Eyre Peninsula Water Allocation Plan Revision

Have your say on the review and amendment of the EP Water Allocation Plan for the Southern Basins and Musgrave Prescribed Wells Areas.

What's being decided?

We have commenced the process of reviewing the Eyre Peninsula Water Allocation Plan. Given the value of these groundwater resources to the environment, and for local and regional water users, it is important for the community to have a say about what they think is working and not working in the current plan and what else needs to be considered in the revised plan. We seek your feedback on:

• the current plan, which estimates how much groundwater there is, what the needs are for environmental and stock and domestic water, and then sets rules for how much of the remaining water can be extracted for licensed use in any given year, based on monitoring of the groundwater levels; and
• other groundwater-related issues that the revised plan should look at.

Background

The water allocation plan regulates how much groundwater can be extracted from the Southern Basins and Musgrave Prescribed Wells Areas (see map). The Southern Basins near Port Lincoln currently supply 70% of the mains water for Eyre Peninsula, and the Bramfield lens in the Musgrave area supplies 100% of the mains water for Elliston.

As well as supplying SA Water with mains water, both groundwater resources also supply stock and domestic water for local landholders, water for the environment and cultural needs, and water for commercial use by private water licence holders (17 in the Southern Basins and 7 in the Musgrave area).

Groundwater levels are falling, in response to climate change and the current amount of extraction, and water levels in some bores are so low that there is a risk of saline water being drawn into the groundwater supplies. Given this, pumping needs to be reduced to protect the groundwater for users, along with the environmental and cultural values it supports.

This has triggered an early review and revision of the plan, which will decide how to address these risks to groundwater by changing water allocations. Your views will be considered as part of this revision process.

Get involved

Find out more:

• look at our FAQs
• watch our 5-minute video that explains how the Water Allocation Plan was created
• have a look at our diagram and explanation of how the Water Allocation Plan works
• have a look at brief information about how trigger levels determine annual water allocations
• have a look at our conceptual model diagram and explanation of how our local groundwater systems work
• check out the information on our Water Allocation Plan web page
• read the current Water Allocation Plan

Have your say before February 14 by:

• taking our 6-question survey and/or our super quick survey
• drop a pin on our map below and add a comment about your groundwater use priorities

Request a meeting or send us a written submission (by February 14, 2025):

• request a meeting to discuss the revision by emailing us on EPLBAdmin@sa.gov.au with 'EP WAP Revision meeting' as the email subject.
• email a submission to: EPLBAdmin@sa.gov.au with “EP WAP Revision” as the email subject
• post your written submission to:
  EP WAP Revision
  Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board
  PO Box 2916
  PORT LINCOLN SA 5606

What are the next steps?

1. We will consider all feedback as we review the current Water Allocation Plan and prepare a first draft of the revised plan.
2. Once the first draft has been completed, we will open another round of consultation, planned for August/September 2025.
3. In early 2026, the revised plan will be finalised, with new licences to come into effect before July 2026.