Governance measures to effectively manage groundwater storage

When

to

Where

Sol Resnick Conference Room, WRRC

Speaker(s)

Peter Dillon
Stream Leader, Sustainable Water Solutions Urban Water Theme, Water for a Healthy Country Flagship Program, CSIRO Land and Water, Glen Osmond, SA, Australia

One of a series of thematic papers on Groundwater Governance initiated by GEF-FAO Facility is an international review and synthesis of governance measures for groundwater storage, recharge and discharge. It was found that depleting systems invariably had not adopted effective means of allocating the sustainable extraction. In those cases where there are no viable alternative supplies the only realistic options are to slow the rate of depletion and develop transitional plans for resource exhaustion. However, many excellent examples of good management were found where depletion has been reversed through effective policies that cap extraction equitably, allow trading where it is beneficial or benign, provide alternative water supplies and/or provide for managed aquifer recharge. This talk focuses mainly on the positive prototype groundwater management systems and the lessons they reveal and a policy framework synthesis.

Examples (Australian MAR guidelines, policies, economics) :

  1. NRMMC, EPHC, NHMRC (2009). Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling, Managing Health and Environmental Risks, Volume 2C - Managed Aquifer Recharge. Jul 2009, 237p.
     
  2. Ward, J. and Dillon, P. (2011). Robust policy design for managed aquifer recharge. National Water Commission Waterlines Report Series No 38, January 2011, 28p.
     
  3. Parsons, S., Dillon, P., Irvine, E., Holland, G. and Kaufman, C. (2012). Progress in Managed Aquifer Recharge in Australia. National Water Commission Waterlines Report No 73, March 2012, SKM & CSIRO, 107p. 
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