Reviewing institutional and regulatory arrangements and preparing best practice guidelines for achieving integrated urban water cycle planning and management
Project details
| Objective: | To review the institutional and regulatory models for achieving integrated urban water cycle planning. |
| Funding: | $200,000 |
| Jurisdiction: | National |
| Commenced: | December 2007 |
| Completion: | August 2008 |
About the project
As a first step towards the completion of this action, an issues paper was developed to identify relevant issues and priorities.
Priorities initially are:
- reviewing and clarifying entitlements to new sources of water.
- facilitation urban water trading (both within the urban sector and between rural and urban areas.
- co-ordination of water resources and urban planning.
Two projects are currently underway to address the first two priorities:
The Review of Institutional and Regulatory Models in Urban Water - Development of Urban Water Markets in Australia project will consider the potential for the establishment of urban water markets, including the consideration of existing institutional and regulatory arrangements which may impede or facilitate opportunities to trade in water resources or develop new markets in urban water resources.
The second project, Urban Water Entitlement Frameworks in Australia: Review and Development of Policy Recommendations for Urban Water Sources, will take a closer look at entitlements for existing and new/alternative water sources to enable all water resources to play an effective role in meeting urban water needs, and develop principles that can guide future regulatory reform.
Project benefits
The Review of Institutional and Regulatory Models in Urban Water - Development of Urban Water Markets in Australia project is designed to meet four main objectives:
- enhance governments' and stakeholders' understanding of the potential for urban water markets for urban water resources.
- enhance understanding of where markets are most appropriate to promote optimal water resources and environmental outcomes.
- what other approaches and complementary sets of policies will deliver these outcomes.
- explore approached to establishing efficient urban water markets.
- develop policy principles and practical conclusions to guide development of urban water markets to facilitate the efficient use of all water resources available to urban water consumers. This is to include consideration of policies and mechanisms to facilitate intra urban trading and trading between urban and rural sectors as well as enabling development and exchange of alternative water resources in urban areas where appropriate.
The Urban Water Entitlement Frameworks in Australia: Review and Development of Policy Recommendations for Urban Water Sources is designed to meet two main objectives:
- To enhance governments' and stakeholders' understanding of the nature and effectiveness of entitlement frameworks for urban water resources across Australia. In particular the project will focus on clarifying entitlements to the full range of existing and potential urban water sources at various scales; and
- Develop policy principles to guide reform of entitlement frameworks to facilitate the efficient use of all water resources available to urban water consumers, including enabling substitution of potable water by alternative water resources in urban areas where appropriate.