Australian Natural Resources Atlas

Natural Resource Topics

Water - Supporting Water Resource Management Decisions

Basing management decisions on best available and routinely updated information

The last decade has seen a marked improvement in our understanding of natural resource management issues. Water resources management is becoming increasingly challenging with greater and sometimes conflicting demands for use. The community also has increasing expectations and awareness of what constitutes a healthy river, lake, estuary, aquifer or catchment, and appears prepared to support policies that provide high quality water for the environment at some expense to production.

As community expectations change and management objectives broaden, we encounter continuing deficiencies in knowledge and information. Requirements for more detailed understanding of the environmental, social and economic outcomes of management action and water use increase.

Australia requires an ongoing commitment to data collection, research, extension and innovation if we are to continue to adapt and improve the way we manage, use and benefit from our natural resources. Investment in information and knowledge generation to underpin decision making is vital.

Water resources information systems

Previous reviews of Australia?s water resources (in 1963, 1977 and 1985) concentrated on characterisation. No mechanisms were put in place to maintain and update these data as inputs to decision making. As water resources were developed, data became out of date and irrelevant. Changing community needs also mean that data have ceased to meet decision-maker needs for information.

It is imperative that the Audit delivers not only a compilation of data but also systems for ongoing data management. The most important legacy of this water resources assessment is to ensure that data on water quantity and quality:

The National Water Reform Framework (HLSG 1999) has set a policy framework for water quantity management. Considerable progress has been made in changing licensing arrangements. Data management systems must also improve. They must provide timely and relevant information and overcome current constraints caused by budget cutbacks, changes in personnel, in responsibility and management arrangements.

Data and information gaps

Australian Water Resources Assessment 2000 has been designed and implemented in full recognition that many issues could not be covered within the available timeframe and resources. Some of the issues excluded from detailed assessment included:

The assessment concentrated on making best use of existing data for those issues selected for assessment. As part of this process, many inadequacies in data coverage were identified.

Maps in previous chapters displayed the limitations in Australia?s water quality monitoring coverage. For water quantity, State and Territory agencies have nominated a series of areas for improvement.

Table 31. Knowledge and data gaps (depicted as X) as identified by State and Territory agencies. Blank spaces indicate that a data gap was not identified.

ISSUE NSW VIC QLD WA SA TAS NT ACT
Data gaps
Water use: type and volume - SW and GW, particularly unmetered and/or unregulated systems; water harvesting X X X X X X X X
Improving the baseline and long-term time series for water quality (particularly salinity) and quantity: SW and GW X X X X X X
Groundwater characterisation - aquifer properties; hydrology recharge, storage and yield; vulnerability assessment X X X X X X
Lack of readily useable economic data (on a basin basis) X X
Environmental
Environmental water provisions: assessment methods (particularly for ephemeral streams); performance measures X X X X X X X X
Impact of farm dams: yield; cumulative impact X X X X X
Surface water and groundwater interactions: processes; impacts and use X X X X X X
Forestry impacts on streamflow X X
Research and development
Improved streamflow estimation models for ungauged and/or unregulated catchments X X X X X
Decision tools for ungauged catchments X X
Environmental impact of flow pulsing: mimic of natural patterns X
Ecological value of small streams: as food supply and colonisation to main stream X
Arid systems hydrology: impact of water use X X X
Ecological and social impacts of bore drains in the Far North (SA) X
Monitoring
Improved stream gauging network X X X X
Improved bore monitoring network: particularly for regional systems in unincorporated areas X X X X X
Information management
Accessibility to groundwater information systems: X X X
quality control, timeliness
Lack of integrated information systems - particularly surface water allocation data X

Implementing a water resources information system for Australia

Monitoring and data collection

Overall, data completeness and quality remain issues for comprehensive reporting of Australia?s water resources. On average only 77% of the groundwater management units have information on aquifer characteristics, allocation, use and extraction. Similarly 78% of all surface water management areas have information on water availability, allocation, use and water trading. However the reliability of this data is extremely variable with 8% of surface water management areas and 4% of groundwater management units having reliability Class ?A? for resource quantity assessments. Water quality and trend information is even further limited.

Australian Water Resources Assessment 2000 found:

Assessment capacity

Limited routine capacity exists to comprehensively monitor or report on water resources in a targeted manner and at a level appropriate for Australia-wide or State/Territory policy development and evaluation. Progress is being made such as in evaluating implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Cap.

Water use

Limited reporting mechanisms for reporting on water use and management activities exist at operational scales (e.g. for irrigation schemes) and we have no ability to provide comparable and detailed information on water use across Australia.

Surface water quantity

Although still able to be improved, data management systems for surface water quantity are comparatively better resourced and managed than those for groundwater.

Groundwater quantity

Data management systems for groundwater are fragmented and difficult to access. Groundwater characterisation is also incomplete. Significant effort was required as part of the Audit?s work to define Australia?s groundwater management units. States and Territories recognise that further investment is required to adequately characterise groundwater and to provide management-oriented information such as interactions between groundwater and ecosystems.

Water quality

Data management systems for surface and groundwater quality are fragmented, based on various measuring criteria, not comparable and difficult to access.

Institutional arrangements

Groundwater and surface water quantity databases are often held by different agencies or groups within agencies. Groups collecting and managing surface water and groundwater quality information may also be different. This impedes integration and conjunctive use management.

Information to assist decision making

Capacities of State and Territory agencies to provide up-to-date, management-relevant information on the status and management of water resources vary. Information systems have yet to be developed nationally that link and integrate surface water and groundwater information, or link water quality with water quantity.

Data content and quality

Data are extremely variable. Monitoring systems are often no longer adequate due to changing environmental and community information needs. There is a mismatch between data availability and quality, and the requirements of decision makers.

Lack of comparability

Definitions and approaches across Australia for resource management concepts such as environmental water provisions/sustainable flow regime/sustainable yield and water quality guidelines remain, at best, only partially resolved. Documentation of the diversity of approaches and methods was achieved in this assessment and demonstrates the need for comparability of approaches and definitions.

Integrated resource management

Ground and surface waters are inextricably linked. Conjunctive use is a key issue in many of the highly developed areas of Australia. Management in many organisations still separates groundwater from surface water in terms of inventory, data, reporting and, most importantly, licensing requirements.

The way forward

Australia requires a systematic, and Australia-wide approach for water resource data collection to provide a foundation for improved water resources management. Data analysis and access need to be compatible and comparable.

Work and outputs from Australian Water Resources Assessment 2000 (e.g. definition of groundwater management units) provide a good foundation for a water resources information system.

The surface water management industry is well advanced in developing and applying hydrological protocols and standards for data collection and management. These allow comparability in hydrological characterisation across Australia?s jurisdictions. A national groundwater data exchange protocol-yet to be implemented-has also been developed through the Australian Groundwater Data Infrastructure.

Many water resource agencies are being proactive and building on the Audit investment to develop and implement water management databases (e.g. Western Australian Water and Rivers Commission).

Monitoring and reporting on the range of National and State/Territories water resource issues detailed in this assessment could be used as a measure of compliance with water management objectives and targets. Linking licensing information and other water management information would improve assessment and reporting.

The full value of Australian Water Resources Assessment 2000 would then be realised with data maintained and enhanced to meet client needs. Information products generated from these data would track progress and trends in water reform and respond to emerging quality and quantity issues.

The first step in this process is the formalisation of national sponsorship and the development of a strategic plan to implement an Australia-wide water resources information system based on the substantial investment to date.

Table of Contents for the Australian Water Resources Assessment 2000

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