Indicator: Water demand management| Indicator description | Complete list of Indicators | What the results tell us for TumutSee also: | Environmental flows | Water balance | Water use | Tumut Shire will be affected by the introduction of The NSW Water Management Act. The Act was introduced to the NSW Parliament during the reporting period -in June 2000 (and passed in December 2000). It will provide the cornerstone of the water reforms in NSW when it comes into effect. It replaces a plethora of legislation which had been passed by successive governments to deal with circumstances as they arose. Although the reforms are driven by the NSW Government, water management planning will be placed on a local community-driven footing with Local Government having a significant role to play. The Act is intended to provide better ways for the equitable sharing and wiser management of the State's water resources. It introduces new principles and processes which:
The Act recognises that a partnership between the community and government is the best way to approach the management of water resources and Local Government will be important players in this relationship. The rules and objectives which guide water management at a local level will be set out in Water Management Plans. The Water Management Plans will have legal standing and will consists of different components including:
These Plans will be prepared by Water Management Committees which must include representatives form Local Councils and other stakeholders. Although not the responsibility of Local Councils, the Act will continue to provide landholders with basic rights tied to the land. These are rights to take water for domestic and stock purposes as well as the right to harvest 10% of runoff from their land in dams. Harvesting rights came into effect in August 1999 and the legislation has been supported by assessment guidelines to assist in determining the allowable dam capacity on individual properties. The Water Management Act will introduce a new system for water licensing which will include the licensing arrangements for Councils for the provision of domestic water supplies. Currently the allowance (in megalitres) is automatically adjusted for population growth. Additional water can be easily obtained for industry. In the future water for industry will necessitate obtaining a new licence. However, if Councils manage to decrease water use through greater efficiency, they will be able to trade the surplus water. About the dataInformation was sourced from the NSW Water Management Bill 2000 - http://www.dlwc.nsw.gov.au/care/water/wml/index.html The NSW Water Management Bill 2000 is also available from Department of Land and Water Conservation (DLWC) offices -Information package from DLWC offices or DLWC Information Centre on Telephone 1800 353 104 Description: What does 'water demand management' measure?Which data are collected?
Why do we report this indicator?Many sectors of the community have traditional and legislative rights to water in the Region. It is important to manage the consequent demand appropriately to avoid conflicts over water resource use. There are a number of mechanisms for managing water demand in the Region. These include:
The way in which demand for water is managed is an indicator of the response by communities to the potential for water scarcity in the future, with the resulting impacts on the quality of life for human populations, and on the natural environment. |