WRITTEN QUESTIONS
9th Assembly

01/07/2003

44. Effects of water requirements of the recreational fishing industry on the Daly River

Mr Wood to MINISTER for Primary Industry and Fisheries

QUESTION
Has the government taken into consideration the water requirements of the recreational fishing industry on the Daly River in adopting a 20% annual water extraction rate from both surface water and groundwater supplies.

ANSWER

Answered on 29/09/2003

The Government has taken into consideration the water requirements of the recreational fishing industry on the Daly River in adopting a 20% ceiling on annual water extraction from both surface water and groundwater supplies.

The opportunity for further review and refinement of the current approach to regulating water extractions will be included as part of public consultation in the near future on a Water Allocation Plan for the Daly River region – covering the coordinated consideration of both surface water and groundwater.

This review will be based on the recommendations and findings of the environmental flows research and will cover the following matters:

accounting for the combined needs of the environment on both groundwater and river flows in planning for regional development;
restricting the pumping of over-bank river floods until they have dropped by 1 metre below peak level to protect floodplain wetlands and ecosystems;
restricting additional dry season pumping from the rivers without more study of ecosystem needs;
not allowing dams to be built on the Daly and Katherine Rivers;
not permitting additional bores within 3 km of the Daly and Katherine Rivers unless detailed hydrologic modelling demonstrates no impacts on river flows or water quality to protect river ecosystems depend on groundwater springs feeding into dry season river flows; and
not permitting additional irrigation within 500m from the Daly and Katherine Rivers.

The Government is committed, through its current regulatory practices and regional planning initiatives, to ensuring the safe development of the Daly River region within ecologically sustainable limits – including the proper consideration of water requirements for the recreational fishing industry.