New Water Policy and Practice Volume 1, Number 2 - Spring 2015 | Page 81

New Water Policy and Practice

largest water suppliers and delivers more than 370 GL potable drinking water which
is sourced from 60 drinking water dams and weirs and 94 bore-fields to over 1 million
properties through 34,156 km of water mains29. In accordance with the Water Licensing
Act, drinking water providers are required to have an extensive drinking water quality
monitoring program, independent laboratory testing, and have specific policies in
place, for example, a Drinking Water Quality Policy and a Water Source Protection
Policy, which set their commitments in supplying safe, high-quality drinking water,
and protecting the water sources with the standards reflecting the AWDG and DoH in
compliance with the operating licence, the requirements of the MoU and with regard
to the reporting requirements of the NWC.

The release of a discussion paper by WA’s DoW in 2013 is yet another step in the
WA's gradual shift to integrate the principles of the NWI into State water law and policy.
Further changes framed in this paper are aimed at creating a new, streamlined system for
allocating and managing water resources and will involve the consolidation and repeal
of the various, and, in some cases, outdated enactments that deal with water resource
management, including changes to existing licensing regime; a new framework for
water access entitlements; over-allocated water resources, and metering requirements
(Reinmuth and Lynch 2013). The paper also forecasts potential modifications to the
water framework, in areas including environmental water, water quality, domestic/
basic water, and groundwater injections.

5 - Conclusion

A

lthough considerable progress had been made in tackling water reforms, water
source protection planning, and environmental allocations at a National level
and with implementation through the State’s legislative, regulatory, licensing,
and policy instruments, much remains to be undertaken and assessed. The impacted
values of aesthetics, lifestyle, and foregone revenue owing to climate change, drought,
water restrictions, and inappropriate allocations highlighted through the recent
productivity commission’s 2011 report has spurred the states to continue to reform. The
commission also identified further opportunities for efficiency gains in the structural,
institutional, regulatory, and other arrangements in the water sector that may directly
impact on productivity, direct investment strategies, and water-related industries.

The DoW in WA has recently proposed reforms (Reinmuth and Lynch
2013) that are intended to streamline the existing 'fragmented' framework and to
consolidate and modernise water allocation planning, licensing and trading across
the State. The Departments’ position paper proposes thorough consultation and is
focused on providing water users with more options for managing water through a
flexible and adaptive framework, while making adequate provision for the protection
29

Water Corporation Annual Report 2013–2014, http://www.watercorporation.com.au/about-us/
our-performance/drinking-water-quality.

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