Water Kit - Hunter Water
Water Kit - Hunter Water Water Kit - Hunter Water
Impacts on groundwater quality in the hunter Groundwater is vulnerable to human impacts. Even small changes to the groundwater catchment can create a slow but significant change to water quality and quantity over time. There are a variety of impacts on groundwater management, including: • Water extraction: overuse of groundwater can affect the level of water stocks and potentially remove the natural buffer between the aquifer and saline sea water, allowing a flow of sea water into the freshwater sandbeds. • Industrial land use: industrial development can result in deforestation, water pollution and compaction of the sandbeds, and reduce the storage capacity and quality of the aquifer. • Urban development: pesticides and fertilizers used in urban areas can infiltrate the soil and move into the aquifer. Large areas of the land sealed as roads, roofs, driveways and paths cause a decrease in infiltration and thereby reduce replenishment of groundwater supplies. • Sewerage disposal: leaking septic tanks can seep into groundwater and cause contamination. • Mineral and sand mining: can cause damage to groundwater by exposing the water to the air. This begins as a series of chemical reactions which can result in ‘grey water’ and increased concentration of minerals, such as iron. Managing Groundwater in the Lower Hunter The sustainable management of groundwater will ensure that this resource is available for continued human use, and remain an important factor in sustaining local ecosystems. Up until 1991, Hunter Water managed Tomago Sandbeds to provide water to Newcastle. Under Hunter Water’s management, some groundwater sources were classified as special areas and attract a high level of protection. In other areas licences were necessary to access a specified volume of water. These strategies ensured that the quality of water remained high. Since 1991 the management of the sandbeds has been controlled by the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources. New legislation empowered DIPNR to manage the resource to maximise benefits and minimise impacts. The Hunter Water (Special Areas Regulation came into effect in 2003, replacing the 1997 regulation. This regulation gives power to the Director General to issue directions for the management, disposal or removal of any substance that may harm any waters in the Special Area. The Water Management Licence issued to Hunter Water under the Water Act 1912 is administered by DIPNR. The licence authorises Hunter Water to take and use water, and places rules on extractions from Chichester and the Williams River, and groundwater from Tomago and Tomaree Sandbeds. The licence requires Hunter Water’s management of water resources to follow the principles of sustainability and to manage its land in order to protect water quality. Management of the Sandbeds is guided by the following principles: • Water levels in the aquifer should be managed in a way that maintains the health of wetlands and other ecosystems • Unacceptable salt water intrusion is prevented by maintaining appropriate water levels • Unacceptable changes in the levels of chemical ions in the groundwater must be prevented • The amount of groundwater extracted annually should not exceed the average annual recharge (ie the amount of water entering the aquifer on average each year) • maintaining a management plan for the area Raw water is primarily extracted from the Inner Barrier zone Water from the sandbed is extracted by sinking bores underground Water kit . ssS . 001 . april 2010 16
Water Sharing Plan for the Tomago, Tomaree and Stockton Groundwater Sources It has become necessary to develop rules about the use of Tomago- Stockton-Tomaree Sandbeds. These rules are in the Water Sharing Plan for Tomago, Tomaree and Stockton Groundwater Sources. The Water Sharing Plan was required by the NSW Government and developed by a committee of government, agriculture, industry, indigenous and environmental groups. It aims to provide for the environmental protection of the groundwater sources and to give direction on how water will be allocated and shared among different water users. The Plan recognises a number of important issues regarding the sustainable mangement of the Hunter’s groundwater sources: • Climatic variability causes variation in the amount of rainfall and infiltration which ‘top up’ the Hunter’s groundwater • Residential and tourist development is placing increased demand on the water source • The groundwater supports a number of ecosystems in the area ie terrestrial vegetation, wetland, coastal sand dunes • The groundwater provides important flows to rivers and tidal creeks • The groundwater source areas are spiritually and culturally significant to the Worimi aborigines The extraction of water under these rules is monitored and reviewed every five years under the provisions of the Water Management Act 2000. The table below outlines the water requirements and extraction limits for groundwater sources. Groundwater Recharge: water requirements and extraction limits at start of Plan (ML/year) Groundwater source #Average annual recharge #Environmental water from recharge Landholder basic rights Hunter Water share components Other licenced share components #Extraction limit Tomago 35,700 10,700 1,000 25,300 1,300 25,000 Tomaree 8,600 2,600 3,000 3,700 800 6,000 Stockton 20,000 6,000 2,000 0 3,100 14,000 Water kit . ssS . 001 . april 2010 17
- Page 1 and 2: Water kit . ssS . 001 . april 2010
- Page 3 and 4: introduction to water supply WATER
- Page 5 and 6: introduction WHY STUDY WATER? Water
- Page 7 and 8: 1.1 the water cycle INTRODUCTION Mo
- Page 9 and 10: BREAKING THE WATER CYCLE To supply
- Page 11 and 12: Hunter Water’s area of operations
- Page 13 and 14: Protecting and managing the catchme
- Page 15 and 16: Water From The Mountains Chichester
- Page 17 and 18: Rewarding Water Conservation A new
- Page 19 and 20: Main infrastructure of Hunter Water
- Page 21: 1.6 the managing groundwater supply
- Page 25 and 26: Monitoring the Hunter catchment The
- Page 27 and 28: Environmental Hunter Water: • Dev
- Page 29 and 30: The Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) was
- Page 31 and 32: labour is invested on the site annu
- Page 33 and 34: influences on water supply in the h
- Page 35 and 36: ainfall patterns and water supply w
- Page 37 and 38: managing water supply sustainably w
- Page 39 and 40: 1.8 Sustainability & Water Supply S
- Page 41 and 42: Links with THE Syllabus Used collec
- Page 43 and 44: Integrated Water Resource Plan The
- Page 45 and 46: 2.2 being waterwise at home Our wat
- Page 47 and 48: 2.3 being waterwise at school Water
- Page 49 and 50: 2.4 school water audit Why DO A wat
- Page 51 and 52: 2.6 think twice water saving campai
- Page 53 and 54: design a water saving campaign work
- Page 55 and 56: assessing water conservation scheme
- Page 57 and 58: 8 Use wetlands to store stormwater
- Page 59 and 60: water audits - a case study workshe
- Page 61 and 62: desktop water audit worksheet 4 Ask
- Page 63 and 64: asic water audit worksheet 5 Leakin
- Page 65 and 66: environmental audit protocol worksh
- Page 67 and 68: water conservation resource list 2.
- Page 69 and 70: Links with THE Syllabus Used collec
- Page 71 and 72: These controls specify the quality
<strong>Water</strong> Sharing Plan for the<br />
Tomago, Tomaree and Stockton<br />
Groundwater Sources<br />
It has become necessary to develop<br />
rules about the use of Tomago-<br />
Stockton-Tomaree Sandbeds. These<br />
rules are in the <strong>Water</strong> Sharing Plan<br />
for Tomago, Tomaree and Stockton<br />
Groundwater Sources.<br />
The <strong>Water</strong> Sharing Plan was required<br />
by the NSW Government and developed<br />
by a committee of government,<br />
agriculture, industry, indigenous and<br />
environmental groups. It aims to provide<br />
for the environmental protection of the<br />
groundwater sources and to give direction<br />
on how water will be allocated and shared<br />
among different water users.<br />
The Plan recognises a number of<br />
important issues regarding the<br />
sustainable mangement of the <strong>Hunter</strong>’s<br />
groundwater sources:<br />
• Climatic variability causes<br />
variation in the amount of rainfall<br />
and infiltration which ‘top up’ the<br />
<strong>Hunter</strong>’s groundwater<br />
• Residential and tourist<br />
development is placing increased<br />
demand on the water source<br />
• The groundwater supports a<br />
number of ecosystems in the area<br />
ie terrestrial vegetation, wetland,<br />
coastal sand dunes<br />
• The groundwater provides important<br />
flows to rivers and tidal creeks<br />
• The groundwater source areas are<br />
spiritually and culturally significant<br />
to the Worimi aborigines<br />
The extraction of water under these rules<br />
is monitored and reviewed every five<br />
years under the provisions of the <strong>Water</strong><br />
Management Act 2000. The table below<br />
outlines the water requirements and<br />
extraction limits for groundwater sources.<br />
Groundwater Recharge: water<br />
requirements and extraction<br />
limits at start of Plan (ML/year)<br />
Groundwater<br />
source<br />
#Average<br />
annual<br />
recharge<br />
#Environmental<br />
water from<br />
recharge<br />
Landholder<br />
basic rights<br />
<strong>Hunter</strong> <strong>Water</strong><br />
share<br />
components<br />
Other licenced<br />
share<br />
components<br />
#Extraction<br />
limit<br />
Tomago 35,700 10,700 1,000 25,300 1,300 25,000<br />
Tomaree 8,600 2,600 3,000 3,700 800 6,000<br />
Stockton 20,000 6,000 2,000 0 3,100 14,000<br />
<strong>Water</strong> kit . ssS . 001 . april 2010<br />
17
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