Victoria:
Sustainable Water Resources and Farm Dams:
Discussion Paper April 2000:

The Victorian State Government has released a discussion paper foreshadowing changes to procedures for the management of farm dams under the Water Act 1989. The paper may be obtained through the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (phone Victoria 136 186), or on the web at:

http://www.nre.vic.gov.au/web/root/domino/cm_da/nrenlwm.nsf/frameset/NRE+Land+and+Water?OpenDocument

The Water Act 1989 can be obtained from the Victorian Government's legislation site: www.dms.dpc.vic.gov.au

The deadline for comment is 30 September 2000. The paper is well researched and presented. Possible avenues for improvement may include considerations of:

  1. the need for the precautionary principle
  2. managing the cumulative effects of catchment development
  3. integration of mechanisms for the management of both surface and groundwater
  4. increased regulation of off-stream catchment dams,
  5. better integration of freshwater biodiversity conservation within ICM, and
  6. the use of accepted quality control procedures to ensure the effectiveness of regulatory regimes.

These issues are expanded in my submission. Check out either the MS Word 97 version, or the RTF version. If you have problems, please email me on jon_nevill@hotmail.com.