Mount Lofty Ranges Water Allocation Plans Evaluation

Get involved in the evaluation of the Eastern and Western Mount Lofty Ranges Water Allocation Plans.

What's being decided?

The Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board are undertaking an evaluation of the Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges and Western Mount Lofty Ranges Water Allocation Plans.

The purpose of the evaluation is to look at:

• whether the water allocation plans are effective in balancing environmental, economic, social and First Nations water needs, and

• whether amendments are required.

The evaluation this year is all about sharing information and providing opportunities to hear from you. With your feedback, we can make sure the water allocation plans continue to respond to the changing environment and the needs of our communities and industries, while protecting our water resources for generations to come.

Background

To ensure that a plan remains up to date, a water allocation plan must be reviewed (evaluated) on a comprehensive basis at least once every 10 years. The Eastern and Western Mount Lofty Ranges Water Allocation Plans were both first adopted in 2013 and are now due to be evaluated.

If the evaluation process finds that the Water Allocation Plans (WAPs) need amendment, the focus areas will be set out in the evaluation report. In the case of the Eastern and Western Mount Lofty Ranges WAPs, it is likely that there will be an amendment process.

We want to develop a clear picture of how effective the current policies and approaches have been, and where changes are needed. The conversations we have this year will set the direction for the amendment process commencing next year (2024), continuing for around two years. During the amendment process there will be time to test and explore new policies, with local communities and industries having a key role in this.

Get involved

We want to understand your views on how water resources are managed now, and where future efforts should be focused.

Have your say by:

• Taking our survey

• ATTEND AN UPCOMING DROP-IN SESSION. We are holding six sessions across the region - drop in anytime from 2pm to 7pm

• Mount Compass Memorial Hall - Monday 21st August 2023
• Inman Valley Community & Memorial Hall - Thursday 24th August 2023
• Macclesfield Institute - Tuesday 29th August 2023
• Woodside Hall - Friday 1st September 2023
• Gumeracha Town Hall - Wednesday 6th September 2023
• Mount Barker Town Hall - Friday 8th September 2023

For a focussed one-on-one conversation about a particular query, you can pre-book a 30 minute chat with one of our team via the links on our website or contact us by email HFWaterTeam@sa.gov.au or by phone 08 8391 7500.

Find out more:

• Read the Catchment Summaries which bring together data on rainfall, water resources, allocation and usage, and environmental trends.
• Take a look at our FAQs
• Watch our short informative video

What are the next steps?

The evaluation will be completed by the end of 2023. If amendments are required this process will begin in 2024. During the amendment phase, we will work closely with the community to build on the initial conversations started during the evaluation phase, to develop suitable and sustainable solutions for future water allocation.