Abstract
Water planning is a key aspect of the 2004 Intergovernmental Agreement on a National Water Initiative (NWI), and one of the most important tools for achieving sustainable use of water. Water planning requires consideration of best available science and water use values to develop measurable objectives to manage water resource systems equitably and sustainably. The type of water planning with which the NWI and this report is concerned is water allocation/ water sharing planning. At its core is planning for the extraction of water (both quantity and timing) from rivers and aquifers for irrigation, towns and cities, rural stock and domestic and other purposes. It also includes the management of infrastructure such as dams and weirs used to store and manipulate flows to supply water for extraction. While in its broader sense water planning can apply to a range of matters such as flood risk, water quality, urban and rural water delivery systems etc, these are not the focus of water planning under the NWI, though they are linked to it and are sometimes addressed in the same planning process. State and territory water planning authorities have invested many millions of dollars into water planning during the past 10 years. Approaches have varied dramatically from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and indeed between regions within jurisdictions. The process has evolved with experience. With its relatively recent introduction, water planning approaches have, of necessity, been experimental in nature. The resulting effectiveness of those plans has varied, and plans have generally not been objectively evaluated. It is clear that there are lessons being learned by individual states and territories that would benefit water planning in other jurisdictions if the experiences were shared. The opportunity exists for a major step forward in sharing knowledge through the building of a national knowledge bank that draws together the accumulated experience of the last 10 years and makes that knowledge available to all. This report is an analysis of current practice and lessons learned in water planning. It is drawn from 11 case studies of water plans across Australia, examining the processes used to develop the plans and the content of the plans themselves. The case studies were selected to be representative of the different approaches taken around Australia and to cover a range of different issues. The report is a broad sample of significant processes, approaches, scope and content. It is intended to initiate sharing of experiences between water planners in different jurisdictions. It is also intended to be a catalyst for further research and for development of improved approaches and for improvement in water-planning practices nationally.