The Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) has released the Mary Basin Resource Operations plan, which reviews the way in which water is used between towns, irrigators and the environment.

 

A key element of DERM’s plan is to convert over 520 water entitlements into tradable water allocations, which aims at incentivizing the use of water in a more efficient and cost effective method.

 

"The plan will increase urban water security for the Mary Basin by establishing rules for operating existing infrastructure and management of current water entitlements,” DERM’s Deputy Director-General Debbie Best said.

 

"This includes water sharing rules in times of extreme drought and the arrangements for water trading and environmental releases from water infrastructure.

 

DERM released the draft resource operations plan in August last year for public comment and received feedback from a wide range of stakeholders including water users, environmental groups and water infrastructure operators.

 

"It is important to note the plan does not provide a process for the release of any of the 150,000 megalitre strategic reserve that is identified in the water resource plan,” Ms Best said.

 

Further information on the Mary Basin Resource Operations Plan is available on the DERM website www.derm.qld.gov.au/wrp/mary.html