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Issue: Human response - policy and management - Management of surface and groundwaters

This is an issue under the Inland waters theme of the Data Reporting System.

Why we need to know about this issue

Past water and land management practices have left degraded rivers, poor water quality and reduced biodiversity. The water reform process in Australia has led to improved efficiencies in allocation mechanisms and some improvement in water use efficiencies. Further efforts are required to restore the rivers, improve the loss of biodiversity and achieve sustainability. Major management initiatives include the CoAG water reform and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) is the peak intergovernmental forum in Australia comprising the Prime Minister, State Premiers, Territory Chief Ministers and the President of the Australian Local Government Association. The role of COAG is to initiate, develop and monitor the implementation of policy reforms that are of national significance and which require cooperative action by Australian governments.

In 1994 all governments recognised the need for coordinated action to stop the widespread degradation of Australia’s natural resources. As a result, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) developed a national policy for the efficient and sustainable reform of Australia's rural and urban water industries — the COAG Water Reform Framework.

The Framework includes provisions for water entitlements and trading, environmental requirements, institutional reform, public consultation and education, water pricing and research. The time frames for implementation of the Framework were set at five to seven years with full implementation by the year 2001. Timeframes for implementation were subsequently extended for certain aspects including allocations and trading, which were extended to 2005.

Critical environmental water issues identified in the Water Reform Framework include:

• allocation of water for the environment
• ecological sustainability of new developments
• institutional reform
• the incorporation of environmental costs in water pricing
• ecologically sustainable water trading
• protection of groundwater
• implementation of the National Water Quality Management Strategy
  

The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran in 1971 (more commonly known as the Ramsar Convention) is an intergovernmental treaty dedicated to the conservation and "wise use" of wetlands. The Convention encourages the designation of sites containing representative, rare or unique wetland types, or that are important for conserving biological diversity. These sites need to be managed to ensure their special ecological values are maintained or improved.

Indicators

• IW-05 Average annual groundwater depth 
  Good quality groundwater is an important source of water and its use is increasing. Inappropriate land or water management can lead to a decline in the resource or exacerbate salinity problems. Groundwater depth can be a complex issue due to the interactions between surface and groundwater and an understanding of these dynamics will assist management and policy makers.
  In the absence of data on groundwater depth, estimates of sustainable yield are reported as a measure of the effectiveness of management of groundwater for human use.
• IW-06 Average annual groundwater pressure 
  An understanding of groundwater pressure issues will improve management of resources that rely on groundwater pressure for their continued existence, such as groundwater dependent ecosystems.
• IW-08 Groundwater used for irrigation 
  An understanding of groundwater use will improve management of resources that rely on groundwater for their continued existence, such as groundwater dependent ecosystems. Quantity of groundwater used for irrigation is a direct measure of this pressure and the effectiveness of management responses to it.
• IW-09 Groundwater used for urban/industrial 
  An understanding of groundwater use will improve management of resources that rely on groundwater for their continued existence, such as groundwater dependent ecosystems. Quantity of groundwater used for urban and industrial purposes is a direct measure of this pressure and the effectiveness of management responses to it.
• IW-43 Implementation of National Water Initiative 
  Australia’s water resources are highly variable and often scarce. The National Water Initiative is a strategy that encourages the adoption of best-practice approaches to the management of water, to improve the productivity and efficiency of water use, while maintaining healthy river and groundwater systems. It address issues of overallocated systems and water trading. Implementation is central to the country’s economic, social and environmental progress.
• IW-44 Sustainable yield determination 
  The sustainable yield of a groundwater or surface water system refers to the volume and/or rate of water that can be extracted from that system while maintaining an acceptable level of aquatic ecosystem health. The sustainable yield can indicate environmental stress on an aquatic ecosystem if water extraction is greater than the sustainable yield. Sustainable yield can also be used to help identify aquatic systems where water use can be increased in a sustainable manner.
• IW-45 Groundwater management plans that consider groundwater dependent ecosystems 
  The existence of groundwater management plans that consider groundwater dependent ecosystems is indicative of the extent to which this issue is receiving consideration in water management.
• IW-46 Implementation of COAG principles 
  The sustainable yield of a groundwater or surface water system refers to the volume and/or rate of water that can be extracted from that system while maintaining an acceptable level of aquatic ecosystem health. The sustainable yield can indicate environmental stress on an aquatic ecosystem if water extraction is greater than the sustainable yield. Sustainable yield can also be used to help identify aquatic systems where water use can be increased in a sustainable manner.
• IW-48 Ramsar wetlands with implemented management plans 
  Wetlands are often fed by groundwater so their management needs to consider both surface water and groundwater aspects. Number of Ramsar sites with implemented management plans is indicative of the seriousness and likely effectiveness of the policy and management response to the needs of important wetlands, including their surface and groundwater sources.

Related issues

• Inland Waters - Habitat scale influences- Fish passage 
• Inland Waters - Human response - policy and management- Management of surface and groundwaters 
• Inland Waters - Human response - policy and management- Environmental flows allocation and management 
• Inland Waters - Human response - policy and management- Habitat management (including wetland management) 
• Inland Waters - Human response - policy and management- Management of aquatic biota and biodiversity 
• Inland Waters - Catchment scale influences- Hydrological condition- Surface-water availability and human use 
• Inland Waters - Catchment scale influences- Hydrological condition- Ground-water availability and human use 
• Inland Waters - Catchment scale influences- Hydrological condition- Connectivity - dams, weirs, regulators and levees