National framework for integrated management of connected groundwater and surface water systems
Waterlines report No 57 - September 2011
Surface water and groundwater systems are inherently connected. Achieving the objectives of the National Water Initiative (NWI) requires planning and operational arrangements that both recognise this connectivity and ensure their effective management as a single resource.
In 2011, the Commission found that while all jurisdictions have developed policies for managing connected surface water and groundwater systems, the implementation of effective conjunctive management remains limited.
This report offers practical guidance to assist water planners and policy makers to better integrate surface water and groundwater connectivity into their water planning frameworks. It offers:
- a framework to provide overarching direction on developing integrated plans in connected systems, aimed primarily at national and jurisdictional policy makers
- a planning and technical context to the framework, as well as structured steps associated with the making or review of a water allocation plan
- a classification scheme and guidelines containing more specific and practical advice directed to those developing and implementing water plans within jurisdictions
- a consolidated checklist of nationally applicable principles against which planners can base an assessment of the guidelines' applicability to their planning challenges.
The report recognises that regional or local settings for the management of connectivity are diverse and often complex. The guidelines are aimed at a relatively high level and are intended to supplement broader planning arrangements at local, state or national scales.
