❓ Dr. Honey asks about water resources and drawdown in the South West, 2019-22. The Minister provides data on allocation limits, licensed water volume, and estimated abstraction for Perth and the South West, including groundwater and surface water.
AnsweredQoN 622Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the water resources available and water drawdown in the south west region, covering the three years 2019-20 to 2021-22, and ask: (a) What was the sustainable ground water yield for the superficial aquifers in the Perth regional area; (b) What was the sustainable ground water yield for the superficial aquifers in the south west region outside Perth; (c) What was the sustainable ground water yield for the deep aquifers in the Perth regional area; (d) What was the sustainable ground water yield for the deep aquifers in the south west region outside Perth; (e) What was the sustainable surface water yield for the south west region including Perth; (f) What volume of water was drawn from Perth's superficial aquifer for each of those years; (g) What volume of water was drawn from Perth's deep aquifer for each of those years; (h) What volume of water was drawn from superficial aquifers in the south west region outside Perth for each of those years; (i) What volume of water was drawn or flowed into dams from surface water sources in the south west region including Perth; (j) Does the Department of Water compile, or receive from any other organisation, annual estimates on total water flows for each region, sustainable yields and usage from different sources, and if not, why not; and (k) If the Department does have such reports, will the Minister table the last 5 annual reports on water availability, and if not, why not?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
14 February 2023
Responded by
Minister for Water
Response time
9 days
Answer
(a) – (i) Sustainable yields are determined in water allocation plans prepared by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, which establish an annual resource allocation limit. The tables below provide the allocation limits, volume of water licensed and estimated abstraction (volume of water drawn) from the Perth and South West region superficial and deep aquifers (groundwater) and surface water for the three years 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 respectively.
2019-20
Region i
Resource Type ii
Sum of allocation limits iii (GL) @ 30 June 2020
Volume of water licensed (GL) @ 30 June 2020
Estimated abstraction iv (GL)
Perth
Superficial aquifers
335
270
288
Perth
Deep aquifers
150
149
119
Perth
Surface water
226
226
21
South West
Superficial aquifers
57
42
29
South West
Deep aquifers
151
160 v
96
South West
Surface water
447
358
164
2020-21
Region
Resource Type
Sum of allocation limits (GL) @ 30 June 2021
Volume of water licensed (GL) @ 30 June 2021
Estimated abstraction (GL)
Perth
Superficial aquifers
334
266
311
Perth
Deep aquifers
163
163
134
Perth
Surface water
226
225
30
South West
Superficial aquifers
57
42
36
South West
Deep aquifers
151
160
94
South West
Surface water
448
361
160
2021-22
Region
Resource Type
Sum of allocation limits (GL) @ 30 June 2022
Volume of water licensed (GL) @ 30 June 2022
Estimated abstraction vi (GL)
Perth
Superficial aquifers
312
277
Not yet available
Perth
Deep aquifers
162
162
Not yet available
Perth
Surface water
226
226
Not yet available
South West
Superficial aquifers
57
43
Not yet available
South West
Deep aquifers
151
161
Not yet available
South West
Surface water
445
358
Not yet available
i Perth comprises the following water resource management areas: Canning River, Cockburn, Cockburn/Kwinana Coastal, Dandalup River System, Gnangara, Gwelup, Helena River, Jandakot, Kwinana Peel Coastal, Mirrabooka, Murray, Murray River and Tributaries, Perth, Rockingham, Serpentine, Serpentine River Catchment, South West Coastal (Coastal, Colburra Downs, Falcon, Island Point, Mandurah, Whitehills, Lake Clifton), Stakehill, Swan, Swan Coastal, Swan River and Tributaries, Wanneroo, and Yanchep management areas. South West region comprises the following water resource management areas: Blackwood, Bunbury, Busselton Coast, Busselton-Capel, Capel River, Collie, Donnelly River and Tributaries, Dwellingup, Harvey, Lower Blackwood, Middle Blackwood, Muir-Unicup, Nornalup, Preston Area, Shannon-Gardner, South West Coastal (Myalup, Wellesley, Harvey, Lake Preston, Kemerton), Upper Blackwood, Warren River and Tributaries.
ii ‘Deep aquifers’ includes the following resources: Cattamarra Coal Measures, Leederville, Lesueur Sandstone, Sue Coal Measures Yaragadee, Mullalo, Lower Collie Group, Muja, Stockton. ‘Superficial aquifers’ includes all Superficial, Surficial and Mirrabooka resources. Fractured Rock and saline resources are excluded.
i ii The annual allocation limit defines how much water can be abstracted for consumptive use from a proclaimed water resource. It includes all water that can be taken under licence and estimates of water uses that are exempt from water licensing.
iv Estimated abstraction includes metered data and estimated abstraction for uses that are unmetered, including uses that do not require a licence such as garden bores.
v The Deep aquifers of the South West are shown as over-allocated with respect to the allocation limit. This is primarily due to licenced entitlements for safe dewatering of coal mining operations in the Collie Basin.
vi Data collection and quality assurance for Estimated abstraction in 2021-22 is not yet completed.
(j) The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation undertakes its own data collection from more than 300 streamflow gauging stations and 3000 groundwater monitoring bores throughout the state. The information collected is available online via the Department’s Water Information Reporting tool.
In Western Australia, annual streamflow information is not used to determine a different sustainable yield from year to year. Instead, sustainable yields are determined in water allocation plans, which establish an annual resource allocation limit.
(k) The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation’s annual reports include a summary of the total annual licensed water entitlement for Western Australia’s groundwater and surface water resources. The Department’s last five annual reports have previously been tabled as follows:
Reporting year
Tabling date
Tabled paper number
2017-18
9 October 2018
1890
2018-19
25 September 2019
2805
2019-20
23 September 2020
3716
2020-21
13 October 2021
704
2021-22
26 October 2022
1617
(a) – (i) Sustainable yields are determined in water allocation plans prepared by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, which establish an annual resource allocation limit. The tables below provide the allocation limits, volume of water licensed and estimated abstraction (volume of water drawn) from the Perth and South West region superficial and deep aquifers (groundwater) and surface water for the three years 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 respectively.
2019-20
Region i
Resource Type ii
Sum of allocation limits iii (GL) @ 30 June 2020
Volume of water licensed (GL) @ 30 June 2020
Estimated abstraction iv (GL)
Perth
Superficial aquifers
335
270
288
Perth
Deep aquifers
150
149
119
Perth
Surface water
226
226
21
South West
Superficial aquifers
57
42
29
South West
Deep aquifers
151
160 v
96
South West
Surface water
447
358
164
2020-21
Region
Resource Type
Sum of allocation limits (GL) @ 30 June 2021
Volume of water licensed (GL) @ 30 June 2021
Estimated abstraction (GL)
Perth
Superficial aquifers
334
266
311
Perth
Deep aquifers
163
163
134
Perth
Surface water
226
225
30
South West
Superficial aquifers
57
42
36
South West
Deep aquifers
151
160
94
South West
Surface water
448
361
160
2021-22
Region
Resource Type
Sum of allocation limits (GL) @ 30 June 2022
Volume of water licensed (GL) @ 30 June 2022
Estimated abstraction vi (GL)
Perth
Superficial aquifers
312
277
Not yet available
Perth
Deep aquifers
162
162
Not yet available
Perth
Surface water
226
226
Not yet available
South West
Superficial aquifers
57
43
Not yet available
South West
Deep aquifers
151
161
Not yet available
South West
Surface water
445
358
Not yet available
i Perth comprises the following water resource management areas: Canning River, Cockburn, Cockburn/Kwinana Coastal, Dandalup River System, Gnangara, Gwelup, Helena River, Jandakot, Kwinana Peel Coastal, Mirrabooka, Murray, Murray River and Tributaries, Perth, Rockingham, Serpentine, Serpentine River Catchment, South West Coastal (Coastal, Colburra Downs, Falcon, Island Point, Mandurah, Whitehills, Lake Clifton), Stakehill, Swan, Swan Coastal, Swan River and Tributaries, Wanneroo, and Yanchep management areas. South West region comprises the following water resource management areas: Blackwood, Bunbury, Busselton Coast, Busselton-Capel, Capel River, Collie, Donnelly River and Tributaries, Dwellingup, Harvey, Lower Blackwood, Middle Blackwood, Muir-Unicup, Nornalup, Preston Area, Shannon-Gardner, South West Coastal (Myalup, Wellesley, Harvey, Lake Preston, Kemerton), Upper Blackwood, Warren River and Tributaries.
ii ‘Deep aquifers’ includes the following resources: Cattamarra Coal Measures, Leederville, Lesueur Sandstone, Sue Coal Measures Yaragadee, Mullalo, Lower Collie Group, Muja, Stockton. ‘Superficial aquifers’ includes all Superficial, Surficial and Mirrabooka resources. Fractured Rock and saline resources are excluded.
i ii The annual allocation limit defines how much water can be abstracted for consumptive use from a proclaimed water resource. It includes all water that can be taken under licence and estimates of water uses that are exempt from water licensing.
iv Estimated abstraction includes metered data and estimated abstraction for uses that are unmetered, including uses that do not require a licence such as garden bores.
v The Deep aquifers of the South West are shown as over-allocated with respect to the allocation limit. This is primarily due to licenced entitlements for safe dewatering of coal mining operations in the Collie Basin.
vi Data collection and quality assurance for Estimated abstraction in 2021-22 is not yet completed.
(j) The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation undertakes its own data collection from more than 300 streamflow gauging stations and 3000 groundwater monitoring bores throughout the state. The information collected is available online via the Department’s Water Information Reporting tool.
In Western Australia, annual streamflow information is not used to determine a different sustainable yield from year to year. Instead, sustainable yields are determined in water allocation plans, which establish an annual resource allocation limit.
(k) The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation’s annual reports include a summary of the total annual licensed water entitlement for Western Australia’s groundwater and surface water resources. The Department’s last five annual reports have previously been tabled as follows:
Reporting year
Tabling date
Tabled paper number
2017-18
9 October 2018
1890
2018-19
25 September 2019
2805
2019-20
23 September 2020
3716
2020-21
13 October 2021
704
2021-22
26 October 2022
1617
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