The Victorian environmental water management framework

Transcription

1 The Victorian environmental water management framework Trent Wallis Co-Executive Officer Victorian Environmental Water Holder Legal Status of Rivers Summit, Melbourne Law School, 11 August 2017 Insert date insert Author insert position

2 Outline of Presentation Environmental watering: A short history Water entitlement framework The role of the Victorian Environmental Water Holder

3 A short history of environmental watering Before the development of dams, weirs and channels Increased water use Decreased river and wetland health After the development of dams, weirs and channels

4 Water Entitlement Framework Victoria's water entitlement framework is established in the Water Act 1989 The Government manages water resources across the state in accordance with the framework. Framework clearly defines how water is shared, held, used and traded. It allocates water to cities and towns, irrigation, agriculture and industry, while making sure that rivers and aquifers remain healthy.

5 The Water Entitlement Framework works at three levels Tier 1 Under the Water Act 1989, the Victorian Government retains the overall right to the use, flow and control of all surface water and groundwater on behalf of all Victorians. Tier 2 The Minister for Water is responsible for granting entitlements to water (including environmental entitlements) to authorities and setting limits and caps. Tier 3 Individual rights to water.

6 Key principles of the Water Entitlement Framework Secure water entitlements Sets limits on water entitlements caps on consumptive use Permissible Consumptive Volumes and Sustainable Diversion Limits Clear consultative processes relating to entitlements Clear rules to allocate water under entitlements Entitlements are tradeable Enables entitlement holders to manage their own water needs

7 Bulk Entitlements Only held by authorities specified under section 34 (1) of Water Act 1989, includes Water corporations Victorian Environmental Water Holder Bulk entitlements provide the right to take, store and use water subject to the terms and conditions specified in the entitlement No specified term, don t expire Water corporations use their bulk entitlement to supply customers including water shares holders, section 51 take and use licence holders (in regulated/semiregulated systems), supply by agreement holders and urban customers Can be amended via process set out in the Act. Process includes consideration of specified matters including impacts on other entitlement holders and on environmental water reserve

8 Environmental Water Reserve (EWR) Legally recognised amount of water set aside to meet environmental needs. The objective is to preserve the environmental values and health of water ecosystems. Environmental entitlements Generally identical in nature to bulk entitlement and held by the Victorian Environmental Water Holder. Provide for a share of the available resources. Obligations on entitlements Include passing flows that water corporations are obliged to provide out of a storage or past a diversion point. The proportion of passing flows provided to meet environmental needs is considered a part of the EWR. Above cap water Includes water that is left over after limits on diversions have been reached and unregulated flows which cannot be kept in storage. Most of the EWR is comprised of above cap water, and this component is most susceptible to climate change.

9 The Victorian Environmental Water Holder (VEWH) Established in 2011 under an amendment to the Water Act 1989 as a statutory body to: manage water recovered in Victoria (environmental entitlements) ensure independence, transparency, accountability and coordination Headed by a three member (soon to be four member) Ministerially appointed Commission, supported by a small office (14 staff) Works with catchment management authorities and Melbourne Water to ensure environmental water entitlements are used to achieve the best environmental outcome with the water that is available.

10 Who the VEWH partners with

11 Planning framework

12 VEWH entitlements

13 Entitlements in Victoria

14 Governance and demonstrating outcomes

15 Recent focus Key actions aligned to the Water for Victoria: A greater focus on shared benefits, including Aboriginal environmental outcomes, cultural and recreational outcomes Integrated catchment management outcomes New water entitlements for the Barwon and Thompson

16 Thank you For more information: Insert date insert Author insert position