Page 1637 - Week 06 - Thursday, 7 June 2007
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The bill contains a number of provisions for the proactive and improved administration and management of the territory’s water resources. As a result, the original intention for an integrated approach to water management should be able to be achieved. Provisions include explicit legislative links between the total water resource, environmental flow provisions and volumes available, to encourage water-sensitive urban design and environmental protection. There are also more practical compliance powers to facilitate water resource management, particularly during dry periods such as the present. New powers will enable water resource officers to inspect the premises of licensees with bores in the same way Actew officers inspect water meters.
This evening, the shadow Treasurer made some mention of issues in relation to work that has been undertaken over the last couple of years—some desktop studies and some ground proving that has been undertaken. As has been pointed out, although it is a relatively small management area within the Murray-Darling Basin, water resources within and relating to the territory in relation to the ACT are currently managed in 32 subcatchments. These subcatchments were originally designed as a basis for assessing the water resources of the territory, and they remain appropriate for that purpose.
Through this bill, the size of the basic management unit will be increased by amalgamating subcatchments into larger areas called water management areas, of which there will be 14. This will enable more effective management of both groundwater and surface water and enable any environmental impacts that may relate to taking water to be addressed both locally and on a larger scale. Mr Mulcahy expressed some interest in how that work was proceeding. I can give him just a thumbnail sketch this evening, but at a convenient time in the future I would be more than pleased for Mr Mulcahy or other members of the Assembly to be briefed on progress with that work.
To date, desktop studies have been completed for all subcatchments. There have been five field validation studies, and another eight field validation studies are currently under way. The department has done significant studies on groundwater and surface water interactions that form the basis of Murray-Darling Basin Commission statements and a number of other statements. There are also ongoing groundwater studies relating to the impact on surface water ecology.
It is worth noting that the commonwealth, through the National Water Commission, as part of the national water initiative, is currently funding Environment ACT to consolidate all of the data which it has accrued as a result of the desktop studies and the validation exercises that are currently under way, in recognition of the fact that the work that has been undertaken by Environment ACT is the most advanced work in Australia in relation to groundwater research and knowledge. That is a very significant acknowledgement by the commonwealth of the work which ACT Environment, within the Department of Territory and Municipal Services, have undertaken in relation to this particular issue. They are to be congratulated on that recognition and on the work that they have undertaken.
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