New South Wales Consolidated Regulations

WATER SHARING PLAN FOR THE LACHLAN REGULATED RIVER WATER SOURCE 2003 - REG 31

31 Volume of the long-term extraction limit

(1) This Plan establishes a long-term extraction limit for this water source which is the lesser of:

(a) the long-term average annual extraction from this water source that would occur with:

(i) the water storages, private water management infrastructure, cropping mix that existed in 1999/2000,

(ii) the share components existing at the time of commencement of this Plan,

(iii) the maximum crop area and the crop planting behaviour adopted as representative of baseline conditions used for assessment of Cap under Schedule F of the Murray Darling Basin Agreement, and

(iv) application of the water management rules defined in this Plan, or

(b) the long-term average annual extraction from this water source that would occur under the baseline conditions used for assessment of the Cap under Schedule F of the Murray Darling Basin Agreement.

Note: The baseline conditions used for assessment of the Cap under Schedule F of the Murray Darling Basin Agreement means the level of water resource development at June 1994.

Note: An estimate of the long-term average annual extraction that would occur under the conditions specified under subclause (1) (a) has been made by the Department using the Lachlan IQQM computer model scenario run number E229. This indicated a long-term average annual extraction volume of approximately 305,000 megalitres.

Note: An assessment of the long-term average annual extractions that would result from the baseline conditions in subclause (b) has been made using the Lachlan IQQM computer model scenario run number C071A. This indicated a long-term average annual extraction volume of approximately 315,000 megalitres.

Note: The long-term extraction limit recognises the effect of climatic variability on the availability of water, in accordance with section 20 (2) (c) of the Act, as historic climate and river flow information is used in its determination.

(2) The values referred to in subclauses (1) (a) and (1) (b) shall be adjusted for any access licence dealings under section 71R of the Act.

(3) For the purposes of establishing the long-term extraction limit and auditing compliance with it, the following shall be included:

(a) all water extractions by holders of all categories of access licences in accordance with the rules used for accounting of Cap diversions for Schedule F of the Murray Darling Basin Agreement,

(b) domestic and stock rights and native title rights extractions,

(c) volumes of water delivered as adaptive environmental water,

(d) floodplain harvesting extractions determined to be taken for use in conjunction with extractions from this water source, and

(e) water allocations assigned from the water allocation accounts of access licences in this water source to the water allocation accounts of access licences in other water sources.

(4) For the purposes of establishing the long-term extraction limit and auditing compliance with it,

(a) the assessed volume of extractions shall be reduced by the volume of water allocations being assigned from the water allocation accounts of access licences in any other water source to the water allocation accounts of access licences in this water source, and

(b) the following shall not be included:

(i) replenishment flows made in accordance with this Plan, or

(ii) diversion of water pursuant to the planned environmental water rules in Part 3 of this Plan.