Breadcrumb

Compiling water-dependent assets

Executive summary

The submethodology M02 Compiling water-dependent assets, guides the compiling of the asset database and associated water-dependent asset register for each bioregional assessment (BA). It relates to product 1.3 Description of the water-dependent asset register within Component 1: Contextual information of the bioregion or subregion. It describes the approach to be used in each bioregion or subregion to:

  1. Compile national and other asset databases by the Assets and Receptors Project team to produce an asset database (see Section 2). Key inputs to the asset database at this stage are the BA-purpose-built Water Asset Information Tool (WAIT) database prepared by natural resource management organisations (NRMs) and contributions from those with expert local knowledge including Indigenous knowledge.
  2. Define the preliminary assessment extent (PAE) for a bioregion or subregion by the Assessment team (see Section 3).
  3. Creation of an asset list by the Assets and Receptors Project team through selection of assets in the asset database that occur within the PAE (see Section 3).
  4. Refine the asset list by the Assessment team to create a water-dependent asset register based on the potential for water-related impacts on assets and feedback from experts with local knowledge (see Section 4).

Though all life is dependent on water, for the purposes of a bioregional assessment, a water-dependent asset is an asset potentially impacted by changes in the groundwater and/or surface water regime due to coal resource development. The water must be other than local rainfall. The water-dependent asset register lists all the water-dependent assets in the preliminary assessment extent (PAE). The PAE is the geographic area associated with a bioregion or subregion in which the potential water-related impacts of coal resource development on assets are assessed. The compiling of the water-dependent asset register is the first step to identifying and analysing potentially impacted assets, which is the goal of the overall bioregional assessment. This asset register is a simple and authoritative listing of the names of the assets that will be included in the other BA components.

During the compilation process, assets are classified into three groups: (i) ecological, (ii) economic and (iii) sociocultural. Many assets are obtained from state and national databases and a key group of ecological assets is provided by NRMs. Meetings are planned with Indigenous knowledge holders to discuss Indigenous cultural water-dependent assets. The assets are compiled into an asset database, which is then used to generate the water-dependent asset register. A preliminary version of the asset register is presented to experts and organisations with local knowledge at organised workshops. Feedback is sought about whether the asset register is complete and correct; appropriate amendments are then made. It is at this stage – when assets have been filtered through the PAE and the amended water-dependent assets have been recorded in the database – that the water-dependent asset register is complete for the purposes of producing product 1.3. Each BA asset database and register may be updated for use in other BA products. Other steps in a BA are described in the pending companion submethodologies including M03 for assigning receptors and impact variables to water-dependent assets.

 

Last updated:
13 June 2018