Sustainable management of connected water resources: robbing Peter to pay Paul?

Citation

Land & Water Australia. 2009. Sustainable management of connected water resources: robbing Peter to pay Paul?. [Online] (Updated June 23rd, 2009)
Available at: http://lwa.gov.au/node/2929 [Accessed Saturday 20th of March 2010 11:39:57 PM ].

Conjunctive water management (CWM) is the joint or coordinated management of surface (SW) and groundwater (GW) resources. Connected SW and GW resources can be managed as a single resource. Unconnected resources in the same region and/or with common users can be managed in a coordinated manner to achieve common objectives. CWM can achieve more efficient and flexible use of scarce water, for example by storing water underground and extracting it when and where it is needed. My PhD examines the rationale for CWM and how it can be implemented to improve water management outcomes in the Murray Darling Basin.

Project objectives

review overseas and domestic experience in managing groundwater, and community perceptions about the value of water, rights to access and use water and distributional fairness.

taking account of the Groundwater Action Plan identify and analyse in the Australian context:
- alternative approaches, tools and options for the adaptive management of water resources with different degrees of conjunctivity, taking account of uncertainty and considering the balance between surface and groundwater use and consumptive and non-consumptive uses including the environment.
- alternative distributions of water likely to arise under the above apporaches, and their social and environmental implications taking account of the potential for trading surface and groundwater;
- institutional aspects of adaptive, fair and efficient processes for managing connected water resources including stakeholder participation, coordination, information sharing, monitoring and compliance, incentives and transaction costs; learning and feedback;
investigate the practical application of the above analysis for managing connected water resources working with agencies, stakeholders and relevant scientists in two selected catchments (e.g. the Namoi, Lachlan, Murrumbidgee, Murray, Ovens and/or Campaspe)
communicate the results of the study to agencies, stakeholders and water managers.