Urban water planning
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Legislation, regulation, statutory instruments, licences (colour code: orange) |
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Institutions or individuals, such as a state minister & departments, authorities,water customers, associations & activities (colour code: green) |
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Non-statutory documents & activities (colour code: blue) |
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Document in draft form (colour code: red) |
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Document or product under development (colour code: purple) |
Minister for Water
Has responsibility for the Department of Water, Water Corporation, Busselton Water Board and Aqwest (Bunbury Water Board). The Minister is supported by the Department of Water.
Water Corporation
A government owned business enterprise established by the Water Corporation Act 1995, the Water Corporation provides water, sewerage and drainage services to 97% of Western Australia’s population and bulk water supplies to irrigation districts. The Water Corporation owns and operates 110 dams and reservoirs, and is responsible for water supply planning and infrastructure management.
The Water Corporation’s water charges are regulated by by-laws made by the Minister for Water under the Water Agencies (Powers) Act 1984.
www.watercorporation.com.au
Department of Water
Has prime responsibility for water resource planning, management and regulation, and administration of water entitlements and water rights in Western Australia. The Department also undertakes water resource policy, investigations and assessment.
www.water.wa.gov.au
Integrated water supply scheme source development plan 2005-2050
This plan was developed by the Water Corporation to meet the water needs of areas supplied by the integrated water supply scheme. The scheme services over 75% of the state’s population including the Perth metropolitan area. The plan encompasses investigation and development of supplies from dams, groundwater, recycled water and desalinisation to address current and future needs. This plan is currently being updated and will be replaced by Water Forever, a strategy for Perth and the surrounding areas to secure water and wastewater service delivery for the next 50 years, which will be managed by the Water Corporation.
The State water plan 2007
The State water plan 2007 provides a framework to plan and manage Western Australia’s water resources. It sets out, broad strategic directions and policies, a framework for water planning and priority actions to be implemented over the next three to five years. The plan includes an overview of water availability and use in Western Australia, current and projected trends in water demand and options available to meet these demands. The Department of Water takes the lead role for delivering the SWP, working with then other government agencies to achieve the SWP objectives.
An example of urban water planning is the Gnangara Sustainability Strategy which is being developed by the Department of Water with other government agencies and water service providers.
Regional Water Plan
Regional water plans are developed by the Department of Water, are strategic in nature and have a long-term planning horizon that aligns with the State water plan 2007. They:
• assess current water resource management and service delivery in the region
• identify current and forecast future water availability and demand
• set priority actions to implement water policy and planning, improve water resource management and establish water management plans.
Nine regional plans are proposed for the state. An example is the Perth-Peel regional water plan that will consolidate available water information and current activities in a for the Perth-Peel region.
Strategic water issue plans
These plans provide guidance on urgent strategic issues and can address matters that cannot be dealt with by other plans in the water planning framework.
An example of a strategic water issue plan is the Western Australian rural water plan, released in 2000. This plan was developed in response to the need to improve reliability of access to water supplies in agricultural and pastoral areas. The plan incorporates several water supply initiatives to improve on-farm, pastoral and community water supplies.
Over time, strategic water issue plans should integrate with other strategic and water management plans.
Water management plans
The planning direction provided by the State water plan 2007 and regional water plans will be supported by detailed water management plans to protect and share water resources and manage land-use changes.
The Department of Water is developing a range of water management plans to allocate water sustainably, protect drinking-water sources, preserve our waterways, and manage drainage and floodplains. Plans that have been or are being developed include allocation plans (e.g. for the Canning surface water, Gnangara and North Perth Basin areas), drinking water source protection plans (e.g. for the Canning River, Mundaring Weir and Stirling Dam catchment areas), drainage and water management plans (e.g. for the Jandakot area), floodplain plans and waterway management plans.