WATER SHARING PLAN FOR THE GREATER METROPOLITAN REGION GROUNDWATER SOURCES 2011 - REG 9 Objectives

WATER SHARING PLAN FOR THE GREATER METROPOLITAN REGION GROUNDWATER SOURCES 2011 - REG 9

9 Objectives

The objectives of this Plan are to:

(a) protect, preserve, maintain and enhance the high priority groundwater dependent ecosystems and important river flow dependent ecosystems of these groundwater sources,

(b) protect, preserve and maintain the integrity of aquifers in these groundwater sources,

(c) protect, preserve, maintain and enhance the Aboriginal, cultural and heritage values of these groundwater sources,

(d) contribute to the sustainable and integrated management of the water cycle across these groundwater sources,

(e) protect basic landholder rights,

(f) manage these groundwater sources to ensure equitable sharing between users,

(g) provide opportunities for market based trading of access licences and water allocations within sustainability and system constraints,

(h) provide security and certainty for the life of the plan to stakeholders that utilise groundwater resources,

(i) provide water allocation account management rules which allow sufficient flexibility to encourage responsible use of available water,

(j) contribute to the maintenance of water quality,

(k) provide recognition of the connectivity between surface water and groundwater,

(l) adaptively manage these groundwater sources,

(m) contribute to the environmental and other public benefit outcomes identified under the Water Access Entitlements and Planning Framework in the Intergovernmental Agreement on a National Water Initiative (2004) (the
"NWI" ), and

Under the NWI, water that is provided by NSW to meet agreed environmental and other public benefit outcomes as defined within relevant water plans is to:

(a) be given statutory recognition and have at least the same degree of security as water access entitlements for consumptive use and be fully accounted for,

(b) be defined as the water management arrangements required to meet the outcomes sought, including water provided on a rules basis or held as a water access entitlement, and

(c) if held as a water access entitlement, may be made available to be traded (where physically possible) on the temporary market, when not required to meet the environmental and other public benefit outcomes sought and provided such trading is not in conflict with these outcomes.

(n) where necessary, allow for the supplementation of the water supply for the people of Sydney, the Illawarra, the Shoalhaven, the Southern Highlands, and the Blue Mountains, which comprise approximately 70% of the NSW population.