Proposed Padthaway WAP consultation period closed
The statutory two-month consultation period of the proposed Pasthaway Water Allocation Plan has now closed. Thank you for your feedback.
In 2019 a comprehensive review of the Padthaway Water Allocation Plan (the Plan) was undertaken.
The review process concluded that the Plan was working well and the resource was in good condition. Groundwater levels were generally stable and current allocations were adequate and equitable. Supported by the Stakeholder Advisory Group the process also concluded that the operation of the Plan should stay the same where possible.
While groundwater levels were generally stable, groundwater salinity trends were variable. Wells displayed decreasing, stable and increasing trends. A range of different drivers underpin these variable trends. Modelling was used to explore salinity trends and address potential impacts from extraction.
The review process identified that some matters needed to change to improve alignment with the Landscape South Australia Act 2019. These were:
In 2025 a revised Padthaway Water Allocation Plan was adopted and implemented. The revised plan was a result of a review and amendment process that commenced in 2019. A Stakeholder Advisory Group, stakeholder consultation and the best available science supported the process.
The next comprehensive review of the Padthaway Water Allocation Plan needs to occur by 2035.
The two-month consultation period of the draft Padthaway Water Allocation Plan is now closed. Thank you for your feedback.
Key parts of the revised Padthaway Water Allocation Plan are outlined below.
The revised Padthaway Water Allocation Plan has three consumptive pools. They are the:
The revised Padthaway Water Allocation Plan has also established two separate management zones. They relate to the Padthaway Unconfined Aquifer Consumptive Pool to manage resource condition and impacts associated with the take, extraction or use of water:
The amendment process introduced two water licencing instruments:
The Plan will continue to allow licensees to apply to carryover an unused water allocation into the next water use year. This applies to water used for irrigation, recreation, industry or public water supply.
Classes of water access entitlement introduced in the revised plan are:
The Plan defines groundwater levels that if reached will trigger management actions. These actions prevent adverse, long-term impacts on water resources, water users and the environment. By responding when these trigger values are reached, further deterioration of the resource is avoided. This approach allows the Padthaway community and stakeholders the opportunity to self-regulate and manage their water use within acceptable limits.
The resource condition limit is a threshold that indicates that there is an unacceptable level of risk. This risk is to economic, social and environmental values dependent on the water resource. The resource condition limit was set at the lowest recorded water level (July 2009) for the area. This was selected in collaboration with the community as conditions that they remembered and that represented an undesirable state. Many experienced declining yields, stock and domestic wells and licensees were still able to operate. Environmental assets that experienced these conditions were sustained and recovered under improved conditions.
As this threshold indicates an unacceptable risk it triggers a restriction of allocation to the acceptable level of extraction (ALE) of 48,000 ML/y. The acceptable level of extraction halts and reverses the resource decline. It can recover levels above the resource condition limit. The groundwater model also demonstrated that the acceptable level of extraction maintains the hydraulic gradient. This is critical to maintaining the through flow of fresher water in the Padthaway Range. This flushes higher salinity water out of the Padthaway Prescribed Wells Area.
The resource management threshold has been set at a level where the groundwater resource is at significant risk and is not recoverable with the provisions in the Plan. It prompts the Limestone Coast Landscape Board to begin an early review and amendment of the plan.
Targeted monitoring of the groundwater resources evaluates the status and condition. It is critical to the effectiveness of the adaptive management approach. The adaptive management framework is an effective means of managing the resource in a changing climate.
Part of revising the Padthaway Water Allocation Plan was furthering the recognition of First Nations connections to water. First Nations peoples of the Limestone Coast have been living and caring for this country for over 60,000 years. The South East Aboriginal Focus Group, the traditional custodians of the South East of South Australia, have been working closely with the Limestone Coast Landscape Board, and its predecessors, since 2004, sharing knowledge and culture.
We are walking with First Nations to incorporate strategies to achieve First Nations objectives. We are committed to a continuing relationship of shared learning through Lartara-Wirkeri Cultural Governance. We share knowledge on water management and collaborate on cultural water through ‘on-country’ workshops and meetings.
We will work with First Nations throughout the life of the Plan. We will better understand connections to landscape and establish cultural objectives. We will incorporate monitoring and evaluation to assess if cultural values are being sustained and cultural objectives achieved.
We will meet annually with the South East Aboriginal Focus Group to discuss resource condition and how well the Plan is working.
A water allocation plan is a legal document that sets out the rules for managing the take and use of prescribed water resources to ensure resource sustainability. It is developed in partnership with the community, industry and key stakeholders.
Water is a precious resource. There is a limit to how much is available for use on an ongoing basis so it is important to provide certainty to current and future users of water, particularly to those whose livelihoods depend on it. A water allocation plan provides that certainty, giving consideration to environmental, social and economic needs to ensure long term sustainability and security.
The current water allocation has been successful in sustainably managing the resource. Due to this, much of the plan will remain unchanged except where changes are required to meet legislative requirements.
The key concepts introduced under the consultation draft are highlighted below. Further information can be found in the factsheets:
The resource is generally in good condition and current allocations are adequate and equitable.
While groundwater levels have are generally stable, groundwater salinity trends are variable with wells displaying decreasing, stable and increasing trends across the prescribed wells area since the adoption of the 2009 plan. These variable trends are underpinned by a range of different drivers. Salinity trends have been thoroughly explored with additional modelling and potential impacts by extraction are addressed in the consultation draft Plan.
The statutory two-month consultation period of the proposed Pasthaway Water Allocation Plan has now closed. Thank you for your feedback.
The Padthaway Water Allocation Plan Amendment Stakeholder Advisory Group provides objective advice and recommendations to the Limestone Coast Landscape Board towards the sustainable use, conservation and management of water in the Padthaway Prescribed Wells Area.
The Stakeholder Advisory Group met regularly to review the current WAP and consider new information about water policy and science, discuss options for better management which helped define an approach to address issues for the revision and amendment of the Plan.
A copy of minutes from each meeting is available by selecting the meeting date below.
September 2019
October 2019
December 2019
February 2020
March 2020
May 2020
July 2020
August 2020
September 2020
October 2020
December 2020
March 2021
August 2021
September 2021
November 2021
September 2022
The Limestone Coast Landscape Board acknowledges and respects the traditional owners of the ancestral lands and waters of the Limestone Coast. We acknowledge the elders past, present and future and we respect the deep feelings of attachment and relationships of Aboriginal Peoples to Country including the language groups: Meintangk, Potaruwutij, Bunganditj, Tatiara/Ngarkat, Tanganekald (Southern Clans) and Ngarrindjeri.
Artwork by: Marie Clarke
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