Surface water status reports Helen Braithwaite

Surface Water Status Reports Designed to fulfil DEWNR’s commitment to increase the regularity of reporting on the status of water resources Published annually Review of prescribed surface water resources, particularly in response to changing climatic influences and consumptive demands Produced for 7 prescribed surface water resources in South Australia Resources assigned a status in the form of a ‘traffic light’ for streamflow SWSR’s were developed to fulfil the Department’s commitment to increase the regularity in which it reports on the status of water resources. The reports ensure high-level strategic surveillance and improved knowledge of the state’s prescribed water resources by providing annual assessments of the status of surface water resources in South Australia, particularly in response to changing climatic influences and consumptive demands. As highlighted in the map, SWSR’s are produced for 7 prescribed SW areas. Areas are prescribed by the Minister when there is a risk that demand for water resources will exceed supply in the future and rules are established to ensure the equitable take of water resources by all users including the environment. SWSR’s contain an interpretation of the status of the resource, presented in a traffic-light style colour code based on the analysis of streamflow. 2016/17 was a wet year and all areas were assigned a green status as the total annual streamflow was above the 75% when compared to the period of record for the stations used.

Click - Reports are an annual snapshot of hydrological status at a whole of prescribed area scale. This example shows the EMLR. Key catchments – Finniss River and Currency (wetter) and Angas and Bemer Rivers (drier) Click – The status of the resource is presented as the traffic light seen here, and the annual streamflow is highlighted in the traffic light silo. This displays where the current years streamflow sits in relation to the period of record available. In comparison – 2014/15 and 2015/16 – red and orange status (below average streamflow) Click – Other variables in the report include rainfall, salinity and water use. One things to note is that although the recent short term trend is increasing due to 2016/17 being a wet year. The long term trend is declining. The number of wetter years are declining. Click – The gridded rainfall charts are well received and display the current year, the past 5 years and the long-term average annual rainfall across the prescribed area. When compare the 5 yr average to the long term average, the area is getting drier. The 2016/17 shows how wet the year was in comparison.

Benefits Lessons Learnt Helps identify emerging trends monitoring gaps risks to water supplies Informs water management Lessons Learnt Useful and simple tool for reporting to a wide range of audiences, from the Minister to a landholder!! Internal and external stakeholders. Use of simple, clear and concise language. Public access (WaterConnect) More graphics e.g. catchment specific images Not to loose technical accuracy / not to sensationalise! SWSR’s can serve as an early-warning system to potential degradation by identifying emerging trends in the status of water resources, risks to water supplies and highlight if further monitoring is needed. Importantly, reports help to inform water allocation plans and contribute to DEWNR’s demand supply statements by providing up-to-date assessments of water resources. They can assist in telling the story of what’s occurring between WAP reviews, which occur every 5-10 years. Status reports are a useful communication tool between the Natural Resource Regions across South Australia and the public, and improve the community’s understanding about the water resources they use.