On Wednesday 10 September, several growers met to discuss the Whitsunday Water Plan with the aim to provide feedback for a BGGA submission and to answer questions around individual submissions.
Background
The existing Whitsunday Water Plan covers the area shaded in beige below and has been in place since 2010. The Department of Local Government, Water & Volunteers is proposing to extend the Whitsunday Water Plan to include the Bowen Underground Water area and beyond (white area in map below). Including the Bowen groundwater management in the Water Plan offers the opportunity to review, change, simplify or maintain existing rules.
This proposal is currently in the first phase of consultation and is open for submissions until 31 October 2025. Individual submissions can be made via this online form. BGGA will also compose a submission based on feedback from growers.
Summary of Discussion at the Water Plan Think Tank
Water Trading Opportunity
Moving to the Whitsunday Water Plan offers the opportunity for water trading to become available. Under the water plan, no new allocations of water will be made available but trading might unlock unused allocations / sleeper bores.
The group discussed the need to think carefully about how water trading will work for the region. There is the risk of water becoming an expensive commodity and being bought up by ‘water barons’. Crops need to be viable, we should not let water prices dictate what can be grown.
There was strong agreement that land requires water and preventions might be put in place to stop all water being traded off land. Further investigation into these preventions is required – for example, can we restrict how much water can be traded based on land size. For example, a 5 acre block may trade 100% of water allocated, while a 20 acre block may trade 75% of water allocated. The alternative would be to base this on volume – for example, 1M should be retained per Hectare.
It is important to note that trading water would involve pumping the water purchased from the buyers own bore – not pumping it from the bore of the seller. With this in mind, concerns were raised regarding the zones and ability to trade water across current zones. For example, purchasing water from the Delta but pumping from 15kms up river. Would this affect water table control? One suggestion by the group was to investigate a 5km radius from a current bore location for purchasing allocations. This would solve issues around enabling the purchase of water across zones, but prevent pumping all water from one location.
In addition to the 5km radius suggested, the group maintained that purchasers of water must be landowners. Water could not be traded to external parties with no land.
Annual Restrictions
It was noted that the department does not include the redraw in determining annual amounts. There are significant allocations that have not been used for many years, but these are not factored into the annual volumes.
Overland Flow
The group was in favour of retaining current arrangements around overland flow – currently overland flow can be taken for any purpose and does not require licencing.
Flood Harvesting
The group was in favour of flood harvesting licences remaining as is, with water metered in, not out. Additional feedback will be sought regarding flood harvesting from affected growers in the coming weeks.
Zones
All present agreed that current zones should be kept in place, bearing in mind earlier discussion around trading across zones. Concerns were raised by some growers regarding rising water tables and salinity, and the role of annual restrictions in controlling this. Department representative, Rebecca Munro, highlighted that the methodology around restrictions is being reviewed, with rainfall assessment, telemetry and local knowledge playing a key role.
Finally, questions were raised around the price of water and ensuring the water plan retains the purchase of licences, not volumes of water.
This discussion will form the basis of BGGA’s submission regarding the inclusion of the Bowen Underground Water Management area in the new Whitsunday Water Plan. We will continue to engage with growers as the submission is finalised. For feedback, comments or questions, please contact Jenn Honnery – ceo@bowengumlugrowers.com.au or 0447 511 994.
