Adelaide River water advisory committee meeting 6
The Adelaide River water advisory committee met for its 6th meeting to inform the Adelaide River water allocation plan.
The committee received an update from the department on the projected timeline for the plan and the progress of the CSIRO Independent Technical Advisory Panel (panel), who are conducting an ecological risk assessment for the plan. Further work from the panel will inform implementation actions in the plan to best monitor ecological assets. The committee look forward to seeing the panel report and draft water plan documents in 2026.
Rod Marsh, who presented at the out-of-session meeting PDF (153.9 KB) on 9 September, presented potential flow volumes under natural conditions and projected water extraction for the proposed Adelaide River Off Stream Water Storage (AROWS) as the largest known potential water user in the catchment. The department reinforced with the committee the Department of Logistics and Infrastructure, the project leads on AROWS, are conducting an environmental impact assessment that will further inform any environmental licensing and water extraction licence decisions in the future.
The committee discussed the Northern Land Council’s assessment of Aboriginal cultural values of water in the Adelaide River catchment, completed in collaboration with the Department’s Office of Water Security. The department presented ideas for how the NLC’s findings could be incorporated into the plan. The committee has noted the importance of integrating this work, as well as cultural information from other sources, into the plan and encourage the department to continue engaging on this topic to ensure it is reflected strongly in the Adelaide Plan. The department will undertake further engagement with Aboriginal committee members and their family groups over the coming months.
The committee reflected on their progress so far this year with 3 full committee meetings and 3 out of session meetings to deep-dive some more complex topics. This year the committee has considered water science, committee values for the catchment, management zones, modelling results, cultural values and the Darwin Region Water Supply program (including AROWS). The committee will take a well-earned break over the festive season and will reconvene in the first quarter of 2026 to progress the Adelaide River water allocation plan. The department wishes to thank committee members for their insights and questions so far in the process that are shaping the plan’s development.
Recap on the progress of the water advisory committee at Adelaide River Water advisory committee meetings.
To stay informed on the water plan, go to the Water Security website or email us at waterresources.dlpe@nt.gov.au.
