Incorporating climate change impacts in water allocation planning
Project details
| Objective: | To assist NWI partners to incorporate potential climate change impacts in their regional water allocation planning processes. |
| Funding: | $100,000 from the Australian Government Raising National Water Standards ProgramT |
| Jurisdiction: | National |
| Commencing: | 24 February 2009 |
| Completion: | 2012 |
Progress
About the project
Climate change will affect rainfall, runoff and temperature across Australia, and hence water availability.
In the Commission's Waterlines report Water Allocation Planning in Australia - Current Practices and Lessons Learned, climate change is acknowledged as an important issue by jurisdictional water planners. However, the report found that it is not clear if existing planning processes are adequate for dealing with potential climate change impacts.
Across Australia there are over 150 regional water allocation plans currently being implemented, with many up for review within the next 5-10 years. Under Schedule E to the NWI parties have acknowledged the need to manage the risk of climate change impacts on water resource availability.
The National Water Commission's Position Statement on Water Planning in Australia also identifies the need for water planners to improve how they incorporate climate change impacts in the water planning process.
Many of the potential impacts of climate change (e.g. changes in volumes and timings of water availability, changes in demand patterns, and changes in the risk to the environment) may already be explicitly or implicitly addressed in existing water planning procedures and, if not, could be incorporated.
This project will report on the extent to which jurisdictions have incorporated climate change impacts in their water planning processes and plans, and will make suggestions for their more effective inclusion.
Project benefits
This project will help NWI partners to incorporate climate change impacts in their regional water allocation planning processes by:
- i. clarifying climate change impacts relevant to water allocation planning, and the ways in which it may need to be included
ii. assessing how well current water allocation planning processes allow for climate change impacts in all jurisdictions
iii. where needed, identifying potential improvements to the planning procedures to better incorporation of climate change impacts in water allocation planning.
The report will be informed by three technical papers, the findings from the National Water Planners Forum (February 2009), and direct consultations with jurisdiction water planners. The report is intended to be accessible to a wide-ranging audience including water planners in all parts of Australia.
The project will advance the NWI objectives by assisting jurisdictions to incorporate climate change impacts in regional water allocation planning.