Submission on Draft Water Sharing Plan for the Murrumbidgee River
Submission on Draft Water Sharing Plan for the Murrumbidgee River
Submission on Draft Water Sharing Plan for the Murrumbidgee River
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Inland <strong>River</strong>s Network and Nature C<strong>on</strong>servati<strong>on</strong> Council submissi<strong>on</strong>:<br />
<strong>Draft</strong> <strong>Water</strong> <strong>Sharing</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Murrumbidgee</strong> Regulated <strong>River</strong> <strong>Water</strong> Source – 14 June 2002<br />
Recommendati<strong>on</strong>s<br />
IRN, NCC and ACF recommend that:<br />
• The per<strong>for</strong>mance indicators in Table 3 are added to <strong>the</strong> WSP:<br />
Biological Per<strong>for</strong>mance<br />
Indicators<br />
• Invertebrates<br />
- DLWC and community role<br />
- require seas<strong>on</strong>al m<strong>on</strong>itoring<br />
(spring/autumn)<br />
- AusRivas may be a good<br />
model<br />
- Need to m<strong>on</strong>itor:<br />
- hyporrheic<br />
- sediment<br />
- water column<br />
- surface<br />
- vegetative<br />
• Fish<br />
- NSW Fisheries and<br />
Universities role<br />
- need to m<strong>on</strong>itor species and<br />
abundance (ie fish, oysters,<br />
crustaceans etc)<br />
- need to m<strong>on</strong>itor seas<strong>on</strong>ally<br />
(ie 4 times a year)<br />
• Birds<br />
- NPWS and community role<br />
- Need to m<strong>on</strong>itor species and<br />
abundance (including<br />
breeding events)<br />
• Mammals/vertebrates<br />
- NPWS and community role<br />
- need to include threatened<br />
species and species of local<br />
significance<br />
• E.coli, bacteria, viruses,<br />
algae<br />
Table 3: Proposed Envir<strong>on</strong>mental Per<strong>for</strong>mance Indicators<br />
Chemical<br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance<br />
Indicators<br />
• <strong>Water</strong><br />
quality<br />
(ANZECC<br />
guideline<br />
‘trigger values’)<br />
Need to<br />
m<strong>on</strong>itor:<br />
- pH<br />
- BOD<br />
- Turbidity<br />
- TDS<br />
- Temperature<br />
- Total<br />
Nitrogen<br />
- Total<br />
Phosphorus<br />
- Pesticides<br />
Physical Per<strong>for</strong>mance<br />
Indicators<br />
• DLWC, universities<br />
& community role<br />
• Erosi<strong>on</strong><br />
• Siltati<strong>on</strong><br />
• Bank stability<br />
• Flows<br />
- velocity<br />
- quantity<br />
- seas<strong>on</strong>ality<br />
• Depth to water table<br />
• Bench wetting<br />
• Floodplain<br />
inundati<strong>on</strong><br />
• Durati<strong>on</strong> & frequency<br />
of cease to flow<br />
• Subsidence<br />
• Riffle/pool<br />
c<strong>on</strong>necti<strong>on</strong><br />
• <strong>Water</strong> usage<br />
• Success of demand<br />
mgmt strategies<br />
• Extracti<strong>on</strong> density<br />
Habitat<br />
Per<strong>for</strong>mance<br />
Indicators<br />
• Estuarine health<br />
(seagrass,<br />
mangroves)<br />
• Riparian veg<br />
extent and health<br />
• Aquatic veg extent<br />
and health<br />
• Snags<br />
• Identify GDE's<br />
• GDE's c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong><br />
& extent<br />
• High priority<br />
• Med priority<br />
• Low priority<br />
• CAMBA and<br />
JAMBA<br />
requirements<br />
• wetlands<br />
• If per<strong>for</strong>mance indicator targets are not met, a review is triggered and <strong>the</strong> findings incorporated into <strong>the</strong><br />
WSP.<br />
• If a new threatened species, populati<strong>on</strong>s or ecological community is found, this is an indicati<strong>on</strong> that <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>Plan</strong> is not working and it must trigger a complete review of <strong>the</strong> whole <strong>Water</strong> <strong>Sharing</strong> <strong>Plan</strong>.<br />
• The WSP be audited every year. Fur<strong>the</strong>r, we recommend that <strong>the</strong> Minister should undertake to m<strong>on</strong>itor<br />
water quality and water use applying <strong>the</strong> SMART targets. Results are to be reported annually in <strong>the</strong> audit<br />
throughout <strong>the</strong> ten-year tenure of <strong>the</strong> plan.<br />
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