Transcript first one murray darling river intro

La Trobe University
29 June 2006
Reaching interstate consensus
- Recent challenges and lessons from the
MDBC
Bob Douglas
Director, Water Policy Coordination
Murray-Darling Basin Commission
Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin
• 1.06 million sq. km
Charleville
• 15% land mass
Warrego
Balonne
QUEENSLAND
Brisbane
Border
• 6.1% of Australia’s total run off
• major river system
• 2 million people
Barwon
SOUTH
AUSTRALIA
Darling
Meninde
Lakes
Morgan
Moree
Bourke
Macquarie
Dubbo
Menindee
NEW SOUTH WALES
Forbes
Lake
Vi ctoria
Lachlan
Mildura
Adelaide
Murray
Sydney
Murrumbidgie
Murray Bridge
Canberra
Swan Hill
• 2 capital cities
Albury
VICTORIA
Melbourne
200 km
Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin
• highly modified environment
• extremes in climatic variability
• environmentally significant
• economically and socially important
Flows are small
River
Average Annual Flow
(GL)
(approx)
Amazon (Sth America)
5,518,800
Yangtze (China)
1,014,700
Yenisey/ Selenga (Russia)
567,700
Ganga (India)
525,000
Mississippi/Missouri
(USA)
405,100
Nile (Africa)
88,500
Hwang Ho (China)
51,100
Murray
14,700
Ratio of maximum annual flow to minimum annual
flow for selected rivers
COUNTRY
RIVER
RATIO BETWEEN THE
MAXIMUM and the
MINIMUM ANNUAL
FLOWS
BRAZIL
AMAZON
1.3
SWITZERLAND
RHINE
1.9
CHINA
YANGTZE
2.0
SUDAN
WHITE NILE
2.4
USA
POTOMAC
3.9
SOUTH AFRICA
ORANGE
16.9
AUSTRALIA
MURRAY
15.5
AUSTRALIA
HUNTER
54.3
AUSTRALIA
DARLING
4705.2
900
MDB rainfall
variability
(480mm
annual
average)
800
Rainfall (mm)
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1900
1920
1940
1960
1980
2000
Calendar Year
Annual Inflow (GL)
River Murray
system
showing
extended
drought
periods
Total River Murray System Inflows (including Darling River)
extended droughts shown in red
25 000
20 000
15 000
10 000
5 000
0
1892
Long-term Median Inflow (9 000 GL/yr)
1902
1912
1922
1932
1942
1952
1962
1972
1982
1992
2002
Environmentally significant
• large ecological range – alpine to
rainforest to arid
• numerous reserves, national parks
• 16 RAMSAR sites
• world heritage convention listings
• internationally important biosphere
reserves
• breeding grounds for migratory birds
• at least 35 endangered birds
• at least 16 endangered mammals
Economic importance
• 40% of Australian agriculture
– approx $14 billion
• 70% of irrigated agriculture
– approx $7 billion
•
•
•
•
Tourism
Manufacturing (food processing)
Mining
Rural Communities
Highly regulated river system
•
•
•
•
•
$2 billion infrastructure
resource sharing/ allocations
high levels of climatic variability
water flows
impacts of river regulation
Murray-Darling Basin
Commission
• Murray-Darling Basin Agreement
• 6 governments working together
• Charter
"to promote and co-ordinate effective
planning and management for the
equitable efficient and sustainable use of
the water, land and other environmental
resources of the Murray-Darling Basin."
SIX GOVERNMENTS
Aust Gov. NSW Vic SA Qld ACT
Community
Advisory
Committee
MURRAY-DARLING BASIN
MINISTERIAL COUNCIL
MURRAY-DARLING BASIN
COMMISSION
Living Murray
Committee
River Murray
Water Committee
Natural Resources
Management
Committee
MDBC Office
Commission
Strategy
Committee
Major Challenges for the MDBC
• coordination between 6 govts
• sharing the water
– highly regulated system
– 5 jurisdictions
– industries, environment, communities
• managing as one catchment
– synergies between strategies
– implementing The Living Murray
• major risks to shared water resources
Growth of surface water use in
Murray-Darling Basin
14000
Average Natural Flow to Sea
Full development of existing entitlements
Annual Diversion (GL/Year)
12000
10000
8000
Total
The Cap
Average Natural Flow to
Sea
'88
'94
6000
4000
2000
0
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
Year
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
River Murray Environmental Flows
Risks to shared water resources
• number of risk factors may reduce annual
surface flows in the MDB by about 20% over
the next 20 years.
• also impact on
– flow regime
– water quality and
– water security
• impact is uncertain
• estimated reduction in water volume between
2,500GL and 5,500 GL in 20 years
• (average annual flow ~ 14,700 GL)
Risks to shared water resources
•
•
•
•
climate change
growth in dams
increased groundwater use
reduction in return flows from
irrigation
• reforestation/ land use change
• bushfires
Climate change
• estimated largest and most likely reduction
in flow
• increase the other risks
• potentially reduce stream flow by
– 1,100 GL in 10 years (5% of annual flow)
– 3,300 GL in 50 years (15% of annual flow)
Predicted regional differences in
percentage reductions in annual
stream flow. Dark red indicates greatest
reductions.
(Source: Jones and Brooke).
Growth in Dams
• impact on water volume second to climate
change
• evidence suggesting number and size of
farm dams increased significantly in last
10 years
• estimated total streamflow reduction by
– 250 to 3,000 GL / year in 20 years
– 400 to 4,000 GL/ year in 50 years
• future impact depends on effectiveness of
legislation or policies
Groundwater systems
¹
Legend
Quaternary
50 100
200
300
400
500
Kilometers
n
La
ds
QLD Basalt
0
bo
ro
h
ug
Narrabri
y
Hw
Murray Trench
Bu
n
Cunnamulla Balonne Hwy
Murray Grp
#
# Bourke
Namoi
Hwy
C ity
Sil ve
r
River
Yanco
Swan Hill
Murray
New ell Hw y
um
River O H
ve
ns
e
Goulb urn
ra
l
#
er
r
y
Hw
CANBERRA
wy
o H
Bendigo
Ri
ve
Cowra
de
Fe
y
Hw
# Riv
Echuca#
#
#
e
Om
y
Hw
Naracoorte
Borun
Weg Hw y
ste
rn
Hw
y
#
Creek
#
n
Monaro Hwy
w yces
PHr in
#
Bordertown
Loddon
es
#
wy
r wHy
de H
saila
r aCy
k
Du
y
Ouyen Hw
# Pinnaroo
y
#
Hw
# Renmark
#
MuMid Western Hwy Forbes
rru
mb
i dg
ee
R iv
er
Mildura
r
Tu
ro
Dubbo
River
b
Waikerie
r
n
Su
# #
n
ve
#
Peel
b
Co
c
La
Morgan
a
hl
Ri
River
y
ac y H w
q le
Oxuar
ie
Ri
ve
Barrier Hwy
#
H wy
M
wy
Menindee
r
Narrabri
y
Hw
H
Rive
#
el l
er
Gw yd
ir
#
H wy
g
tch
n
rli
r
i ve
Mi
Da
R
lg
B
oa
r eag h
Cu
r
y
Moonie Hw
r
# St. George
Du m
ve
i
aresq
R
mi
oo
e
Castl
ve
Ri
Highlands/GAB
#
Toowoomba
Car
n
Parilla
Murray Bridge
ya
Hw
on
arv
Cowra
ri
Bar
Warrego Hw y
y
#
Hw
y
Charleville
Shepparton
River
Source: Groundwater Status Report 1990-2000
• constitutes 10-15% of
water used
• significant growth in
groundwater use
• connectivity
• may threaten surface
water availability
• consistency in defining
sustainable yield
Reduction in return flows in
irrigation
• water diverted for irrigation losses through
leakage and evaporation
• flows back to river and groundwater
systems if not used
• more efficient water use
– reduced flows back to stream
– could increase salinity
Reforestation/ land use change
• plantations potentially reduce water yield in a
catchment
• productive forestry areas tend to have water
yield impacts
• reduction in water flow depends on
plantations location and size
Source: BRS
Increase of plantation
forestry in Australia
(current and
trajectory) towards
the 2020 Vision.
Bushfires
• bushfires in 2003 affected high rainfall
areas in MDB catchment
• severe fires have long term effects
• affect water quality and reduce surface
and groundwater levels
• climate change ↑ frequency and intensity
of dry periods = ↑ bushfires
Variation in run-off from
Mountain Ash forests.
(source: Kuczera)
Estimated impact
Estimated impact of the six risks on Murray-Darling Basin
surface water by 2020.
Darkest colours show most likely impact
(Source: MDBC)
Shared water resources
Water shared between jurisdictions (includes
both groundwater and surface water)
Framework
• need to consider the risks together in an
integrated and adaptive way
• understand the interrelationships of the
various activities and processes and effect on
water quantity and quality in the Basin
• working with the jurisdictions to address the
risks requires
– collaboration
– building on and enhancing the actions already
being taken by individual jurisdictions
– identifying where value can be added by a
more integrated and collaborative approach
– ensuring there is adequate commitment and
resources within the jurisdictions
Michael Bell
www.mdbc.gov.au
"
1 Independent President +
2 Federal
2 Qld
"
2 SA
"
2 NSW
"
"
"
2 Vic
"
"
1 ACT
MDBC Relationships
Partner
Governments
Partner Government
Agencies for land, water &
environment
MDB Ministerial
Council
MDBMC Community
Advisory Committee
Basin Communities
Constructing
Authorities
MDB
Commission
Indigenous
groups
Regional catchment
management
organisations
National Water
Commission
MDB
Commission
Commission
Office
Other water
bodies
(‘Water for
Rivers’ (JGE)
and Snowy
Hydro)
Commission
Boards,
Committees
and working
groups
MDBC
partner
programs
(eg.
MDFRC,
CRCs)
Research
bodies
Local
Governments
Environmental
Groups
Industry
Groups (eg,
irrigation and
water
businesses,
tourism)