Activation potential for water licences in the Peel: Final report

In the Peel Regulated River system and the Peel Alluvium groundwater source, the number of shares is significantly higher than the megalitres set in the long-term average annual extraction limit – approximately 5 times higher in the Peel Regulated River and approximately 6 times higher in the Peel Alluvium. However, average use remains below the extraction limit. Despite this, active irrigators in the Peel can presently access 1 ML per share in a large proportion of years because there are currently many licences that are underused or not used at all (Figure 1).
If inactive licences are activated to a point where water use increases above the Long-Term Average Annual Extraction Limit (LTAAEL) allocations to general security water licences, licences will need to be reduced to contain usage to a level within the LTAAEL. More generally, growth in utilisation against licenced volumes would have the effect of eroding available water determinations (and hence reliability of supply) across all general security water users.
This report was prepared for the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) to investigate the potential of unused irrigation water licence being activated in the regulated and connected alluvial systems in the Peel.