Oolloo Water Allocation Plan: midterm review complete!
The Oolloo Water Allocation Plan (the plan) midterm review has been completed! The review has confirmed that the plan is achieving its objectives and remains based on accurate and sound science and is appropriate to remain in force for the next 5 years. The review identified three priority actions to contribute to continual improvement and inform the development of the next plan.
Water allocation plans are an essential component of the sustainable water management of the Northern Territory, and, under the Water Act 1992, must be reviewed at periods of not longer than 5 years. This month, the midterm review for the Oolloo Dolostone Aquifer Water Allocation Plan 2019-2029 (the Oolloo Plan) was approved by the Minister for Water Resources!
The Oolloo plan covers an area of 5,277 km2 within the Daly River basin, the largest river in the Northern Territory. The area includes the Florina and Douglas Daly agricultural districts and other culturally and ecologically important sites. The plan applies to groundwater within the Oolloo Dolostone Aquifer, which also includes surface water (rivers and creeks), within the plan area.
The purpose of a review is to determine:
- if the scientific assumptions on which a plan is based, have changed
- whether there is a new or increased risk to the water resource
- whether the plan is achieving its objectives.
The review of the Oolloo plan found that the plan is achieving its objectives; based on sound science and appropriate to remain in place for the next five years. Furthermore, there were no new or increased risks to the water resource identified.
“While water use increased during the period, so did groundwater levels and river flows, which remain substantially above the long-term average” says Amy Dysart, Water Resources Division Executive Director, Department of Lands, Planning and Environment.
Scientists in Water Resources Division use a network of 14 surface water gauging sites and 40 bores to monitor water levels and input this data into the integrated groundwater and surface water model of the Daly-Roper basins.
Some of the longest flow records in the Northern Territory are in the Oolloo plan area, with monitoring commencing at the Daly River Police Station in 1952 and at Dorisvale in 1957.
The model aids water management decisions by predicting water resource response to differing water extraction and climatic scenarios in the region. Prior to the midterm review the model was independently reviewed by the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training in South Australia, and found to be fit for purpose, and a leading example of national best practice.
The review was approved by the Minister for Water Resources on the 12 November 2024, and identified three priority activities to for the continued management of the resource.
If you want to read more, go to the Northern Territory Government website.
