Western Region Sustainable Water Strategy.

Western Region Sustainable Water Strategy (2011) identifies potential challenges for water management and opportunities to secure water resources for the next 50 years. It outlines policies and actions to ensure sustainable water supply and management over that period.
The policies and actions in the Strategy are designed to provide increased certainty for water users and environmental managers; promote sustainable urban, industrial and rural water use; and protect and improve the health of waterways, aquifers, wetlands and estuaries. Actions include recognizing existing rights; developing local management plans; monitoring water use outside the entitlement framework to assess the potential risks to water supplies; managing the adverse impacts of significant land use change on water availability; making the best use of existing supplies, while exploring the potential to use alternative, fit-for-purpose supplies and making more water available for sustainable use where it can be done without risk to existing water users or the environment; increasing and protecting the environment’s share of water; adopting an adaptive and integrated management approach with complementary river restoration activities and a seasonally adaptive approach to make the best use of available water.
Moreover the Strategy outlines integrated approaches to manage groundwater resources, land use change and the Wimmera-Mallee supply system. Follow some examples: better aligning the management of licensed groundwater use with the characteristics of each groundwater system; groundwater monitoring; developing local management plans to clearly specify rules for sharing groundwater in times of shortage and for water trading; monitoring changes in the water balance caused by significant land use change; amending the Water Act 1989 to enable the Minister for Water to declare and manage “intensive management” areas to protect other water users and the environment; recognizing the rights to existing use in intensive management areas but controlling expansion of new large forestry developments and also requiring development approval. To what concern the management of the Wimmera-Mallee Pipeline and the Wimmera-Glenelg system the Strategy recommends to clarify how water from the pipeline will be shared between different users, particularly in times of shortage, improving management of the system and clarifying the roles and responsibilities to maximise the benefits for users, the environment and recreation and to protect against future drought;encouraging adaptive management and periodic reviews of the water sharing and operating; arrangements to make the system more efficient; improving reliability of supply from the pipeline and managing drought risks with a system reserve, carryover and trade; making the best use of environmental water; clarifying principles for providing water for recreational use in wet years and improving opportunities for recreation in the supply are