Introduction The purpose of this report is to provide Ministerial Council members with information on account the timing, frequency and variability of the achievements, cooperative arrangements, flows. In doing so, planned environmental water challenges, and opportunities for improvement in contributes to specific environmental outcomes. the management of held environmental water in A much smaller, but increasing, subset of the Murray-Darling Basin. environmental water is the entitlements held by environmental water holders. and Commonwealth governments are committed to sustainable water management in Holders of environmental water entitlements the Murray-Darling Basin to support healthy include the Murray Darling Basin Authority (on rivers, strong communities and a productive behalf of The Living Murray program*), the New economy. Basin jurisdictions have participated in South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage, a significant program of reforms over the past the Victorian Environmental Water Holder and twenty years to address over-allocation and Commonwealth Environmental Water. The return water to the environment. benefit of held environmental water is that it can be actively managed to meet environmental The majority of the environmental water in the objectives in a flexible and responsive way, often Basin is water, including above Cap ‘rules-based’ in conjunction with planned environmental water, water, committed through the plans developed to adapt to changing conditions and to help by Basin states to manage their water resources. mitigate emerging risks. Held environmental The purpose of this environmental ‘planned’ water can be transferred between catchments water is to reinstate natural flow patterns to where this is provided for, or it may be carried rivers and streams, taking into over or traded so that water is made available in different locations or in future years to enhance Estimate of planned and environmental outcomes. held environmental water++ Outcomes achieved to date As of 31 March 2012, environmental water holders within the Murray-Darling Basin held water entitlements that combined are estimated to provide a long-term average annual yield of 1,504 GL per year. In addition, NSW manages Planned environmental water (92.4%^) substantial volumes of planned ‘discretionary’ Commonwealth environmental (4.4%) environmental water, which requires a decision Other environmental water (3.2%) (TBC) for release. The management of some discretionary water—the Barmah-Millewa Forest Environmental Water Allocation—also involves
Introduction The purpose of this report is to provide Ministerial Council members with information on the achievements, cooperative arrangements, challenges, and opportunities for improvement in the management of held environmental water in the Murray-Darling Basin. and Commonwealth governments are committed to sustainable water management in the Murray-Darling Basin to support healthy rivers, strong communities and a productive economy. Basin jurisdictions have participated in a significant program of reforms over the past twenty years to address over-allocation and return water to the environment. The majority of the environmental water in the Basin is ‘rules-based’ water, including above Cap water, committed through the plans developed by Basin states to manage their water resources. The purpose of this ‘planned’ environmental water is to reinstate natural flow patterns to rivers and streams, taking into Estimate of planned and held environmental water++ Planned environmental water (92.4%^) Commonwealth environmental (4.4%) Other environmental water (3.2%) (TBC) account the timing, frequency and variability of flows. In doing so, planned environmental water contributes to specific environmental outcomes. A much smaller, but increasing, subset of environmental water is the entitlements held by environmental water holders. Holders of environmental water entitlements include the Murray Darling Basin Authority (on behalf of The Living Murray program*), the New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage, the Victorian Environmental Water Holder and Commonwealth Environmental Water. The benefit of held environmental water is that it can be actively managed to meet environmental objectives in a flexible and responsive way, often in conjunction with planned environmental water, to adapt to changing conditions and to help mitigate emerging risks. Held environmental water can be transferred between catchments where this is provided for, or it may be carried over or traded so that water is made available in different locations or in future years to enhance environmental outcomes. Outcomes achieved to date As of 31 March 2012, environmental water holders within the Murray-Darling Basin held water entitlements that combined are estimated to provide a long-term average annual yield of 1,504 GL per year. In addition, NSW manages substantial volumes of ‘discretionary’ planned environmental water, which requires a decision for release. The management of some discretionary water—the Barmah-Millewa Forest Environmental Water Allocation—also involves