Water resources - Allocation and Use - Tasmania
Basin and Surface Water Management Area: Derwent River
Introduction
The National Water Reform Framework requires the development of comprehensive systems of water allocations or entitlements, backed by separation of water property rights from land and clear specification of entitlements in terms of ownership, volume, reliability, transferability and, if appropriate, quality. In addition State and Territory agencies are required to undertake formal determination of water allocations or entitlements, including allocations for the environment as a legitimate user of water.
Water use estimates have been derived from a number of different methods including the use of licencing systems, information provided as part of the Australian Bureau of Statistics water account (with provider consent) and other information gathered from the State and Territory water agencies. In some cases water use was assumed to be the same as the allocation. For groundwater systems, it is well known that this assumption is often invalid (e.g. typically where use exceeds allocation significantly).
Options for conjunctive use are also described.
Please note: The tables set out below detailing Level 1 and Level 2 water use categories. The sum of the Level 2 water use volumes will not necessarily equal the total Level 1 water use volumes. This is primarily due to lack of more detailed water use data. However, where Level 2 use = Level 1 use then blank cells in the table does not indicate water use unaccounted for in these categories.
How has water used changed since 1985?
| Use type | 1983-84 surface water use (ML/yr) | 1996-97 surface water use (ML/yr) | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 19,640 | 74,554 | |
| Irrigation | 20,150 | 52,165 | 159 |
| - fruit | N/A | no data | |
| - grape | N/A | no data | |
| - system loss | N/A | no data | |
| - sugar | N/A | no data | |
| - other | N/A | no data | |
| - pasture | N/A | 26,083 | |
| - cereal | N/A | no data | |
| - vegetables | N/A | no data | |
| - other crop | N/A | 26,082 | |
| - Cotton | N/A | no data | |
| Urban / Industrial | 190 | 22,272 | 11,622 |
| - municipal | N/A | no data | |
| - coal | N/A | no data | |
| - domestic unlicensed | N/A | no data | |
| - domestic | N/A | 15,200 | |
| - mining | N/A | no data | |
| - industrial | N/A | 6,966 | |
| - power | N/A | no data | |
| - comercial | N/A | 106 | |
| - system loss | N/A | no data | |
| - industrial commercial | N/A | no data | |
| - other | N/A | no data | |
| - recreation | N/A | no data | |
| Rural | 2,180 | 117 | -95 |
| - aquaculture | N/A | no data | |
| - system loss | N/A | no data | |
| - other | N/A | no data | |
| - water supply | N/A | no data | |
| - stock domestic | N/A | 117 |
PLEASE NOTE
Changes since 1985:
Most National Land and Water Audit estimates of average yield are similar to Review 85 estimates. The difference between the basin yield for the Derwent River Basin (SWMA 304) is due to differences in the methods that were used in calculations. Time constraints and lack of Review '8 information makes comparison of the two methods diffucult.
Divertible yield for the SWMA was not recalculated for the this Audit due to time constraints. It has been assumed that the estimates for 1985 still stand as the majority of the areas catchments have not had significant infrastructure developments in that time. This particularly applies to this SWMA. However it must be stressed that the background information for the Review 85 cannot be found to enable the estimate to be checked in line with current methods for determining divertible yields.
As for divertible yield, the source of information on how irrigation areas contained in Review 85 were determined cannot be found. For the Land and Water Audit, water usage was assumed to be the same as allocation as stated peviously.
What are the uses of surface water in Derwent River and to what is it allocated?
| Use type | Diversion Volume (ML/yr) | Allocation (ML/yr) | Diversion: Alloc (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 750,142 | 777,346 | |
| Irrigation | 52,165 | 52,165 | 100 |
| - pasture | 26,083 | 26,083 | 100 |
| - other crop | 26,082 | 26,082 | 100 |
| Rural | 117 | 117 | 100 |
| - stock | 117 | 117 | 100 |
| Urban / Industrial | 36,064 | 22,272 | 61.76 |
| - domestic | 11,666 | 15,200 | 130.29 |
| - industrial | 24,292 | 6,966 | 28.68 |
| - power | 106 | 106 | 100 |
Allocation for each SWMA represents the volume of the management area's surface water resources allocated for use both within the basin and for use in other SWMAs. 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.
What are the sources of water within Derwent River?
| Total use | ML/yr | % |
|---|---|---|
| Surface water - from this area | 74,554 | 65 |
| Surface water - imported into this area | no data | |
| GMU: Unincorporated Area - West | 0 | 0 |
| GMU: Unincorporated Area - Central South East | 3,434 | 3 |
PLEASE NOTE :
Options for conjunctive use:
Information of a mainly anecdotal type at the moment is indicating that there maybe some potential for joint groundwater, surface water use in the SWMA. This would occur in the drier catchments within the SWMA.
Further information
- Tasmania Water Resources Assessment 2000 Report
- Tasmania Water Resources Assessment 2000 Technical Report
- For more information about water and other natural resource issues link to www.dpiwe.tas.gov.au
- Link to data available for download on the Surface Water Management Areas
- Link to the Map Maker to make a map using this information.
Newsletter
What's new
New 'Land Use of Australia, Version 3' data showing irrigation, agriculture and landuse for the years 1992, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2001 have been added to the Map Maker.
More on land use data....
Australian Water Resources 2005 data has been added to the Map Maker.
More on the water data...
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