Conjunctive water management and South Australian water policy
In South Australia, water access and use is licensed in prescribed areas and anyone has a right to take water provided they have a licence to do so. In areas where water resources are not prescribed, there is no limit to the volume of surface water or groundwater that can be taken. Water may be taken from a watercourse, lake or well provided this does not detrimentally affect either the ability of another person to take water from a watercourse, lake or well, or the enjoyment of the amenity of water in the water course or lake by another occupier of riparian land.
Although not specifically defined, there is a provision in the Water Resources Act 1997 Act (Part 4, c16) that deals with the inter-relationship between groundwater and surface water, in particular the impacts related to the taking of water. It is implied that surface water and groundwater are hydraulically connected. This part contains provisions that may prohibit or restrict the taking of water under the following situations:
- if the rate at which water is taken from a surface water resource (watercourse or lake) is having a serious effect on the level of water in a groundwater resource that depends on the surface water resource for its replenishment (recharge);
- if surface water is taken at a rate that seriously impacts on a groundwater resource (water levels) that depends on the surface water resource for its replenishment; and
- if groundwater is taken at a rate that affects, or is likely to affect, the quality of surface water.
Water allocation plans in South Australia deal with both surface water, water in watercourses and groundwater allocation and the water resource legislation aims to facilitate integrated management.
The Act recognises the inter-relationships between surface water, watercourses and groundwater from a water use impact perspective from which the integration of highly connected surface water/groundwater can be implied.
Trades in South Australia have been temporary or permanent licences and/or allocations to take water within: a groundwater aquifer; from watercourses; or surface water from dams. There have not been trades between surface water and groundwater. South Australia's ephemeral systems are relatively small and the relationships not sufficiently well understood to enable clear specification of water entitlements for transfers between surface water and groundwater.
There have been trades of licences and/or allocations from the River Murray to the Barossa Valley for Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) but the water is physically extracted from the river and piped to the Barossa. This is termed imported water.
Relevant Links
South Australian Water Resources Act 1997.
References
NGC, 2004. Surface water-groundwater integration and legislative constraints. National Groundwater Committee