Seasonal water assignments in the Gold Coast water plan area
Seasonal water assignments (SWAs) have been introduced to allow for the temporary trading of water within the same subcatchments. SWA rules are outlined in the draft water management protocol. These have been designed to provide flexibility and satisfy short term water demands, while protecting access for other water users and the environment.
Key provisions:
- SWAs are limited to the same subcatchment
- assigned volumes must not exceed the unused volume remaining for the assignor and are capped at 10ML for the assignee
- both parties must have metered water use unless authorised works do not require metering
- SWAs are only applicable for the remainder of the water year
- SWAs must adhere to the same conditions as the original water licence
- the Chief Executive may impose additional conditions on SWAs to ensure compliance.
Under the current water plan, licence holders have limited opportunity to plan for future agricultural expansion and adapt to changing water demands. However, tradeable unsupplemented water allocations are not proposed due to limited support from stakeholders.
SWAs align with the plan’s objectives of:
- promoting sustainable water use
- making water available to support economic growth.