Posted 1 February 2011
The National Water Commission has released a new report produced by CSIRO on policy design for managed aquifer recharge (MAR).
One of the contemporary challenges for the urban water sector is meeting community and political expectations for the cost-effective supply of fit-for-purpose water at agreed levels of security. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) has assumed a recognised and important role in the portfolio of urban water management strategies being implemented to meet that challenge.
Current Australian MAR schemes are subject to an array of discrete policy provisions, at times attempting to comply with competing and uncoordinated policy requirements for each of four MAR operational elements (source-water harvesting, aquifer storage, recovery and end-use).
This report was produced by CSIRO as one output of a three year Raising National Water Standards Program project - Facilitating recycling of stormwater and reclaimed water via managed aquifer recharge (MAR) in Australia. It contributes to a number of outcomes in the National Water Initiative including increased water use efficiency in domestic and commercial settings; encouraging the use of reuse and recycling of wastewater, where cost effective; and encouraging innovation in water supply sourcing, treatment, storage and discharge.
The publication presents work undertaken by CSIRO on policy design for MAR. It summarises policy options analysis and recommendations consistent with the National Water Initiative for the separation of water rights to harvesting, recharge and extraction of stormwater into and out of aquifers. CSIRO workshopped the main findings and recommendations with targeted agencies and water industry in the jurisdictions.
Focusing on water and natural resource management policies and their current readiness for managed aquifer recharge, the publication spells out some of the issues relating to the coordinated design and implementation of urban water policy, taking account of:
The report describes the role of managed aquifer recharge in urban water systems, the characteristics of the robust separation of water rights, and recommendations from the workshops. It applies robust design principles to the four operational elements of managed aquifer recharge:
Source: NWC web site
Links:
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