Transcript Water PowerPoint Presentation

Australian Government investment in irrigation
modernisation on- and off-farm
Richard McLoughlin
Farm Irrigation (DSEWPaC) Murray-Goulburn (J. Baker) Murrumbidgee River Corridor (J. Houldsworth)
River Murray at Bunyip Reach (J. Baker) Rainwater tank (M. McAulay) Agriculture in the Murray-Darling Basin (J. Baker)
Water for the Future
1. Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program
2. Restoring the Balance in the Basin
3. National Urban Water and Desalination Plan
4. Water Smart Australia
5. Driving Reform in the Basin (DEWHA and ACCC)
6. Improving Water Information (BOM)
7. National Water Security Plan for Cities and Towns
8. National Rainwater and Greywater Initiatives
9. Raising National Water Standards (NWC)
10. Living Murray Initiative
11. Great Artesian Basin
12. Northern Australia Futures
www.environment.gov.au
Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program
(SRWUIP)
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Established in 2008
Total funding of $5.8 billion.
A national program which invests in rural water use,
management and efficiency, including improved water
knowledge and market reform
Over $5bn is committed in the Murray-Darling Basin
A share of water savings from SRWUIP projects go towards
‘bridging the gap’ to the sustainable diversion limits under the
Murray-Darling Basin Plan
www.environment.gov.au
SRWUIP - Program Structure
SRWUIP
State priority
projects (up to $3.2b)
State led projects
Other commitments
Include:
Commonwealth led
projects
Victoria $1,103m
including NVIRP
South Australia
$420m
Queensland $160m
New South Wales $708m
Australian Capital Territory $85m
NSW Private Irrigation
Infrastructure Operators
Program $650m
On-Farm Irrigation
Efficiency $450m
Strengthening Basin
Communities $200m
National Water
Market System $56m
Compliance and
Enforcement $60m
South Australia Private
Irrigation Infrastructure
Program $110m
Irrigation in Tasmania
$140m
Strategic Sub-System
Reconfiguration $200m
www.environment.gov.au
Farm Irrigation (DSEWPaC) Murray-Goulburn (J. Baker) Murrumbidgee River Corridor (J. Houldsworth)
River Murray at Bunyip Reach (J. Baker) Rainwater tank (M. McAulay) Agriculture in the Murray-Darling Basin (J. Baker)
State Priority Projects
$3.2 billion for State Priority Projects
• agreed in the July 2008 Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on
Murray Darling Basin Reform
Objectives for State Priority Projects
o Invest in infrastructure to improve the efficiency &
productivity of rural water use and management;
o Help secure a long-term sustainable future for irrigated
agriculture and communities;
o Deliver substantial and lasting returns of water to the
environment; and
o Deliver value for money projects.
www.environment.gov.au
What types of infrastructure projects are
being funded?
• Planning, investigations and project design
• Works on irrigation systems off farm - modernisation and
rationalisation
• Works on farm to improve water use efficiency
• Works to improve ecological health and restore natural flows
• Water saving municipal projects – e.g. storm water harvesting
www.environment.gov.au
Planning and Investigations
• Local government – preparing for a future with less or more
variable water supply
• Modernisation plans - prepared by irrigation
districts/corporations
₋ Hot spots assessments (identifying areas of water loss and
leakage)
• Water resource assessment (e.g. CSIRO sustainable yield
studies) to underpin better water management
www.environment.gov.au
Upgrading irrigation systems off farm
• fixing/replacing inefficient supply systems
• lining channels, replacing channels with pipes
• improving water delivery standards for timing and volume
• metering to meet modern standards
• reconfiguring and rationalising channel systems and farm offtakes
• decommissioning channels and providing alternate stock and
domestic supply
www.environment.gov.au
Off-Farm Project Examples
NSW and SA Private Infrastructure Operator Programs
• $650m in NSW and $110m for South Australia for integrated onand off-farm upgrades.
Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project
• $1 billion for delivery system modernisation and user
connections in the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District.
www.environment.gov.au
Private Irrigation Infrastructure
Operators Program for NSW
www.environment.gov.au
On Farm Investment
Works on farm to deliver and use water more efficiently and
increasing productivity, e.g.
• Improving on farm storage and tail water recirculation system
• Installing pipes and risers
• Installing drip irrigation systems and centre pivot irrigation as an
alternative to the traditional flood irrigation
Examples:
• On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Program in the Southern Basin
• NVIRP “3” on-farm component
• QLD Water Use Efficiency Program
• NSW Irrigated Farm Modernisation program
www.environment.gov.au
Project assessment – due diligence
Technical
• Engineering assessment
• Validation of water savings projections
• Fit-for-purpose, properly costed design
Socioeconomic
• Net community benefit
• Sustainable system renewal and upgrade
• System upgrades affordable to run in future
Environmental
• Water balance – recharge
• Meets all environmental standards
Governance
• Water savings transfer, project control, OH&S, etc
www.environment.gov.au
Other SRWUIP project examples
Feasibility Studies for Environmental Works and Measures
• $10 million to Basin States for environmental works and measures feasibility
studies
o Assessing projects which could improve the efficiency of environmental
watering - e.g. to ‘offset’ SDL reductions under the Basin Plan
Municipal Water in the Murray Darling Basin
• ‘Strengthening Basin Communities’ Program
o Planning projects
o Water Saving Infrastructure Projects
• $80 million in grants to 99 projects to date
• Involves 70% of the local government authorities in the Murray Darling Basin
www.environment.gov.au
SRWUIP - Who is delivering the projects?
State government departments
o e.g. water, primary industry, environment
 Irrigation infrastructure operators
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Irrigation industry associations
Industry commodity bodies
o e.g. rice-growers, tomato growers
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Individual irrigators
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Catchment management (resource management) authorities
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Local government
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Water utilities
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CSIRO (four sustainable yields studies)
www.environment.gov.au
MDB Water Recovery from SRWUIP
projects
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Water savings are mostly shared between
o the Commonwealth (for environmental use) and
o Irrigators/irrigation water providers
o some are retained (municipal projects) for community
benefit
• Water savings provided to the Commonwealth will help
‘bridge the gap’ between the historical water use and the
new sustainable diversion limits
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Total expected Commonwealth water yield from SRWUIP is
600GL in average annual yield terms
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Once water savings agreed in a works contract, they are
recorded in the water recovery tables on SEWPaC website
www.environment.gov.au
Bridging the Gap
Water
purchase
the ‘gap’
Historical
Infrastructure
savings
water
use
Final Basin Plan
SDLs enter into
force in 2019
2008
2012
2019
www.environment.gov.au
Progress to date
During 2011-12 the Government has announced infrastructure investments
totalling around $2 billion. This comprises commitments to both on and off
farm irrigation infrastructure:
• $1 billion for the Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project Stage 2.
• $469 million for contracts enabling the commencement of four NSW State
Priority Projects.
• $383 million for projects in four irrigation districts in New South Wales
under Round 2 of the Private Irrigation Infrastructure Operators Program.
• In-principle funding of $150 million under Round 2 of the
On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Program for nine delivery partners
• $11 million for Round 2 of the Private Irrigation Infrastructure Program for
South Australia.
• $9 million for Queensland ‘Healthy Headwaters’ on-farm projects.
www.environment.gov.au
Progress to date
Several projects and programs funding through SRWUIP are complete or
nearing completion, including:
• Lower Lakes Integrated Pipeline Project and Early works for the
Lower Lakes and Coorong Recovery Project (feasibility study and
Goolwa Channel, South Australia);
• Harvey Pipeline Project and Gascoyne Irrigation Pipeline (Western
Australia);
• Mathaguy Irrigation Scheme upgrade in the Macquarie Valley (NSW);
• Tasmania – completed: Headquarters Road Dam, Sassafras Wesley
Vale Irrigation Scheme, Whitemore Irrigation Scheme, Winnaleah
Irrigation Scheme; underway: Lower South Esk, and Midlands
• Vic Wimmera-Mallee Pipeline (which included $99 million of SRWUIP
funding); and
• On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency pilot projects in the MDB.
www.environment.gov.au
Benefits of Investment
• Community support for programs is strong
• Completed projects have demonstrated improved productivity
benefits:
o increased crop rotation ability
o increased crop water use efficiencies
o improved soil mangement
o reduced maintenance and
o reduced weed control requirements.
• Some projects have achieved greater than anticipated water
savings, the benefit of which is retained by irrigators.
• Infrastructure investment creates jobs and underpins long-term
economic sustainability of regional communities.
www.environment.gov.au
SRWUIP –current issues
• Expectations on SRWUIP to deliver water savings to ‘bridge the gap’
• Timelines for infrastructure roll-out
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managing expectations, while securing fit-for-purpose, properly
costed, viable projects
• Integration of infrastructure investment (SRWUIP) with water
purchase
o Water sales associated with delivery system/footprint
reconfiguration for irrigation districts
o Avoiding investment in assets which become stranded
• Using and building local knowledge and capacity in rolling out
infrastructure projects
www.environment.gov.au
SRWUIP - next steps
• Achieving expected water savings – bridging the gap in the
Murray Darling Basin
• Delivering hundreds of infrastructure projects on time and on
budget through a wide array of delivery partners
• Building scope for project adaptation to reflect developments
in technology and water availability
• How to use remaining SRWUIP funds, e.g.
o Focus in catchments with a ‘gap to bridge’ in the Basin Plan
o Expectations of investment in environmental works and
measures
www.environment.gov.au
Questions?
www.environment.gov.au