Presentation for
AUSSI water workshop
Becky Smith
Senior Manager
Office of the Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment
10 April 2013
The office is independent of, but funded by the
ACT Government

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The office is independent of, but funded by the
ACT Government

Commissioner for Sustainability and the
Environment
• Legislation and first Commissioner 1993 (20 years in 2013)
• One of two in Australia – only a few in the world
• Independent of government though funded by ACT
Government
• Main functions of the Office: o Responding to community complaints o Advocating for the environment and increased sustainability o Investigations – instigated by the Minister or the Commissioner o Reporting:
• ACT SoER,
• Regional SoER
The office is independent of, but funded by the
ACT Government

www.envcomm.act.gov.au/actsoe2011
The office is independent of, but funded by the
ACT Government

• The size of the average ACT resident’s ecological footprint was 9.2 global hectares. This has increased by 8% in 5 years and nearly 25% in 10 years;
• Waste generation per person has increased by 28% faster than the population growth of 5.5%, over the reporting period;
• Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise with ACT emissions increasing by 7% between 2005 and 2009;
• Generally water quality is similar as it exits the ACT to that as it enters the ACT.
Urbanisation impacts are having an impact on water quality; and
• three new nature reserves were added to our conservation reserves, while three additional species were listed as vulnerable.
The office is independent of, but funded by the
ACT Government

600
400
200
0
1200
1000
800
2008 2009
Year
2010
– 2007 to May
2010 -drought.
Rain
Линей ная
(Mean)
– June 2010 to
June 2011 above average rainfall.
The office is independent of, but funded by the
ACT Government

• River Health – generally, river health and catchment condition are improving within the ACT having been stressed by drought and fire.
• Lake Health - over the last ten years, there has been a steady increase in the number of lake closures per year, because of either faecal contamination or potentially toxic blue-green algae in the water.
• Wetland Health - information on the health of ACT wetlands is patchy. Wetlands have been constructed in urban areas across the ACT to improve the quality of stormwater.
The office is independent of, but funded by the
ACT Government

• Climate change challenges water supply will. Significant management and infrastructure work has been undertaken eg. dam building, urban wetlands, WSUD.
• The health of ACT waterbodies and their water quality are dependent on the land health and land uses of ACT catchments. Greater knowledge of the impacts of urban areas on water quality and catchments would be beneficial for future catchment management.
The office is independent of, but funded by the
ACT Government

Annual Water Use in the ACT
58
56
54
52
50
48
46
44
42
2005-06 2006-07 2007-08
Year
2008-09 2009-10
The office is independent of, but funded by the
ACT Government

1.
Establish cross-boundary management of the ACT’s water resources
2.
Complete assessment of the ACT’s at risk groundwater resources.
3.
Update water management, monitoring and reporting programs
4.
Improve monitoring to assess the impact of erosion on local land and water resources, and to help to understand the interactions between the ACT's catchment and ecosystem services
5.
Management of knowledge and the coordination of scientific research, data collection, monitoring and reporting
(including public information) is an area of concern across all themes.
The office is independent of, but funded by the
ACT Government

The office is independent of, but funded by the
ACT Government

Lake Burley Griffin is in fair condition
• subject to toxic blue green algae blooms that impact on sporting and recreational use.
• subject to high levels of the organism used to indicate the level of faecal pollution.
The office is independent of, but funded by the
ACT Government

• organic matter loading in urban stormwater;
• the release of phosphorus from sediments, when dissolved oxygen concentrations are low and there is poor mixing of the water column, driving the blooms of blue-green algae,
• faecal pollution from urban runoff; wildlife faeces; re-growth of bacteria already present in the lake and possible leakages from aging sewer pipes;
• the loss of submerged and emergent
• water plants, and the low concentrations of dissolved oxygen.
The office is independent of, but funded by the
ACT Government

• What were they originally designed to achieve?
• What are we willing to pay to achieve what we want form them now?
The office is independent of, but funded by the
ACT Government

Governance of the Lake involves:
• ACT Government (2 directorates)
• National Capital Authority
• ACTEW Corporation
Including the catchment
• NSW Office of Water
• NSW EPA
• Murrumbidgee Catchment
Management Authority
• Queanbeyan City Council
• Palerang Council
• Cooma-Monaro Shire
Council
The office is independent of, but funded by the
ACT Government

• SoE
– Data
– Research papers
• Investigation Reports
– Grasslands
– Urban Trees
– Nature parks
– Lake Burley Griffin
• Presentations at schools and universities
• Fact sheets for Schools http://www.envcomm.act.gov.au/publications/fact_sheets
– Carbon Emissions
– Community Engagement
– Ecological Footprint
– Food Choices
– Protecting Biodiversity
– Renewable Energy
– Transport
– Urban Planning
– Waste
– Water in the ACT
The office is independent of, but funded by the
ACT Government

Bottle free campus
Upper Murrumbidgee
Demonstration Reach Project
Cotter river restoration
Water sensitive urban design
The office is independent of, but funded by the
ACT Government

For contacting us
The Office of the Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment
Email: envcomm@act.gov.au
Phone: 6207 2626
Website: http://www.envcomm.act.gov.au/
The office is independent of, but funded by the
ACT Government