Managing over-allocated groundwater systems
Abstract
There are a large number of over-allocated groundwater systems in Australia. Many of the major groundwater resources of Australia are over-allocated, some by as much as 400% of the sustainable yield. Management intervention is required in these systems to avoid undesirable and often irreversible impacts as a result of groundwater depletion, such as undesirable water quality changes, "drying" out of bores, subsidence, sea water intrusion and unacceptable bore interference. In addition it is necessary to manage the resource in an optimal way to maximise economic, social and environmental outcomes.
These issues are getting worse at an alarming rate. Action is required at many levels of government to counter these adverse impacts. Equally important is the need for a fundamental change in thinking by groundwater users. Hence this paper presents a range of policy initiatives which aim to provide national level guidance for dealing with this difficult issues. These reforms were developed as part of an Agricultural and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand (ARMCANZ) project for improved groundwater management. The views expressed in this paper have not been adopted by ARMCANZ.
In 1996, ARMCANZ, issued the first national policy position on groundwater management. The reforms adopted in that document provide the foundation for some of the policy initiatives proposed herein.