The Warren-Donnelly plan area is in the south-west of Western Australia. It covers the Donnelly and Warren river basins, which together cover an area of almost 6100 km2. The townships of Manjimup and Pemberton are located within the plan area.
Surface water resources in the plan area
Rivers in the area include the Warren River and its tributaries; including Tone, Perup, Yerraminup, and Wilgarup rivers and Lefroy Brook, and the Donnelly River and its tributaries, including Barlee Brook.
For allocation planning and licensing purposes, the department has divided the Warren-Donnelly area into 25 surface water resources (see map), which are based on hydrological catchment boundaries. For allocation planning and licensing, we refer to surface water resources instead of referring to the one major river or stream that drains the resource unit.
Allocation planning in the Warren-Donnelly area
The department has completed an allocation plan for surface water resources in the Warren-Donnelly area. The Warren-Donnelly surface water allocation plan was released by the Minister for Water in Manjimup on the 24 April 2012. Supporting documents to the plan were released at the same time – Warren-Donnelly surface water allocation plan methods report and Warren-Donnelly surface water allocation plan: Statement of Response. These detail how we developed the plan and provide the department’s responses to public submissions responding to the plan for comment released in June 2010.
The department uses the Warren-Donnelly surface water allocation plan to maintain a high reliability of supply to water users and the environment in the Warren-Donnelly area. The plan describes:
- the total amount of water that is available to be licensed
- water resource objectives and desired outcomes
- the policies that will be applied as part of the department’s licence decisions
- our approach to managing water in the Warren-Donnelly area.
The plan introduced allocation limits and for the first time, formalised how we manage and allocate surface water in the area. The new allocation limits define how much surface water is available in each surface water resource and replace previous limits.
The department will regularly evaluate whether the plan outcomes and water resource objectives are being met. Results of the evaluation will be published annually in an evaluation statement.
Why have we prepared an allocation plan for Warren-Donnelly surface water resources?
The department began work on the Warren–Donnelly surface water allocation plan in 2008 when a sustainable diversion limits study indicated that some rivers may be fully or over allocated. This meant that individual licence assessments were no longer sufficient to manage the resource effectively at a subarea scale and allocation limits needed to be introduced.
How can I access the information used in developing the plan or related to Warren-Donnelly surface water resources?
We are committed to making the information that we use in the planning process or produce as a result of studies available to the public. A full list can be seen via the publications area at the top right of this page.
Please click on the links to access the following documents:
Allocation plan and supporting documents
Warren-Donnelly surface water allocation plan
Publish Date: 24/04/2012
Warren-Donnelly surface water allocation plan : statement of response
Publish Date: 24/04/2012
Warren-Donnelly surface water allocation : methods report
Publish Date: 24/04/2012
Warren-Donnelly surface water allocation plan : for public comment
Publish Date: 04/06/2010
Ecological reports
Peer review of ecologically sustainable yield method in south-west Australian streams
Publish Date: 01/05/2012
Ecological water requirement for Lefroy Brook
Publish Date: 01/02/2009
Ecological values of seven South-West rivers : desktop review
Publish Date: 30/10/2008
Donnelly river action plan
Publish Date: 13/10/2008
Social and cultural reports
Lefroy Brook : surface water management : issue scoping report [prepared for Department of Water]
Publish Date: 12/04/2010
Hydrological reports
Lefroy Brook hydrology summary
Publish Date: 01/07/2008
Impacts of farm dams on streamflow : impacts of farm dams in Lefroy Brook upstream of Channybearup
Publish Date: 12/04/2010
Further information
For licensing information, please contact the South West Regional office in Manjimup. Phone (08) 9771 1878.
For planning information, please contact Robert Donohue (project manager) in the Department of Water's water allocation planning branch. Phone( 08) 6364 6822 or email robert.donohue@water.wa.gov.au.