❓ A WA parliamentary question regarding the Kimberley Regional Water Plan, focusing on release dates, groundwater allocation, and management of development impacts on water resources, particularly in the Fitzroy sub-region. The Minister provides responses regarding timelines, existing plans, licensing, and proponent responsibilities.
AnsweredQoN 3892Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the draft strategic direction and action paper for the Kimberley Regional Water Plan 2010-2030 and supporting details released by the Department of Water for public comment this year, and ask -
(1) What is the intended date for the final version of the plan to be released?
(2) What are the Government’s intentions regarding developing groundwater allocation plans for the Kimberley, including groundwater allocation limits, as has been done in other regions of Western Australia?
(3) If there is no intention to develop groundwater allocation plans and limits for the Kimberley and/or its groundwater sub-regions, why not?
(4) Given the significant development interest in the Kimberley, including proposed resource extraction in the Canning Basin and expanded agriculture and horticulture activities, how does the Department propose to manage the impact of these activities on the region’s water resources, given that in relation to the Fitzroy sub-region, the supporting details document states, page 49, that ‘current hydrological and hydrogeological knowledge of the Fitzroy River is limited and insufficient to support management decisions’?
(5) When is the National Water Commission-funded study into lower Fitzroy ground and surface water interaction due to be completed and does the Government intend to make it available to the public when it is?
(1) What is the intended date for the final version of the plan to be released?
(2) What are the Government’s intentions regarding developing groundwater allocation plans for the Kimberley, including groundwater allocation limits, as has been done in other regions of Western Australia?
(3) If there is no intention to develop groundwater allocation plans and limits for the Kimberley and/or its groundwater sub-regions, why not?
(4) Given the significant development interest in the Kimberley, including proposed resource extraction in the Canning Basin and expanded agriculture and horticulture activities, how does the Department propose to manage the impact of these activities on the region’s water resources, given that in relation to the Fitzroy sub-region, the supporting details document states, page 49, that ‘current hydrological and hydrogeological knowledge of the Fitzroy River is limited and insufficient to support management decisions’?
(5) When is the National Water Commission-funded study into lower Fitzroy ground and surface water interaction due to be completed and does the Government intend to make it available to the public when it is?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
28 June 2011
Responded by
Minister for Mental Health representing the Minister for Water
Response time
42 days
The Minister for Water provides the following response:
(1) The public comment period closes at the end of June 2011 and it is expected that the final plan would be finalised and released by December 2011.
(2) Water allocation plans are in place for the Broome and Derby groundwater areas, and the La Grange area of the West Canning Basin. A recent review of data from the Broome and Derby areas show that the allocation limits are still appropriate. The plans are scheduled to be updated after 2012. Allocation limits are in place for all other water management units across the Kimberley.
(3) Even where no plans are in place, groundwater take is managed through a site specific water licence. The water licence is the regulatory instrument.
(4) There is sufficient information to make management decisions on local, small scale agriculture and horticulture developments. This is standard procedure where allocation limits have not been determined. For large scale development applications, where scientific knowledge of water systems and their dependencies to support management decisions would need to be enhanced, the DoW would require the proponents to undertake investigative work to support their applications.
(5) The National Water Commission-funded study will be completed on 30 June 2011, at which time the report will be available to the public. The Department of Water has already given presentations on the general findings of the project to community members.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
(1) The public comment period closes at the end of June 2011 and it is expected that the final plan would be finalised and released by December 2011.
(2) Water allocation plans are in place for the Broome and Derby groundwater areas, and the La Grange area of the West Canning Basin. A recent review of data from the Broome and Derby areas show that the allocation limits are still appropriate. The plans are scheduled to be updated after 2012. Allocation limits are in place for all other water management units across the Kimberley.
(3) Even where no plans are in place, groundwater take is managed through a site specific water licence. The water licence is the regulatory instrument.
(4) There is sufficient information to make management decisions on local, small scale agriculture and horticulture developments. This is standard procedure where allocation limits have not been determined. For large scale development applications, where scientific knowledge of water systems and their dependencies to support management decisions would need to be enhanced, the DoW would require the proponents to undertake investigative work to support their applications.
(5) The National Water Commission-funded study will be completed on 30 June 2011, at which time the report will be available to the public. The Department of Water has already given presentations on the general findings of the project to community members.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.