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Issue: Human response - policy and management - Environmental flows allocation and management

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

Why we need to know about this issue

Although the development of scarce and highly variable water resources for urban, industrial and agricultural use has provided widespread benefits it has often been done with little understanding or consideration of the environmental values of our rivers and wetlands. This has resulted in the degradation of many of rivers and streams through altered flow regimes.

To keep rivers and wetlands functionally healthy, action is needed to achieve the right balance to prevent further degradation and enhance environmental values. The provision of water for the environment is now recognised as a legitimate and essential component of water allocation.

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
  

Indicators

• IW-10 Assessment of river condition indices 
  The component parts of this indicator provide a broad insight into the condition of river systems in respect to several aspects of flow regimes, and therefore into the effectiveness of management responses to the pressures of changes in flow regimes.
• IW-11 Number of licences dams, weirs, regulators and levees 
  Dams and weirs reduce the connectivity of rivers and streams and can reduce environmental flows. This can have consequences for aquatic ecosystems. Number of weirs and dam is a crude but direct measure of this pressure.
• IW-43 Implementation of National Water Initiative 
  Monitoring of their implementation of the National Water Initiative should provide critical indicators of the seriousness and effectiveness of environmental flows allocation and management.
• IW-44 Sustainable yield determination 
  Implementation and continued observance of the COAG water reforms is a requirement for States and Territories to receive their full share of the payments under the National Competition Policy. Monitoring of their implementation should provide critical indicators of the seriousness and effectiveness of environmental flows allocation and management.
• IW-46 Implementation of COAG principles 
  Implementation and continued observance of the COAG water reforms is a requirement for States and Territories to receive their full share of the payments under the National Competition Policy. Monitoring of their implementation should provide critical indicators of the seriousness and effectiveness of environmental flows allocation and management.

Related issues

• Inland Waters - Catchment scale influences- Hydrological condition- Ecological aspects of river flow regimes 
• 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