The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20120227083656/http://www.nwc.gov.au/urban/more/national-review-of-water-restrictions-in-australia

National review of water restrictions in Australia

Water restrictions are in place in cities and towns across the country. Many commentators and consumers question the value of long-term water restrictions, asking why governments do not take steps to alleviate the squeeze on supply. While governments have announced major investments to boost urban water supplies, the use of restrictions in major centres across Australia has prompted public debate on the role, effectiveness and costs of restrictions.

The National Water Commission is leading a national review of water restrictions to assist the states and territories to meet their National Water Initiative (NWI) commitments in this area. Through this project, the National Water Commission is gaining a better understanding of the economic costs and/or benefits of water restrictions.

Scope

The project, funded by the Raising National Water Standards Program, has three stages:

  • a comprehensive review and analysis of water restriction policies and related public education strategies across Australia
  • a quantitative analysis of the  economic, environmental, and social costs and benefits of different water restriction policies
  • practical conclusions on the effective and efficient application of water restrictions.

Among other things, the water restrictions project ilooks at:

  • who sets and enforces water restrictions
  • how they are set and what information is needed
  • what public information and enforcement regimes are used to enhance effectiveness
  • what monitoring and review is undertaken to determine effectiveness
  • recent experiences with the effectiveness of water restrictions in reducing water use
  • how these restrictions sit with other urban water management responses.

Issues addressed

The project addresses issues and concerns raised by stakeholders and observers. For example:

  • poor understanding in the community about how restrictions are set and why restrictions vary under a range of circumstance (eg, water system variability)
  • a lack of confidence as to whether restrictions achieve meaningful outcomes relative to their real or perceived impacts
  • confusion over the different roles and effectiveness of temporary restrictions versus permanent restrictions (sometimes referred to as water conservation measures)
  • economic costs related to water restrictions are borne disproportionately by certain industries and sections of the community
  • a lack of rigorous monitoring and evaluation of water restrictions, including their economic, environmental and social impacts.

The project improves the transparency and effectiveness of water restrictions in urban water management, including a consideration of the merits of extending low-level restrictions as standard practice.