New Norfolk on the Derwent River, Tasmania.

Tasmania Sustainable Yields Project

The Tasmania Sustainable Yields Project will help Tasmania plan for a sustainable water future.

• 2 July 2010 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Challenge
• Response
• Outcome

Challenge

There is currently significant pressure to expand irrigated agriculture within Tasmania. This pressure comes from reductions in water availability elsewhere (e.g. the Murray-Darling Basin) combined with State and Federal Government interest in expanding the Tasmanian irrigation industry.

This project delivers the science required to underpin a sustainable irrigation industry in Tasmania.

Response

The A$4.2 million Federal Government-funded project considered surface and groundwater across northern, eastern, and central Tasmania, covering almost 50 000 square kilometres across five reporting regions, which together encompass about 72 per cent of Tasmania.

The project developed an assessment of the current and likely future extent and variability of surface water and groundwater resources in Tasmania.

The future projections included an investigation of the impacts of catchment development, changing groundwater extraction, climate variability and expected climate change on the availability and use of water resources across the project reporting regions.

Outcome

Findings from the project estimate that climate change will reduce rainfall by three per cent by 2030 under a median future climate scenario, leading to a five per cent reduction in water availability.

The results of the project have provided critical information to help governments, industry, and communities consider the environmental, social, and economic aspects of the sustainable use and management of the precious water assets of Tasmania based on the best available information.

As a result of this project, the Federal Government has committed A$1.46 million for the Headquarters Road Dam and over A$3 million for the Whitemore Irrigation Scheme.

These findings are also to be considered by all future federally-funded water projects in Tasmania to ensure plans take into account future reductions in water availability.

Read more about The Tasmania Sustainable Yields Project.