Gingin water management arrangements have been revised in response to ongoing declines in groundwater levels due to reduced rainfall caused by climate change.
The updates are outlined in the Gingin groundwater and surface water allocation plans: 2024 evaluation statement, released today.
To strengthen the protection of Gingin's water resources and to support local water users and the environment, there will be a restriction on new water licensing, and the trade of water in areas most impacted by climate change and water use.
The updated arrangements will assist in protecting the environmentally sensitive areas of Gingin Brook, Lennard Brook and the Moore River estuary.
Average annual rainfall has dropped by nine per cent since the release of the Gingin surface water allocation plan in 2011. Summer streamflow in Gingin Brook, which provides water for irrigated agriculture and supports aquatic fauna communities, has declined by 34 per cent over the same period.
In the southern part of the Gingin groundwater area, aquifers that provide water for irrigated agriculture and support sensitive groundwater-dependent environments are also in decline.
The Gingin area is an important agriculture region in our State, and its aquatic systems sustain diverse communities of flora and fauna, with the species richness of fish and crayfish amongst the highest in south-west Western Australia.
Gingin is also one of the areas of the State most impacted by climate change, with climate projections indicating rainfall will continue to decline into the future.
The Gingin groundwater and surface water allocation plans: 2024 evaluation statement found ongoing risks to groundwater and surface water resources in the southern part of the region, where climate change and abstraction has led to long-term declines in groundwater levels and streamflow.
The updated measures are an important interim step while a new combined Gingin water allocation plan for surface water and groundwater is developed.
This new plan will include further consideration of the abstraction reductions proposed for parts of the area covered in the 2022 Gnangara groundwater allocation plan.
The new draft Gingin water allocation plan is expected to be released for public consultation in 2028, after updated groundwater modelling using the latest climate projections is completed.
Read the Gingin groundwater and surface water allocation plans: 2024 evaluation statement.
View the full media statement.
