 MDBA Basin News e-Letter, Issue 10, November 2009
Basin News – The Murray-Darling Basin Authority eLetter Issue 10, November 2009
Welcome to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority monthly eLetter with reports of happenings across the Basin. Please feel free to pass this eLetter along to anybody who might be interested. If you do not wish to continue receiving this eLetter please reply to this message with “unsubscribe” in the subject heading. To subscribe online go to www.mdba.gov.au/media_centre/mdba_eLetter/subscribe Contributions are welcome. Please send items of up to 300 words to the editor at medialiason@mdba.gov.au An online html version is available at: www.mdba.gov.au/media_centre/mdba_eletter In this issue:
Have your say on setting new water extraction limits from Basin rivers and waterways Authority chair Mr Mike Taylor said the new limits will form an essential part of the Basin Plan the Authority is developing to put the management of water resources throughout the Basin on a sustainable footing. The new limits are known as “sustainable diversion limits” or “SDLs” and will be set using the best available scientific knowledge and extensive consideration of social and economic impacts. “The SDLs will also, for the first time, set limits on the use of groundwater, which has grown significantly since the Cap was introduced in 1995. “The discussion paper will be a major opportunity for interested individuals, communities and organisations to input and provide feedback on the preparation of the Basin Plan. “The document is a technical issues paper and does not take any position on appropriate levels for SDLs,” Mr Taylor said. “Actual SDLs will be put forward when the proposed Basin Plan is released for a four month public comment period in mid 2010. In line with the Water Act 2007, the SDLs will reflect an environmentally sustainable level of water take that does not compromise key environmental assets, key ecosystem functions, key environmental outcomes or the productive base of the water resource. The paper explores some of the key issues the MDBA will need to consider in setting SDLs for the Basin Plan, including:
How to send us your feedback – Submissions need to reach the Authority by 18 December 2009. There is no specified format for a submission. They can range from a short letter on a particular topic to a substantial document covering a range of issues. Submissions can be in any form - email, fax, audio cassette or mail. Submissions will be posted on the MDBA website's home page as soon as they can be processed. For more information download the SDLs issue paper from www.mdba.gov.au or contact engagement@mdba.gov.au for a printed copy. Toowoomba meeting highlights Basin-wide water planning Chair Mike Taylor said the Authority was holding meetings in regional areas as it was crucial to understand the issues faced by communities in the field. “Having a meeting in the northern part of the Basin highlights the importance we place on an integrated, Basin-wide approach to the sustainable management of water resources,” he said. The Authority is developing a major Basin-wide plan to implement this. A draft plan will be issued for public comment and consultation in mid 2010 and the final will go to the Commonwealth Minister in 2011. “Our priority is to ensure that effective community feedback is blended with the best science to develop a Basin Plan which will put the Basin's water resources on a truly sustainable footing.” At their Toowoomba meeting, Authority members considered a wide range of Basin resource issues related to the new Basin Plan and reviewed progress on its development. They discussed sustainable diversion limits (SDLs) which will be at the heart of the Basin Plan. The SDLs will limit the amount of surface water and groundwater that can be taken from the water resources of the Basin as a whole, individual water resource plan areas and from particular parts of water resource plan areas within the Basin. In Toowoomba the Authority members conducted a public information session and met with members of the community, local, State and federal government representatives, Indigenous community representatives, growers, water managers, industry and business representatives and water managers from local catchment management authorities. They inspected the Wetalla Water Treatment Works and Cooby Dam. The members of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority are: Mike Taylor (Chair); Professor Barry Hart; Dr Diana Day; David Green; Dianne Davidson; and Rob Freeman (Chief Executive). For more information go to www.mdba.gov.au First ‘best science and knowledge' report released The Authority's centrepiece task is to develop a major Basin-wide plan to implement this. A draft will be issued for public comment and consultation in mid 2010 and the final will go to the Commonwealth Minister in 2011. The technical document - “Socio-Economic Context for the Murray-Darling Basin – a descriptive Report”- was produced for the Authority by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) with additional data from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) and the Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS) Under the Water Act 2007 the MDBA is obliged to consider the socio-economic impacts of the Basin Plan on communities throughout the Basin. The underlying data in this report set a base line of information which can be updated and analysed to progressively monitor the circumstances of Basin communities. The report summarises the available information on the broad social and economic circumstances of Basin communities and describes the context in which Basin water resources are used. Some of the findings are:
The report is based on the 2006 Population Census and the 2005-06 Agricultural Census data - two key sources considered the best-available in terms of credibility and ability to be accessed over the longer term. Future reports will provide more detailed social and economic information and regional and community profiles. A copy of the report is available on the Authority's website at www.mdba.gov.au/ Learn more about the new Basin Plan at regional information sessions The MDBA presents information kiosks with expert staff in conjunction with all Authority and Basin Community Committee meetings held in regional centres throughout the Basin. The next information kiosk will be in Albury on 1 December in conjunction with a meeting of the Basin Community Committee which provides feedback to the MDBA on draft elements of the Basin Plan (a summary of the last meeting held in Queensland is available from bcc@mdba.gov.au ). MDBA staff are also presenting at the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts series of community information sessions throughout the Basin on the Australian Government's Water for the Future plan. Future sessions will be 1 and 2 December in Dubbo and Bourke and 8, 9 and 10 December in Moree, Goondiwindi and St George. For more information on the Basin plan check out our Basin Plan Concept Statement at www.mdba.gov.au/basin_plan/concept-statement and our latest fact sheets:
Upcoming publications include a brochure on engaging stakeholders in the development of the Basin Plan. Copies of the fact sheets and other MDBA publications are available at www.mdba.gov.au/services/publications . For hard copies of fact sheets or for more information call our toll-free number on 1800 230 067 or visit www.mdba.gov.au . Refilling of Euston Lakes begins The lakes were isolated from the River Murray in December 2007 by a temporary weir at Taila Creek, off the Euston Weir pool as a water saving measure. The reduction in evaporation over that time helped assure the delivery of critical human water needs for all three States reliant on the River Murray System, particularly in the 2007-08 water year. The agreed ‘trigger' for refilling the lakes occurred in October when water availability improved to the point that NSW Murray high security allocations reached 97%. From today, flows past the temporary Taila Creek regulator will be progressively increased by the opening of gates and the temporary installation of syphons. In coming weeks, when the lakes have partially refilled, the regulator will be progressively removed to allow completion of the refilling. It could take three or four weeks to partially refill Dry Lake before the water, in turn, flows through to begin filling Lake Benanee. Complete filling of both lakes may take a couple of months depending on the prevailing weather conditions. It may be necessary to temporarily lower Euston Weir pool by up to 30 cm below full supply level for a short time in summer to facilitate the removal of the regulator. Advance warning will be given if this is required. The duration and extent of any lowering will be kept to a minimum to minimise disruption to Euston Weir pool users. The plan for refilling Euston Lakes is flexible and will respond to monitoring of erosion and other potential impacts over the coming weeks. Landholders and river users are advised to exercise caution and remove any stock, material or machinery from the lakes and associated waterways. Further updates will be provided by MDBA as the operation progresses. Australia, China strengthen ties through water resource management Authority Chair Mr Mike Taylor said the MOU recognised that the Murray Darling and Yellow River basins shared many attributes such as their size, the importance of their environmental assets, food production and cultural significance. Mr Taylor signed the MOU in Zhengzhou, China at the 4th International Yellow River Forum. “The two basins face the same challenges,” Mr Taylor said. “Be it the impact of drought or flood, competing demands for available water or the threat of climate change, our issues are the same. “This MOU will help China and Australia to collaborate more effectively to allow us to manage these precious natural resources sustainably”. The MOU was signed under the Australia China Environment Development Partnership (ACEDP) – a five-year, $25 million Australian Government initiative which aims to build and sustain partnerships between the nations in water resource and integrated river basin management. The partnership, which has been running for two years and is managed by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), has 23 water resource management projects approved and at various stages of delivery. “The ACEDP is having an impact”, Mr Taylor said. “The Australian Government is to be congratulated for having the foresight to focus part of their development effort in China in this critical area of water resource management. “Many of the 23 projects are being delivered by Australian companies in China and there is a high degree of knowledge exchange underway. The ACEDP will have a lasting impact on the effective management of water resources in both China and Australia.” While in China Mr Taylor also launched the latest ACEDP program, the $2.3 million Large Irrigation Schemes (LIS) Project. “The LIS project, to be managed by GHD draws together a range of experts from the MDBA, CSIRO and the Australian state based water catchment and irrigation organisations working in partnership with their colleagues from China's Ministry of Water Resources and the Yellow River Conservancy Commission. “The project will specifically look at ways of improving irrigation efficiency and water resource management . The learning from this project again will be invaluable for both Australia and China,” Mr Taylor said. Museum calls for Bottles from the Basin In partnership with ACT Waterwatch, the Museum is looking for a water sample from local rivers, lakes, wetlands or other sources along with a water analysis and images. The project – Bottles from the Basin - is an outreach event to coincide with the Museum's major international exhibition Water: H20 = Life. The exhibition was developed by the American Museum of Natural History in New York with contributions from the National Museum of Australia and others. It explores how water has determined and shaped life on the planet and the issues and challenges of water management. Information collected through the Bottles from the Basin project will be plotted on an online map showing the people and places that have contributed along with information on water quality and issues that communities are dealing with. Over the course of the exhibition, the map will grow and develop and show visually the important connections from state to territory across Australia's largest water system. For more information and to claim your free 100ml plastic bottle with unique serial number contact the project coordinators Adam Blackshaw (National Museum of Australia) or Tanya Rucosky – Noakes (Waterwatch ACT) on phone 02 6208 5230 or email bottles@nma.gov.au Hattah lakes wetlands receive environmental water The water will be released into Lake Yerang and Mournpall to complement 2.1 billion litres to be delivered by the Victorian Government. This is in addition to one billion litres Victoria delivered in September. Federal Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong made the announcement in a joint media release with Victorian Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, Hon Gavin Jennings. Senator Wong said the Federal Government's contribution was part of the Commonwealth's environmental water holdings, purchased through the Government's water buyback program for the Murray-Darling Basin. “In this era of extended drought and climate change, we face monumental challenges in the Murray-Darling Basin,” Senator Wong said. “We have taken over Basin-wide planning and will put a new, lower, scientifically-based limit on water use in the Basin for the first time ever. “We have committed more than $4 billion so far to upgrade and modernise water and irrigation infrastructure in the Basin to help our farmers and regional communities and to protect food security. “And we are buying back water to help restore health to our rivers, securing the purchase of 612 gigalitres of water entitlements at a cost of $947 million to 30 September this year.” Mr Jennings said the environmental water for Hattah Lakes would keep threatened species and communities alive. “The lakes are not only an important ecological site, but have a cultural significance for the local Aboriginal community and are important for regional tourism,” Mr Jennings said. “This latest allocation of water will build on the Victorian Government's environmental watering program protecting strategic sites during the drought.” Hattah Lakes is listed under the Ramsar convention as a site of international importance for migratory birds and supports a range of aquatic-dependent species listed under bilateral agreements and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999. The lakes are important for maintaining the genetic and ecological diversity of the region because the floodplain complex supports a large variety and number of waterbirds and includes breeding habitat for many species. They are one of the six Living Murray program icon sites chosen for their high ecological, cultural, recreational, heritage and economic value. The Hattah Lakes have previously received Commonwealth, Victorian, Living Murray and private donations of water aimed at avoiding irretrievable loss of River Red Gums and providing a drought refuge for water-dependent species. More information about the sites and the Australian Government's environmental watering program can be found at: www.environment.gov.au/water/policy-programs/cewh/ Basin freshwater researchers scoop awards The Murray-Darling Basin Authority is a major sponsor of the MDFRC. Limnology is the study and management of inland waters. The MDFRC and La Trobe's Department of Environmental Management and Ecology work collaboratively and independently on a range of research projects associated with freshwater ecology and river health issues. Dr Terry Hillman, currently Adjunct Professor at La Trobe Albury-Wodonga and former Director of MDFRC from 1993 to 2001, was awarded the Society's Medal for outstanding contribution to Australian limnology. Janice Williams, a PhD candidate at La Trobe Albury-Wodonga won the Best Oral Presentation from a PhD or Masters student for her talk on “The importance of fungi in the food webs of floodplain wetlands”. The Best Oral Presentation from an Honours student was awarded to Stephanie Suter who spoke on “Aquatic fungi in an alpine stream of south-eastern Australia”. For more information on Murray-Darling freshwater research go to www.mdfrc.org.au Qld Basin youth look to social benefits of sustainable development The event is targeted at young people with a strong interest in rural industries, natural resource management and climate change. This project is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry under Australia's Farming Future. Organisers say the forum is based on a strong belief in building the young people's capacities in the Queensland Murray-Darling Basin. They say this improves profitability, efficiency and sustainability of individual enterprises, and creates positive flow on benefits for their industries and communities. The forum will include a trade display, dinner function and workshop sessions for an expected 300-plus crowd. For more information go to www.qmdc.org.au/about-qmdc/nextgen.html ends |
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