international agreements. The Basin includes 16 wetlands that are recognised under the
Ramsar Convention as being internationally important and in excess of 200 wetlands listed in A
directory of important wetlands in Australia.
River regulation has affected the natural resources of the Basin by altering flow patterns and
seasonality. In particular, small to medium floods have been significantly affected with river
regulation now containing and regulating these flow events. These changes to natural flow
regimes have negatively affected the water resources and biodiversity of the Basin. The
Sustainable Rivers Audit 2 identified only two catchments in moderate to good health at the
conclusion of its monitoring program in 2010, while the health of the majority of catchments was
considered to be poor (MDBA 2012). Impacts on the environment were further exacerbated by
the effects of the millennium drought although drought-breaking inflows were experienced in
2010–11, followed by another wet year in 2011–12. Planning for the use of Commonwealth
environmental water draws on the best available resources to understand conditions and inform
watering priorities. Commonwealth environmental watering seeks to protect and restore the
9
environmental assets of the Basin through the provision of flows to restore more natural flow
variability (including appropriate drying periods) and support the needs of water-dependent
ecosystems.
2.2.
Delivering environmental water in the Murray-Darling Basin
As at 30 April 2013, the Commonwealth environmental water holdings included approximately
1,583 gigalitres (GL) of registered water entitlements (for a break down of entitlement volume
and type per catchment see Section 3). Over the long-term these entitlements are expected to
yield an average annual volume of 1,154 GL. The delivery of Commonwealth environmental
water began in 2008–09 with small-scale actions designed to provide critical support to flora and
fauna during the millennium drought. Currently, Commonwealth environmental water is used to
support a range of watering actions, including large-scale river flows and low-level floodplain
inundation. Commonwealth environmental water has been successfully delivered in each of the
Murray-Darling Basin planning areas.
In the regulated catchments, Commonwealth environmental watering actions are designed to
complement river flows including ‘piggybacking’ on rainfall events where possible. This also
serves to ensure the most efficient use of environmental water. Downstream river flows are
provided through gravity-fed releases from storages such as dams and weir pools, while
pumping is sometimes utilised when targeting environmental assets that are disconnected from
the main channel and can’t be watered via overbank flows.
In the unregulated catchments of the northern basin, entitlements provide opportunistic access
to unregulated flows as determined by licence conditions relating to stream flow. ‘Use’ of the
Commonwealth’s entitlements in unregulated streams involves leaving water in-stream rather
than the water being extracted. The protection of this water from downstream extraction is the
focus of the Commonwealth–New South Wales Memorandum of Understanding on Water
Shepherding and work on the implementation of this agreement will continue during 2013–14.
The delivery of the Commonwealth environmental water is undertaken by river operators (e.g.
New South Wales State Water) or irrigation corporations (e.g. Murrumbidgee Irrigation). They are
responsible for all water deliveries, whether environmental or consumptive, and must operate in
accordance with the rules and regulations governing the delivery of water in each water
source. Importantly, the Office aims to coordinate the use of Commonwealth environmental
water with the delivery of state environmental water (including water entitlements held for the
environment by state water holders and water provided for the environment under rules in state
water plans) and other water (e.g. irrigation, conveyance, stock and domestics) to maximise
effective and efficient use. Coordination may occur through schedules and other agreements,
and ongoing collaborative arrangements with delivery partners.
2.3.
Operational and management considerations for environmental water
use in the Murray-Darling Basin
Commonwealth environmental watering is subject to a range of operational constraints that
must be actively considered in the design and implementation of watering actions, such as
release capacities at storages and channel capacity issues for regulated flows. The exact nature
of these operational constraints varies between catchments and details are provided in each of
the area-specific water use options documents.
Commonwealth environmental watering is undertaken in full consideration of all environmental,
operational and social, cultural, heritage and economic risks. The Office has established
arrangements that incorporate risk management in the planning and implementation of
watering actions. These include the requirement to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment for
each watering action in consideration of seasonal, operational and management issues close
to the time of delivery. Commonwealth environmental water is composed of entitlements
10
previously used for irrigation and all environmental water is delivered by river operators within the
legislative arrangements and operating rules that apply to all releases.
11
3. Water availability
3.1.
Commonwealth environmental water holdings in the Murray-Darling
Basin in 2013-14
Commonwealth environmental water holdings in the Murray-Darling Basin available for use,
carryover or trade are shown in Table 1 below. Allocations available against the
Commonwealth’s entitlements during the year are subject to allocation announcements by
state governments, reflecting inflows and water storage levels.
Table 1: Commonwealth environmental water holdings and forecast water availability as at 30
April 2013.
2013-14
Planning area
Catchment
Entitlement
held (GL)
Long-term
average
annual
yield (GL)
Estimated
Carryover
from 2012–
13 (GL)1
Forecast
water
availability for
2013–14
(GL)2,3
Northern
Unregulated
Rivers
CondamineBalonne
52.9
33.4
N/A
Up to 79.1
Moonie
1.4
1.1
N/A
Up to 1.4
Warrego
33.9
25.8
8.1
Up to 42.0
Barwon-Darling
22.3
22.3
46.0
Up to 56.6
Border Rivers (Qld
unregulated)
4.3
1.8
N/A
Up to 5.9
Border Rivers
Border Rivers (Qld
and NSW
regulated)
12
4.1
8.7
12
Gwydir
Gwydir
109.0
36.2
122
128-135
Namoi
Namoi
6.2
4.8
5.5
6-12
Macquarie
MacquarieCastlereagh
113.3
47.2
23
43-135
Lachlan
Lachlan
87.7
37.2
40-70
44-124
Murrumbidgee
Murrumbidgee
232.9
142.3
46
157-212
Mid-Murray
Murray (NSW)
292.3
238.1
0-23
170-312
Murray (Victorian)
255.2
234.2
87
255
Lower Darling
0.5
0.4
0.0
0.5
Murray (SA)
104.8
94.3
0
105
Goulburn-Broken
216.1
198.5
22
216
Campaspe
6.9
6.4
0
6-7
Loddon
3.3
2.7
0
3
Ovens
0.1
0.1
0
0.1
Wimmera-Avoca
28.0
22.5
0
Up to 284
Lower Murray
Victorian
Rivers
12
Future decisions about use, transfers and the ability to deliver already approved actions will affect
expected carryover from 2012-13. Estimated carryover in the Warrego and Barwon Darling unregulated
accounts reflect unused account balances. Access to this allocation is subject to the announcement of
trigger flows in 2013-14.
2
For unregulated entitlements the forecast is to receive up to the maximum allowed use, subject to the
announcement of trigger flows. Forecast excludes supplementary, groundwater and unregulated
accruals in regulated catchments. For forecasts against these entitlement types please see individual
catchment option documents. Forecasts are based on the best available information including State
forecasts and historical inflow scenarios. Forecasts include carry-over from 2012-13. Forecasts for
regulated catchments are given to the nearest whole gigalitre except where the entitlement held by the
Commonwealth is below 1 GL. Forecasts exclude access to spillable water in Victoria in 2013-14.
3
Forecast water availability in the Gwydir, Namoi and Lachlan catchments includes water held in excess of
annual use limits, accrued under a wet inflow scenario.
4
Access to this allocation is subject to flow and storage conditions.
For up to date water holdings information, visit:
http://www.environment.gov.au/ewater/about/holdings.html.
3.2.
Other sources of environmental water allocations
Other sources of environmental water that may be available to complement Commonwealth
environmental water delivery include water held by The Living Murray program and state
environmental water holders. Details of the water available to other environmental water
holders are available at the following websites:




Victorian Environmental Water Holder: http://www.vewh.vic.gov.au/
New South Wales ‘Riverbank’:
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/environmentalwater/riverbank.htm
South Australian Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources:
http://www.waterforgood.sa.gov.au/rivers-reservoirs-aquifers/river-murray/environmentalwater-management/
The Living Murray: http://www.mdba.gov.au/programs/tlm
3.3.
Natural or unregulated flows and planned environmental water
Water entitlements held for the environment account for only a small percentage of long-term
average flows in the Murray-Darling Basin. In addition to water entitlements held by
environmental water holders, environmental demands may also be met via natural or
unregulated flows and water provided for the environment under rules in state water plans
(referred to as ‘planned environmental water’). These planned environmental water rules
include those limiting the quantity and timing of water extracted by other users, minimum flow
rules, dam translucency rules and other specified arrangements for the release of water for
intended environmental benefits.
The Bureau of Meteorology provides a seasonal stream-flow forecasting service, which delivers
probabilistic forecasts of unregulated stream-flow volumes for the next three months at a site or
total inflows into major water supply storages (http://www.bom.gov.au/water/ssf/). Forecast
products include the likelihood of low, near median and high flows for natural or unregulated
flows and planned environmental water actions. Forecast accuracy at these sites varies with
time, location and prevailing conditions.
It is important to note that management of public storages for water conservation and flood
mitigation is the responsibility of the MDBA (for the Murray system) and state governments (for
the remainder of Murray-Darling Basin storages).
13
4. Approach to planning for water use in
2013-14
4.1.
Key drivers of planning for water use
As shown in Figure 2 below, there are two key drivers of annual water use planning:


inflows to the Murray-Darling Basin
long-term environmental objectives identified in the Basin Plan.
The way in which these drivers inform annual water use planning, and in turn water use decisionmaking, is described in Sections 5, 6 and 7.
Figure 2: Summary of the key matters of annual planning and operational decision-making.
Environmental water use decision-making considers a wide range of issues (Figure 2), including
seasonal, operational and management considerations and a comprehensive risk assessment.
For further information see the Framework for Determining Commonwealth environmental water
use (available at: http://www.environment.gov.au/ewater/publications/cewh-framework.html).
14
5. Planning for a range of inflows in 2013-14
5.1.
Inflows as a driver of opportunities, constraints, risks and water resource
availability
Given the variable climate experienced in the Basin, inflows can be difficult to forecast for a
12 month period. As such, the Office plans for a full range of inflows from Very Low to Very High:





very low inflows have a 90 per cent probability of exceedance based on historical inflows for
the catchment;
low, a 75 per cent probability of exceedence
moderate, a 50 per cent probability of exceedence
high, a 25 per cent probability of exceedence and
very high, a 10 per cent probability of exceedence
Inflows will influence opportunities, constraints and risks for environmental watering. This is shown
in Section 2 of each of the area-specific water use options documents.
Similarly, inflows will also impact on water resource availability, along with water allocations, over
the course of 2013-14. An example is provided in Figure 3. As the scope of watering actions and
the environmental outcomes that can be achieved will be limited by the availability of water to
achieve these outcomes, the water use options for 2013–14 have been developed for the range
of water resource availability in scope, as guided by possible inflows.
Figure 3: Example of how inflows may vary and impact on water resource availability over the
course of a water year1.
1
In this example the blue lines show the potential range of inflows (from very low to very high), resulting in a range of
possible resource availability (a factor of both inflows and allocations) from low to very high. The red line shows a
hypothetical example of how inflows might track over the course of the year, shifting water resource availability from the
starting point in this example of moderate-high to very high by the end of the year.
15
6. Environmental objectives of
Commonwealth environmental water use
6.1.
Basin scale environmental objectives as a driver of expected ecological
outcomes
Commonwealth environmental water contributes towards achieving the environmental
objectives of the Basin Plan. The Basin Plan objectives for water-dependent ecosystems are
outlined in the environmental watering plan (Chapter 8 of the Basin Plan) and the water quality
and salinity management plan (Chapter 9) and are summarised in Table 2.
Table 2: Basin Plan overall objectives for water-dependent ecosystems.
Referred to in this
document as
Biodiversity
Basin Plan reference
To protect and restore the ecosystem functions
of water dependent ecosystems
Ecosystem function
Environmental
watering plan
To ensure that water dependent ecosystems are
resilient to climate change and other risks and
threats
Resilience
Environmental
watering plan
To ensure water quality is sufficient to achieve
the above objectives for water dependent
ecosystems, and for Ramsar wetlands, sufficient
to maintain ecological character
Water quality
Water quality and
salinity management
plan.
Basin Plan overall objective
To protect and restore water dependent
ecosystems of the Murray-Darling Basin
Environmental
watering plan
The Basin Plan also includes targets to measure progress towards the environmental watering
plan objectives in Schedule 7 and water quality and salinity targets in Schedule 11.
6.2.
Expected outcomes from the use of Commonwealth environmental
water
The four overall objectives of the Basin Plan’s environmental watering plan, outlined in Table 2,
are long-term objectives relevant at the Basin scale. The achievement of these objectives is
through the cumulative contributions from all elements of the Basin Plan and all environmental
water (planned and held) of which Commonwealth environmental water is a small part.
The use of Commonwealth environmental water is planned on an annual basis to achieve
expected outcomes in relatively short timeframes and specific to a location (e.g. an
environmental asset, valley etc). The Office, along with the Murray-Darling Freshwater Research
Centre, has developed logic and cause and effect diagrams that illustrate how the short-term
expected outcomes of Commonwealth environmental water use contribute towards the Basin
Plan objectives.
Table 3 below provides the logic of how the expected outcomes from short-term watering
actions contribute to the four long-term Basin Plan objectives for water-dependent ecosystems.
Whole of Basin outcomes are the accumulation of short-term watering actions that contribute to
the objectives. Box 1 then provides an example of linking the short-term expected outcomes of
Commonwealth environmental water use as a contribution towards a Basin Plan objective.
16
Table 3: Logic showing how expected outcomes from watering actions contribute to Basin Plan objectives.
Basin
Plan
Environmental
Watering
Whole of Basin outcomes
Objectives
Expected outcome of
watering actions (1-5
years)
Expected outcome of
watering actions (<1
year)
• Landscape ecosystem
diversity
• Within ecosystem
diversity
Vegetation
diversity
• Landscape vegetation
diversity
• Vegetation
recruitment and extent
• Vegetation
condition and
reproduction
Macroinvertebrate
diversity
• Macroinvertebrate
diversity within wetlands
Fish
• Landscape fish
diversity
• Fish larval growth and
survival
Ecosystem diversity
Biodiversity
(Basin Plan S.
8.05)
Species
diversity
• Landscape bird
diversity
Waterbirds
Other vertebrates
Ecosystem
Function
(Basin Plan S.
8.06)
Resilience
(Basin Plan S.
8.07)
Water quality
• Fish reproduction
• Fish condition
• Waterbird survival
and condition
• Waterbird
reproduction
• Waterbird fledging
• Other vertebrate
condition
• Other vertebrate
reproduction
• Other vertebrate
growth and survival
• Hydrological
connectivity
• Biotic dispersal
• Sediment transport
• End of system flows
Connectivity
Process
• Decomposition
• Nutrient and carbon
cycling
Ecosystem
resilience
• Landscape refugia
Population
resilience
• Recovery
• Primary production
• Refugia
• Resistance
• Avoidance
• Salinity
• pH
• Dissolved organic
carbon
• Dissolved oxygen
• Algal blooms
Chemical
(Basin Plan S.
9.04)
Biological
17
Box 1: Example of how the short-term expected outcomes of Commonwealth environmental
water use contribute towards the achievement of a Basin Plan objective.
Providing environmental water within a river reach will provide expected outcomes for
reproduction, growth and survival of aquatic species e.g. native fish. Having aquatic species in
suitable condition to survive and reproduce is also an expected outcome. The diagram shows
the logic for how one year expected outcomes for an aquatic species at the site and area
scale contributes to the long- term Basin Plan objective related to biodiversity.
The <1 year expected outcomes are those that could be expected within a single year from a
single watering action, and the 1-5 year outcomes result from the cumulative impact of multiple
watering actions.
6.3.
Determining a purpose for watering options
At the annual planning stage, environmental demands are considered on the basis of factors
such as ecological condition, the status of environmental assets in the context of wetting and
drying cycles and the time since a suitable flow has occurred for key processes such as nutrient
and organic matter exchange or recruitment events. The Basin annual environmental watering
priorities, to be developed by the MDBA, will be a key input to informing environmental
demands (see Section 1.3).
Environmental demands, in combination with the expected ecological outcomes described in
the logic provided above, allow a broad purpose for environmental watering options to be
defined.
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7. Implementing watering actions throughout
2013-14
During the water year, the broad environmental watering options scoped up during annual
planning are subsequently developed into specific individual watering actions, based on
prevailing environmental demands, water resource availability and seasonal, operational and
management considerations. These watering actions are defined based on a specific purpose,
the flow type to be implemented and the expected ecological outcome.
7.1.
Determining the purpose of the watering action
Over the course of 2013-14, the environmental demands will be periodically evaluated. The
supply of water to meet environmental demands (water resource availability; see Section 5.1)
will also be assessed. In determining water resource availability it is important to consider all
potential sources of water. Subject to system constraints, Commonwealth environmental water
will be used in conjunction with natural and unregulated flows, consumptive water, and other
sources of environmental water. Water resource availability reflects a combination of all sources
of water that contribute to environmental benefits.
As shown in Box 2 below, environmental demands and water resource availability together
inform the purpose for a particular watering action. Given the statutory role of the
Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder to protect or restore environmental assets, a
purpose for individual watering actions is determined within the spectrum of protection and
restoration.
19
Box 2: The interaction of environmental demand and water resource availability to inform the
purpose of particular environmental watering actions.
For example, where environmental assets require water urgently to prevent ecological decline,
and water resource availability is low (such as during extended drought conditions) the purpose
is limited to avoiding damage to the assets. Conversely, where environmental assets require
flows in the coming year, and water resource availability is higher, the watering action may
improve the health and resilience of that ecosystem.
Note that this framework provides guidance only and there will be some exceptions. For
example, with high to very high water resource availability, water may be delivered to avoid
damage that may be created by a blackwater event.
7.2.
Determining the flow type and expected ecological outcomes
Each watering action put forward for approval during the year is designed based on a specific
flow type or types using the categorisation developed by the MDBA in developing the Basin Plan
(Figure 3). There are four generalised flow types for delivering environmental water and a single
watering action may encompass one or more of these flow types:

base flows

freshes

bankfull

overbank (including wetland and floodplain inundation).
Note that ‘cease-to-flow’ events are also important in many systems but these do not require
the use of environmental water.
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Figure 4: Illustration of the different flow types that may be targeted by environmental watering
(MDBA 2011).
The selection of flow type is guided by the purpose of the watering action (see Section 7.1
above) and the opportunities, constraints and risks associated with particular flows at particular
times.
Each flow type related to a particular environmental asset(s) will have an expected ecological
outcome associated with it, selecting from Table 3. Following from the example in Box 2 above,
where environmental assets require flows in the coming year (perhaps as it has been several
years since the resident fish population has had a successful breeding event) and water
resource availability is high, the purpose may be improvement in the health and resilience of
that ecosystem. Environmental water may therefore be delivered as a spring fresh and be
expected to contribute to fish reproduction at the <1 year timescale. Over time events of this
nature would contribute to landscape fish diversity and ultimately to the Basin Plan objectives
related to Biodiversity.
21
8. Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting
Monitoring and evaluation of Commonwealth environmental water use is undertaken in
accordance with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement Framework, available
on the Office’s website at: http://www.environment.gov.au/ewater/publications/ewatermonitoring-evaluation.html. The framework is a high level document that provides overarching
guidance for the development and implementation of monitoring and evaluation activities. It
has been informed by the Australian Government’s best practice Natural Resource
Management MERI Framework.
Consistent with the role under the Water Act and Basin Plan, monitoring and evaluation that the
Office puts in place will focus on the environmental response to the use of Commonwealth
environmental water, or what is known as intervention monitoring. How intervention monitoring
of Commonwealth environmental water fits in with operational monitoring and broad scale
monitoring under the Basin Plan is shown in Figure 4.
Figure 5: Operational and broad-scale monitoring under the Basin Plan.
Operational monitoring
Operational monitoring is monitoring that helps assess whether water has been delivered as
planned (e.g. the volumes, timing (frequency and duration), location and flow rates of water
delivered) and at a high level can include immediate environmental responses. Operational
monitoring will continue for all watering actions to ensure water is delivered as planned and to
monitor immediate environmental responses. Operational monitoring also helps to manage
unintended consequences. Operational monitoring is mostly undertaken by delivery partners in
conjunction with the Office.
Intervention monitoring
Intervention monitoring is monitoring which supports an assessment of the ecological response to
water use. The Office commissions intervention monitoring of selected watering actions to:
22

demonstrate that Commonwealth environmental water is being managed well

demonstrate environmental outcomes

help managers of environmental water learn from experience and improve the delivery of
water over time.
The focus of monitoring and evaluation is currently transitioning from short (one year) to longer
term (five year) projects.
The Office is currently establishing long-term intervention monitoring at selected areas within the
Murray-Darling Basin expected from 2014-15. The approach has a sound scientific basis that will
allow us to translate the results of monitoring to other areas and identify the contribution to Basin
Plan objectives. The proposed seven areas that have been selected include:

Gwydir river system (wetlands and floodplains).

Lachlan river system (in-stream and on fringing wetlands).

Murrumbidgee river system (in-stream, on fringing wetlands and floodplains).

Edward-Wakool river system (in-stream and on fringing wetlands).

Goulburn River (in-stream and on fringing wetlands).

Lower Murray River (in-stream and on fringing wetlands).

Junction of the Warrego and Darling Rivers (in-stream and floodplains, as well as an indicator
of upstream unregulated rivers).
These areas have been chosen to be broadly representative of Commonwealth environmental
watering, and complement existing monitoring programs in the Murray-Darling Basin, including
The Living Murray program and Basin State monitoring initiatives.
The Office will continue to publish on its website results from all monitoring and evaluation
commissioned. This includes producing an annual environmental water outcomes report, which
summarises the overall environmental outcomes from Commonwealth environmental water use.
Intervention monitoring will play an important role in informing future water use through adaptive
management.
23
9. References
MDBA (2011) The proposed “environmentally sustainable level of take” for surface water of the
Murray-Darling Basin: Methods and outcomes. MDBA publication no: 226/11, Murray-Darling
Basin Authority, Canberra.
MBDA (2012). Sustainable Rivers Audit 2: The ecological health of rivers in the Murray–Darling
Basin at the end of the Millennium Drought (2008–2010). Summary. MDBA Publication 75/12.
Murray-Darling Basin Authority, Canberra.
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