Target:

Explanatory Comments

This target measures the extent to which South Australia’s water resources are managed within sustainable limits.

There are 67 water management areas in South Australia, as illustrated in this map. These are self-contained areas predominantly defined by natural catchments and groundwater resource areas, while also taking into account existing administrative boundaries. Each has been assessed as to whether it is fully, partially, or not currently managed within sustainable limits based on an assessment of water use, allocation and other water management issues (primarily the provisions for environmental water and water quality issues, including salinity) and the current management arrangements for that resource.

Allocations from prescribed resources are reviewed regularly, taking into account the condition of the water resources, existing user demand and the environmental water requirements of known ecosystems.

The proportion of South Australian water resource management areas assessed as being managed within sustainable limits remained stable from 2003 to 2012 (36 resources (53.7%) in 2003 (the baseline year) compared to 35 resources (52.2%) in 2012). Over this same time period, the number of areas listed as not managed within sustainable limits has also been basically steady (eight in 2003, seven in 2012). The Audit Committee has assessed progress as ‘steady or no movement’, as while there has been movement in the categorisation of some water management areas over the period from 2003 to 2012, the status of the majority of areas remains unchanged.

The target is for all 67 areas to be managed within sustainable limits by 2018. This is an ambitious target, and based on the available data, the Audit Committee considers it ‘unlikely’ to be achieved.