Water Matters
Issue 36, April 2015
Bob Baldwin tours the Basin
Throughout 2015 the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment, Bob Baldwin, has
toured the Murray Darling Basin, speaking with a large range of stakeholders about the issues facing
their communities.
Mr Baldwin visited Broken Hill and the Menindee lakes in January alongside Minster for the
Environment Greg Hunt, before travelling to the lower southern basin in February. There he
inspected irrigation projects in Sunraysia and catchment works in the Murray system, before moving
to the Riverina in late February where he travelled alongside the newly appointed chair of the
Murray Darling Basin Authority Neil Andrew.
Part three of the tour took in Queensland where the Parliamentary Secretary visited sites taking
advantage of Australian Government programs such as the Queensland Healthy Headwaters Water
Use Efficiency Project.
The tour has provided communities with an opportunity to meet with Mr Baldwin and tell their
stories. Mr Baldwin has expressed great enthusiasm for the process, using it as an opportunity to see
the range of conditions facing the river first hand while providing certainty to Basin communities.
“We want to make sure that people know and understand what the Government is doing. We are
committed to implementing the Basin Plan with a focus on triple bottom line outcomes to ensure
the future of all Basin communities, economies and the environment,” Mr Baldwin said.
Improving understanding of water-related ecological impacts from
coal seam gas and coal mining
How do ecosystems respond to changes in groundwater and surface water flows and quality
resulting from coal mining or coal seam gas developments? A recently released report commissioned
by the Australian Government aims to improve knowledge in this vital area.
The report presents a seven-step approach to deriving ‘control’ and ‘stressor’ ecological models to
illustrate the likely pathways by which hydrological stressors associated with coal seam gas
extraction and coal mining may affect ecosystems, populations or life history stages at different
scales. It lists the main types of information needed to compile the models and accompanying
narrative tables that specify hypothesised responses and supporting evidence.
The approach is illustrated with a case study of a melaleuca wetland that is habitat for an
endangered ecological community. It is applicable to any situation requiring analysis of ecological
responses to changes in water availability.
The report is available at
www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/83770681-a40b-4fa2-bf6e8d41022873bd/files/modelling-water-related-ecological-responses-csg-extraction.pdf
New edition of Wetlands Australia now available
World Wetlands Day is celebrated internationally each year on 2 February. It marks the anniversary
of the signing of the Ramsar Convention in Ramsar, Iran, on 2 February 1971.
This World Wetlands Day, the Department of the Environment released the 26th edition of the
online Wetlands Australia magazine. The theme for this edition is “Wetlands for Our Future” to align
with the international World Wetlands Day 2015 theme.
Wetlands Australia can be accessed online www.environment.gov.au/water/wetlands/publications/wetlands-australia/national-wetlandsupdate-february-2015
The publication features articles on Australia’s Ramsar wetlands, environmental watering in the
Murray-Darling Basin, communities helping to look after wetlands, and wetland restoration and
conservation across the country. The publication also includes wetland updates from the Australian
Government and several state governments, including New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland,
South Australia and Tasmania.
If you would like to contribute to the next edition of Wetlands Australia, please contact
Wetlandsmail@environment.gov.au
101 seasonal streamflow forecast locations
The Bureau of Meteorology now provides Seasonal Streamflow Forecasts at 101 locations around
Australia—and there are plenty more being tested for release in coming months.
In March, 27 new locations were added to the public Seasonal Streamflow Forecasting service,
including Western Australia (8 locations) and South Australia (5) for the first time. There are also
additional locations in Victoria (4), the Northern Territory (4), Queensland (3), New South Wales (2)
and the Australian Capital Territory (1).
There is also a new interactive map to help readers select forecast locations.
Additional stations in Western Australia, Tasmania, Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia
and the Northern Territory are available to registered users. All forecast locations go through a
period of registered-user testing before being released to the public.
If you’d like to get involved in this testing please email water_ssf@bom.gov.au
Find the likely streamflow conditions at www.bom.gov.au/water/ssf/
PIIOP Round Three
Round three of the $750 million Private Irrigation Infrastructure Operators Program (PIIOP) in New
South Wales closes soon, with applications within the Murray and Murrumbidgee catchment open
until 2:00pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time), Tuesday 12 May 2015.
PIIOP aims to improve the efficiency and productivity of water use and management of private
irrigation networks and deliver water savings for the environment. Water entitlements resulting
from water savings generated from eligible projects, both off and on-farm, will help to secure a
sustainable future for irrigation communities.
PIIOP projects will allow private irrigation infrastructure operators and their customers to reduce
water losses and manage their water allocations more efficiently by providing funding for
infrastructure improvements and modernisation. They will also assist irrigation communities to
adapt to a future scenario of reduced water availability due to climate change. PIIOP is one of the
major elements of the Inter-Governmental Agreement on Murray-Darling Basin Reform.
Eligibility for this funding is only available to irrigation infrastructure operators (who administer
irrigation networks to deliver water to multiple farmers) in the Murray and Murrumbidgee
catchments.
For more information, visit www.environment.gov.au/water/rural-water/srwui/state-priorityprojects/piiop-nsw
On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Program – Round Five
Applications have been received from organisations (delivery partners) for Stage One of the fifth and
final round of the On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Program. These applications are under assessment.
The funding will be targeted to projects in the Murrumbidgee, NSW Murray and the Lower Darling
that are specifically designed to improve the efficiency and productivity of on-farm water use and
management. $125 million has been allocated for this funding round.
For further information about the programme and to access funding guidelines for each round,
please visit our website at www.environment.gov.au/water/rural-water/srwui/on-farm-irrigationefficiency-program or telephone the Water Information Line on 1800 218 478.