Reviewing the Burnett Basin water plan

The water plan includes outcomes which are specific things set out for us to achieve.

We will consider how effective the current plan outcomes are in achieving the strategies of the water plan.

Outcomes will be reviewed by our team and improved using best available science, including updated hydrological modelling and feedback from the community.

We will develop cultural outcomes that reflect the local Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ values, aspirations and uses of water with First Nations’ representatives.

Measures and strategies are the details we use to guide water management.

The water plan includes strategies for managing water across 19 subcatchments in the basin. This includes:

• five water supply schemes operated by Sunwater
• overland flow water in the Coastal Burnett overland flow area
• groundwater in 6 groundwater management areas.

View a map of the plan area’s water supply schemes, overland flow area and groundwater management areas (PDF, 1MB).

We will be considering what measures and specific actions we should include in the new plan to improve how water is managed.

Objectives and performance indicators set the boundaries for acceptable water management changes.

They include:

• water allocation security objectives
• environmental flow objectives.

Performance indicators are statistics generated by a hydrological model for the objectives. Any water management changes must meet the objectives.

We will review objectives and performance indicators to meet updated, relevant environmental outcomes and water management arrangements.

To develop the new plan, we will complete new:

• ecological assessments
• socioeconomic assessments
• engagement with First Nations peoples
• climate change assessments.

Accumulated scientific knowledge on the water requirements of ecosystems will be used to inform the new water plan. We will complete new hydrologic assessments of surface water and groundwater.

We will consider climate change information in developing the new plan. This will tell us how water availability has changed and evaluate possible future impacts of climate change to water availability in the region.

Read in detail how we manage climate change risks.

View the projected climate change impacts in the Burnett Basin by reading Queensland’s water plans in a variable and changing climate report (PDF, 19MB).

Eight key themes that consider the major scientific areas required for sustainable management and allocation of water resources for water planning science are detailed in our Water planning science plan (PDF, 10.1MB) and our storymap.

First Nations peoples have a significant and deep connection to land and waters.

With this comes a wealth of cultural knowledge that can be used to better protect and manage natural water resources across the plan area.

During the water plan review, we will be engaging with First Nations peoples to ensure we have a better understanding of cultural water needs, and social and economic aspirations. This engagement will enable the development of appropriate water plan outcomes, measures and strategies.

The Reframing relationships with First Nations peoples – Our plan for being and working together 2023-2026 (PDF, 17MB) is our commitment and path forward to how we will reframe and build stronger relationships with Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The Queensland water legislation administers a range of water entitlements and authorisations which are important to consider in the review. In the Burnett Basin, these entitlements include water licences and water allocations.

* around 272 entitlements require amendment to state a volume

Water licences

A water licence is an authority to take water and/or interfere with the flow of water (for example a weir interferes with a watercourse). It is usually attached to a parcel of land and subject to an expiry.

Water allocations

A water allocation authorises the holder to take a certain volume of water from a particular water source, such as a watercourse or aquifer. Allocations have a separate title, similar to a land title, and they can be bought and sold on the water trading market. They can also be used as a mortgageable asset.

Water allocations provide long-term security because:

• they do not have an expiry date
• they specify a nominal volume of water that can be taken which is considered as the allocation’s long-term water share.

We will consider the options for converting existing entitlements to water allocations in various locations such as:

• the Three Moon Creek water supply scheme
• Avondale Water Board area of the Bundaberg water supply scheme
• part of the Coastal Burnett groundwater management area (PDF, 1MB) ('Area B' in this map)
• parts of the Elliott, Gregory and Isis subcatchments.

Many water licence holders in the Burnett Basin take water directly from the watercourses (their water is not supplied by Sunwater). This is called unsupplemented water use. We will consider changing these unsupplemented water licences so they state a volume, rate of take and purpose for the water use.

Licences with a volume, rate of take and purpose provide improved transparency and management of water by establishing clearly defined shares of the available water resource. They also provide improved security, equity and certainty for water users.

Water sharing rules are used in water supply schemes, surface water management areas, and two groundwater management areas (Barambah Creek and Coastal Burnett). These rules are used to provide transparency to water users about how water is shared in these areas. This can also include defining and announcing the percentage of entitlement available that can be taken in a water year.

Water trading allows:

• current water users to buy and sell water to suit their business
• new businesses to buy water.

In Queensland, water can be traded either permanently or temporarily on a seasonal basis (called a ‘seasonal assignment’).

This is a chance to review current water sharing and trading rules.

Each water plan includes unallocated water. This means that water is available to meet future demand without affecting the water available for current water users, cultural values or the environment.

The Burnett Basin water plan currently includes three types of unallocated water reserves:

• 2,000 megalitres (ML) held as a general reserve for any purpose
• 2,000ML held as a strategic reserve for State or Indigenous purposes
• 25,845ML held as strategic water infrastructure reserve to support specific water infrastructure projects.

During this review, we will assess the demand for additional water supplies in the region. We will look at what:

• volumes
• reserve types
• arrangements or conditions

for unallocated water are needed. We want to make water available for the future that support cultural outcomes, economic growth and town water supply.