Water resources - Availability - South Australia
South Australia
South Australia Overview
Water is a major factor influencing the development of South Australia.
Most of our population lives in the temperate, southern 15% of the State and even there major natural water resources are often removed from urban and industrial demand centres. As the State developed, demand outstripped local water sources and as new parts of the State were settled, major pipeline systems were constructed to transport water to demand centres.
The southern and coastal areas of the State receive annual rainfalls ranging between 300 mm and 1000 mm. It mostly falls in winter and early spring and streams flow as a result. In summer, evaporation is high and streams tend to become a series of pools and then dry up entirely.
In the remaining 85% of the State the climate is either semi-arid or arid. Rainfall occurs sporadically and can be concentrated and intense causing both local and widespread flooding. Evaporation rates are usually high and range up to extreme in the far north. Surface water dries out very quickly.
In their natural state, steams, floodplains and wetlands tend to be both abundant and diverse in flora and fauna. Occasional algal and bacterial concentrations occur naturally. Wetlands provide rich breeding sites and are refuges during dry periods. The natural ecosystems of stream beds, banks and floodplains depend on a wide range of stream flows and the steady contribution of groundwater where it is present.
Development often has adverse impacts on natural ecosystems. Monitoring has indicated that the health of water ecosystems in developed catchments has been degraded by pesticides, diffuse pollution, gross changes in natural stream channel configuration, riparian vegetation changes and altered stream flows.
The bulk of the State's surface water is fresh to marginally saline while high stream flows are often turbid. Surface water can be brackish when salt is flushed from drier catchments or is concentrated by summer evaporation. Streams in highly developed catchments - urban catchments for example - tend to have elevated concentrations of nutrients and heavy metals and are turbid. This degrades them for most uses. Streams in catchments covered with natural vegetation usually supply the best quality water.
Increased deep rainfall infiltration to groundwater has been a consequence of land clearing in agricultural areas. As groundwater levels rise toward the surface, widespread increases in soil salinity occur taking land out of production and increasing stream salinity. To some extent this process can be controlled locally by vegetation retention, water extraction and drainage.
In more than half the State groundwater is accessible all year round and, as a consequence, it is the major natural water source over much of SA. By nature, groundwater resources, which exist in shallow or confined porous media, or in fractured rocks, are extremely variable. Porous media aquifers generally provide the larger volumes of good quality water whereas fractured rock aquifers have characteristically lower yields. While low-yielding and localised in extent, fractured rock aquifers - which underlie 40% of the Australian continent - are often the only source of permanent water in the drier regions. Quantity and quality vary between regions. Large volumes of good water are available in some areas. In others it may be salty and difficult to access.
Apart from providing a resource in dry regions, groundwater discharging into streams in those areas can extend stream flow into summer and help sustain water-dependent ecosystems through dry periods.
Water is a finite and scarce resource in SA and the appropriate management response is to put in place arrangements that will ensure available water resources are used in an ecologically sustainable manner. Where State water resources are seen to be subject to increasing use pressures, or their environmental values are degrading, the Water Resources Act, 1997 allows the area to be proclaimed, users licensed and requires the implementation of water allocation plans to help regulate future development. The water allocation plans may also allow water rights or entitlements to be traded.
Surface Water Reporting Units
For this Audit, the basins as designated by the former Australian Water Resources Council (AWRC) have been adopted in South Australia as a reporting unit to maintain consistency with previous national water resources assessments. A number of these basins have been further subdivided to provide additional detail for areas warranting more intensive monitoring. All reporting units are referred to as Surface Water Management Areas (SWMA's) of which a total of 34 have been defined.
Groundwater Reporting Units
Groundwater abstraction, allocation and use information has been reported at three levels- Groundwater Management Units (GMUs), Unincorporated Areas and Provinces. Groundwater Management Units have been defined in accordance with the current groundwater management practices applied by the Department for Water Resources. Groundwater Provinces are based on the principle hydrogeological basins within South Australia. The Unincorporated Areas comprise the areas between the GMUs and the Province boundaries. In total 51 GMUs have been reported, including 15 Unincorporated Areas.
Only 23 of the GMUs are prescribed wells areas, which are the only areas within the State where allocations apply. In addition there are 3 Notice of Restriction areas which may be prescribed in the near future.
For further information contact South Australia Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation at http://www.dwlbc.sa.gov.au.
How much surface water does South Australia have?
Hydrology
The mean annual streamflow generated within the State is 1940 GL, and 9300 GL is the mean flow entering the State. The Murray River discharges 7220 GL of this external supply, with the balance entering the north of the State from Queensland and the Northern Territory via the Lake Eyre Basin streams.
River flows in South Australia are extremely variable, showing both a seasonal pattern and a substantial annual variability of discharge. The seasonal distribution depends on catchment location. In the southern areas the majority of the average annual discharge occurs in the five-month period from July to November. To the north runoff is mainly driven by thunderstorm events and a greater proportion of runoff occurs from very short duration events.
Most streams in the State are ephemeral and often flow for less than 6 months of the year. However, most have areas of permanent water, either in deep pools, which reflect the regional ground water levels, or localised areas of low base flow usually supplied by local aquifers. The magnitude of the permanent base flow varies from year to year depending on the rainfall of previous seasons. It is common to see a memory going back five years to a wet season.
The more reliable streams are those rising in the Mt Lofty Ranges near Adelaide and the drains and streams in the southern part of the South-East region of the State. The Mount Lofty Ranges provide catchment for Adelaide's domestic water supply, but the surface resources of the South-East, with the abundance of good quality groundwater in the region, have not been utilised to any large degree.
The Murray River, with its headwaters in the Eastern States, provides the State's most reliable resource. Its reliability is critical for ensuring the sustainability of Adelaide's water supply, in some years providing more than 90% of Adelaide's requirements.
Surface water irrigation users have adapted to the variation of supply by growing horticultural crops such as vines, fruits and nut trees. While many of these crops receive regular irrigation from reliable sources such as the Murray River, they are also grown in other areas where they can survive over periods of river drought. Irrigation rates vary greatly depending on the availability of water. Irrigation water is generally supplied from individually owned farm dams which, without appropriate constraints, could be designed to impound at least the mean annual runoff from the catchment upstream.
Available Resource
Internally-sourced surface water resources in South Australia are limited and occur predominately in the Mt Lofty and Flinders Ranges, and in the South East of the State.
The States' major surface water resources are in the Murray Darling and Lake Eyre Basins, the catchments of both extending beyond the State's borders.
Due to a diverse range of harvesting methods and the acceptance of a high risk of failure of farm dam supplies in South Australia, it has not been possible to estimate the total annual divertible surface water resource. It is likely external factors such as dam interference between neighbours will influence the estimate greatly. Experience suggests that in a rural environment, once the volume of water trapped exceeds 20% of the mean annual flow, significant community concerns are raised. These concerns have led to the prescription of the surface resources of the Barossa and Clare Valleys.
The divertible yield has been assumed equal to the sustainable yield, which has been determined as the maximum volume of water that can be diverted after taking account of in-stream environmental water requirements. In South Australia proposed policy suggests that the total storage capacity of farm dams allowed in a catchment should not exceed 50% of the median runoff from private land. Of the 50% allowed for farm dam capacity, only half of this volume is considered to be able to be diverted for use annually, with the other half being lost to evaporation, seepage and dam overflow or not available during periods of stream drought. Based on this, the total sustainable yield of the resource generated within the State is estimated to be 300 GL, or 15% of the mean annual streamflow. Of the sustainable yield, 50 % (or 7.5% of the mean annual streamflow) has already been developed for use.
The Adelaide metropolitan catchments are fully committed with a developed yield of 130GL far exceeding their sustainable yield of 47 GL.
The Murray River is heavily committed with a developed yield of 736 GL (licensed) and a current use of 595 GL. The use is currently 84% of its sustainable yield of 704 GL, defined by the Cap, imposed by the Murray Darling Basin Commission.
| Basin/Surface Water Management Area | Mean Annual Run-off (GL/yr) | % of state | Natural mean annual out-flow (GL/yr) | In-flow (GL/yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Lower Murray River (SA), Sub Catchment 1" | no data | 5,750 | 7,220 | |
| "Lower Murray River (SA), Sub Catchment 2" | 132 | 6.79 | 124 | 0 |
| "Millicent Coast (SA), Sub Catchment 1" | 209 | 10.79 | 209 | 29 |
| "Millicent Coast (SA), Sub Catchment 2" | 16 | .83 | 17 | no data |
| "Millicent Coast (SA), Sub Catchment 3" | 151 | 7.8 | 151 | 0 |
| "Millicent Coast (SA), Sub Catchment 4" | 0 | 0 | no data | 17 |
| Broughton River | 65 | 3.36 | 62 | no data |
| Cooper Creek (SA) | 0 | 0 | no data | 1,120 |
| Diamantina River (SA) | 0 | 0 | no data | 950 |
| Eyre Peninsula | 30 | 1.55 | 27 | no data |
| Finke River (SA) | 42 | 2.17 | no data | no data |
| Fleurieu Peninsula | 121 | 6.25 | 118 | no data |
| Gairdner | 0 | 0 | no data | 0 |
| Gawler River | 66 | 3.37 | 32 | no data |
| Gawler River - Sub Catchment Little Para | 10 | .52 | 3 | no data |
| Georgina River (SA) | 0 | 0 | no data | no data |
| Glenelg River (SA) | 0 | 0 | no data | no data |
| Hay River (SA) | 0 | 0 | no data | no data |
| Kangaroo Island | 240 | 12.39 | 240 | no data |
| Lake Frome (SA) | 410 | 21.17 | no data | no data |
| Lake Torrens | 63 | 3.25 | 63 | no data |
| Light River | 25 | 1.26 | 23 | no data |
| Mackay (SA) | 0 | 0 | no data | no data |
| Mallee (SA) | 0 | 0 | no data | 0 |
| Mambray Coast | 38 | 1.96 | 38 | no data |
| Myponga River | 18 | .9 | 3 | no data |
| Nullarbor (SA) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Onkaparinga River | 115 | 5.91 | 63 | no data |
| Spencer Gulf | 0 | 0 | 0 | no data |
| Torrens River | 146 | 7.52 | 102 | no data |
| Wakefield River | 11 | .54 | 10 | no data |
| Warburton (SA) | 25 | 1.29 | no data | no data |
| Willochra Creek | 8 | .4 | 8 | no data |
| Yorke Peninsula | 0 | 0 | 0 | no data |
How saline are South Australia's surface water resources?
Table: Surface water resource by salinity class for divertible yield (GL)
| Surface Water Managemnet Area | <500 mg/l (GL/yr) | 500 - 1500 mg/l (GL/yr) | 1500 - 5000 mg/l (GL/yr) | 5000 -14000 mg/l (GL/yr) | >14000 mg/l (GL/yr) | Total volume (GL/yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Australia | 911 | 14 | 40 | 3 | 1 | 1,072 |
| "Lower Murray River (SA), Sub Catchment 1" | 704 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 704 |
| "Lower Murray River (SA), Sub Catchment 2" | 13 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 31 |
| "Millicent Coast (SA), Sub Catchment 1" | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | 45 |
| "Millicent Coast (SA), Sub Catchment 2" | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | 2 |
| "Millicent Coast (SA), Sub Catchment 3" | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | 38 |
| "Millicent Coast (SA), Sub Catchment 4" | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 |
| Broughton River | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | 13 |
| Cooper Creek (SA) | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 |
| Diamantina River (SA) | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 |
| Eyre Peninsula | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Finke River (SA) | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 |
| Fleurieu Peninsula | 27 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 29 |
| Gairdner | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 |
| Gawler River | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| Gawler River - Sub Catchment Little Para | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | 9 |
| Georgina River (SA) | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 |
| Glenelg River (SA) | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 |
| Hay River (SA) | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 |
| Kangaroo Island | 39 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 43 |
| Lake Frome (SA) | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | no data | 9 |
| Lake Torrens | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| Light River | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Mackay (SA) | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 |
| Mallee (SA) | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 |
| Mambray Coast | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Myponga River | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Nullarbor (SA) | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 |
| Onkaparinga River | 51 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 54 |
| Spencer Gulf | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 |
| Torrens River | 34 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 37 |
| Wakefield River | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Warburton (SA) | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 |
| Willochra Creek | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Yorke Peninsula | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 |
How much of South Australia's surface water resource has been developed?
There are three major surface resource reservoir water supply systems in the State. These are the Adelaide Metropolitan, the Mid-North reservoirs and the Tod River systems. Metropolitan water supply reservoirs are located in the Torrens, Onkaparinga, South Para, Little Para and Myponga catchments. They have a combined capacity of 200 gigalitres and provide on average 60% of Adelaide's water supply. The Tod reservoir has a capacity of 11.3 gigalitres and supplies 2.5 gigalitres/year for domestic use in the Eyre Region. The Mid-north reservoirs of Baroota, Bundaleer and Beetaloo are interconnected with the Morgan-Whyalla pipeline system from the Murray River. Since the pipeline system has been filtered, the Mid-North reservoirs have not been greatly drawn upon.
In addition to the reservoir systems, South Australia also has a comprehensive network of pipelines throughout the State sourced from the Murray River. There are 5 major domestic water pumping stations on the River located at, Morgan, Swan Reach, Mannum, Murray Bridge and Tailem Bend. Morgan and Swan Reach pumping stations supply 34GL/year to the mid-north and northern areas. Mannum and Murray Bridge pumping stations supply on average 40% of Adelaide's demand, rising to 90% in dry years. The Tailem Bend pumping station supplies 3 GL/year to the South-East of the State.
How committed are South Australia's surface water resources?
Under the national classification 4-class development status classification South Australia has 19% surface water systems that are over developed and 8% that are highly or fully developed. The over-developed management areas include:
- Myponga
- Onkaparinga River
- Torrens
- Little Para
- Gawler
All of these SWMAs include large reservoirs that supply the Adelaide metropolitan area.
| Basin/SWMA | Volume diverted (GL/yr) | Sustainable (GL/yr) | Diversion Development class |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Lower Murray River (SA), Sub Catchment 1" | 595 | 704 | HIGH DEVELOPMENT |
| "Lower Murray River (SA), Sub Catchment 2" | 7 | 31 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| "Millicent Coast (SA), Sub Catchment 1" | 0 | 45 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| "Millicent Coast (SA), Sub Catchment 2" | 0 | 2 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| "Millicent Coast (SA), Sub Catchment 3" | 0 | 38 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| "Millicent Coast (SA), Sub Catchment 4" | 0 | 0 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| Broughton River | 4 | 13 | MEDIUM DEVELOPMENT |
| Cooper Creek (SA) | 0 | 0 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| Diamantina River (SA) | 0 | 0 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| Eyre Peninsula | 3 | 7 | MEDIUM DEVELOPMENT |
| Finke River (SA) | 0 | 0 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| Fleurieu Peninsula | 2 | 29 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| Gairdner | 0 | 0 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| Gawler River | 22 | 13 | OVER DEVELOPMENT |
| Gawler River - Sub Catchment Little Para | 8 | 3 | OVER DEVELOPMENT |
| Georgina River (SA) | 0 | 0 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| Glenelg River (SA) | 0 | 0 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| Hay River (SA) | 0 | 0 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| Kangaroo Island | 3 | 43 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| Lake Frome (SA) | 0 | 9 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| Lake Torrens | 1 | 9 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| Light River | 2 | 4 | MEDIUM DEVELOPMENT |
| Mackay (SA) | 0 | 0 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| Mallee (SA) | 0 | 0 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| Mambray Coast | 3 | 6 | MEDIUM DEVELOPMENT |
| Myponga River | 11 | 5 | OVER DEVELOPMENT |
| Nullarbor (SA) | 0 | 0 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| Onkaparinga River | 54 | 20 | OVER DEVELOPMENT |
| Spencer Gulf | 0 | 0 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| Torrens River | 37 | 13 | OVER DEVELOPMENT |
| Wakefield River | 1 | 2 | MEDIUM DEVELOPMENT |
| Warburton (SA) | 0 | 0 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
| Willochra Creek | 1 | 1 | MEDIUM DEVELOPMENT |
| Yorke Peninsula | 0 | 0 | LOW DEVELOPMENT |
The volume diverted is the total volume of the SWMA's surface water resources diverted for use both within the management area and for export to other management areas.
A four-class classification system was developed to provide a simple method to communicate the status of the use and allocation of Australia's water resources in relation to sustainable water management.
It is important to recognise that adequately quantifying a sustainable flow regime or sustainable yield and consequent operating rules is a complex matter. State, Territory and scientific agencies continue to develop and apply methods and measures for determining sustainable flow regimes and sustainable yields.
This categorisation provides a general guide only. Please refer to the State and Territory Overview and Technical reports for detail on the analysis methods used.
| Category | Development status | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | <30% | Low development |
| 2 | 30 - 70% | Moderate development |
| 3 | 70 - 100% | Highly developed |
| 4 | 100% | Overdeveloped |
* Water use as a percentage of sustainable flow regime (surface water) and sustainable yield (groundwater)
How much groundwater does South Australia have?
Hydrogeology
South Australia has a high proportion of groundwater to surface water use because of its generally low and variable rainfall. Currently groundwater accounts for 430 GL (35%) of the 1200 GL of use in South Australia. The most productive aquifers are generally Quaternary and Tertiary sedimentary limestone in the higher rainfall areas, which yield supplies of up to 200 L/second. Sedimentary aquifers also supply good quality groundwater in semi-arid and arid environments. Fractured rock aquifers yield up to 30 L/s with salinities generally increasing to the north as rainfall decreases.
Available Resource
The majority of groundwater use in SA is for irrigation supply. Major use areas are:
- Otway Basin ( 118 GL )
- Murray Basin ( 177GL )
- Great Artesian Basin ( 11 GL )
- Adelaide Geosyncline ( 34 GL )
- St Vincent Basin ( 27 GL )
- Eyre Peninsula ( 11 GL )
The 11 GL defined for the Great Artesian Basin is the known industrial/mining use only. Environmental flows maintaining mound springs and flowing wells make up the greatest proportion of use from the Basin.
Those areas where current development (use) is on or near the sustainable yield include
- Great Artesian Basin (Due to flowing wells)
- Barossa Valley
- Booborowie
- Willunga
- Penong (Small basin, development estimated)
- Robinson (Small basin, development estimated)
- Southern Basins, Eyre Peninsula.
- Marne (Notice of Restriction area, development assumed)
- Tintinara (Notice of Restriction area, development assumed)
Sustainable Yield and Environmental Allocation
The determination of sustainable yield for each Groundwater Management Unit has been made with due consideration of the environmental impacts. Current government policy allows for variation of the sustainable yield if a detrimental impact becomes apparent.
How committed are South Australia's groundwater resources?
Table: Allocation volumes (GL/yr in each development category)
Note: "GMU"=Groundwater Management Unit "UA"=Unallocated Area
| Province | Over | High | Med | Low | Total (GL/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide Geosyncline | GMU | no data | 8 | no data | 1 | 8 |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 | |
| Eyre Penninsula | GMU | no data | 19 | no data | no data | 19 |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 | |
| Gawler | GMU | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 | |
| Great Artesian | GMU | 919 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 1,017 |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | |
| Mt Lofty-Flinders Ranges | GMU | no data | 6 | no data | no data | 33 |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 | |
| Murray | GMU | 1,125 | 417 | 50 | 15 | 1,607 |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | 27 | 27 | |
| Musgrave | GMU | no data | no data | no data | 0 | 0 |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | 1 | 1 | |
| Officer | GMU | no data | no data | no data | 0 | 0 |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 | |
| Otways | GMU | 24 | 34 | 93 | 187 | 336 |
| UA | no data | no data | 1 | 32 | 33 | |
| Pirie-Torrens | GMU | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 | |
| St Vincent | GMU | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 | |
| Yorke Peninsula | GMU | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | no data | 0 |
A four-class classification system was developed to provide a simple method to communicate the status of the use and allocation of Australia's water resources in relation to sustainable water management.
It is important to recognise that adequately quantifying a sustainable flow regime or sustainable yield and consequent operating rules is a complex matter. State, Territory and scientific agencies continue to develop and apply methods and measures for determining sustainable flow regimes and sustainable yields.
This categorisation provides a general guide only. Please refer to the State and Territory Overview and Technical reports for detail on the analysis methods used.
| Category | Development status | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | <30% | Low development | ||||
| 2 | 30 - 70% | Moderate development | ||||
| 3 | 70 - 100% | Highly developed | ||||
| 4 | 100% | Overdeveloped |
| Province | <1500 mg/l (GL/yr) | 5000 mg/l (GL/yr) | 14000 mg/l (GL/yr) | >14000 mg/l (GL/yr) | Total volume (GL/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Australia | GMU | 289240 | 661500 | 95802 | 780562 | |
| UA | 47000 | 6350 | 53450 | |||
| Adelaide Geosyncline | GMU | no data | no data | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| UA | no data | no data | 47 | no data | no data | |
| Eyre Penninsula | GMU | no data | 19 | no data | no data | no data |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | |
| Gawler | GMU | no data | 2 | no data | 1 | no data |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | |
| Great Artesian | GMU | 187,400 | 327 | 90 | 41 | 30 |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | |
| Mt Lofty-Flinders Ranges | GMU | no data | 12 | 8 | no data | no data |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | |
| Murray | GMU | 157,010 | 458 | 251 | 128 | 30 |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | no data | 500 | |
| Musgrave | GMU | no data | no data | 1 | 39 | no data |
| UA | no data | no data | 25 | no data | no data | |
| Officer | GMU | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | 1 | no data | |
| Otways | GMU | 55,850 | 198 | 597 | 78 | no data |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | 133 | no data | |
| Pirie-Torrens | GMU | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data | |
| St Vincent | GMU | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | 2 | no data | |
| Yorke Peninsula | GMU | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data |
| UA | no data | no data | no data | no data | no data |
How much water does South Australia trade?
The Total reported Volume Traded in South Australia is 7 GL; in 0 transactions.
The State and Territory water management agencies continue to consider water use efficiency and optimisation strategies within existing infrastructure (e.g. water supply efficiency, precision irrigation and scheduling, water recycling, trading and pricing) as part of water resource development planning
Recognising that water is a finite resource, the States and Territories have developed water allocation systems where security and reliability are assigned to entitlement, trading is provided so water can be moved to high value uses and the choices of individuals are maximised.
Part of the decision-making framework to enable and facilitate water trading, changes in water allocation and definition of rights to water is the need for water use monitoring. Water use monitoring will assist decision-making and provide an opportunity over time to evaluate the effectiveness of allocation policies.
Environmental water requirements
The South Australian Government is committed to ensure all water resources are used in a sustainable manner. The State Water Plan provides a suite of policy principles that addresses protection and management of the ecological values of water-dependent ecosystems. The purpose of these principles is to provide guidance and direction to the authorities preparing water plans on how to deal with these issues in an integrated manner - whether they be Catchment Water Management Boards, water resources planning committees or local government.
The State Water Plan recognises that there is a range of ecosystems associated with, and dependent on, water. These include watercourses, riparian zones, wetlands, floodplains and estuaries.
The condition of many of these ecosystems in South Australia has declined and is at risk of further deterioration. Much of this change is as a result of past development and practices which have left the current generation with a legacy of degraded waterbodies and water-dependent ecosystems that require remedial action.
The State Water Plan also requires a monitoring strategy to be implemented to assess the changes in the condition of the water resources of the State. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation are identified as vital procedures to allow measurement of the change in condition of the resource. The success of policies within management plans will be measured by how they meet catchment, stream health and economic objectives.
The principles of ecologically sustainable development will be adhered to. Until the true environmental flow requirements of streams can be defined, a precautionary approach to water resources development is advocated.
Further information
- South Australia Water Resources Assessment 2000 Report
- South Australia Water Resources Assessment 2000 Technical Report
- report from the study of Streamflow data and modelled streamflow
- Link to data available for download on the:
- extension of unimpaired monthly streamflow data and regionalisation of parameter values to estimate streamflow in ungauged catchments (NLWRA 2000)
- Surface Water Management Areas
- Groundwater management units and provinces - ARC/INFO export
- Link to the Map Maker to make a map using this information.
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