The National Water Commission has published a new report that found a number of surface and groundwater systems are stressed due to water extraction, regulation or altered flows.

 

The Assessing Water stress in Australian catchments and aquifers report found that progress in addressing the overuse of water sources is ‘disappointingly slow’. The NWC identified the governments hesitance to publically acknowledge the overuse and overallocation of water systems. This problem has been compounded by the inability to even agree on what constitutes overuse and overallocation.

 

The report sets out a nationally consisten method for measuring and reporting water stress in the country’s catchments, while also showing that causes of water stress are not confined to the impacts of irrigated agriculture.

 

Some rivers and aquifers in and near capital cities and other urban areas are also stressed, as are some rivers used for hydropower generation and some aquifers where water is extracted for mining and oil/gas operations.

 

The report reinforces the Commission’s call for transparent monitoring and assessment to increase our understanding of Australia’s water resources.  

 

In the Commission’s view, properly managing overuse begins with establishing sustainable water extraction regimes, early in the water planning process so that recovery measures are not needed.

 

Assessing water stress in Australian catchments and aquifers is available at www.nwc.gov.au