The TIDB's Experience: presentation to TFGA Conference, July 2010
The TIDB was invited to speak at the 2010 Biennial Conference of the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association. The conference was themed Foodbowl: Fact or Pipedream? The TIDB was asked to speak on the topic of ‘the TIDB's experience’.
The presentation by TIDB Deputy CEO Greg Stanford is attached here.
The TIDB Experience_presentation to TFGA 2010 Biennial Conference.pdf
Cost structure of TIDB schemes outlined
The capital cost of TIDB schemes is shared between the community and the private sector. A total of $220m has been earmarked by the Tasmanian and Australian Governments to progress these water developments. The public funding contribution recognises that the regional communities in which the schemes are located will gain a general socio-economic advantage from increased activity and employment over time. Private capital contributions are made through the purchase of tradeable water entitlements to a particular scheme by the beneficiaries of that scheme. Operating costs are met by an annual charge on water entitlement holders.
More information is available in the attached document: outline of TIDB Scheme Cost Structure (pdf 620kb)
Obtaining water entitlements to TIDB schemes
Water entitlements are the vehicle for private sector contributions to a TIDB scheme and define the quantity of water to which the holder is entitled. A water entitlement is expressed as a dollar figure per megalitre. At the time of first offer by the TIDB, the cost per ML will be the same for all users of that scheme. When the offer period opens for a particular scheme, irrigators may commit in one of two ways:
1: paying a binding deposit, which will be10% of the cost of the water entitlements sought; or,
2: paying a non-binding deposit, which will be payment of 25% of the cost of water entitlements sought.
TIDB schemes aim to maximise the prerogative of farmers in the region where the scheme is located. It is intended that the sale of water entitlements to each proposed scheme commences with a closed offer period that would be open only to farmers in the district to be serviced by the scheme.
An overview of TIDB water entitlements is available here: TIDB Water entitlements_May 2010.pdf
Water entitlement questions and answers are available here: Answers to Water Entitlement Questions_Feb 2010.pdf
Ability of TIDB to offer entitlements to an open class: Ministerial advice on Irrigation Clauses Act 1973.pdf
The open market is encouraged to express interest in entitlements to TIDB scheme water. Information and an Expression-of-Interest form is available here: Open Class Information and EOI.pdf
How the TIDB progresses projects
The TIDB takes a logical and systematic approach to investigating, designing and building its schemes. There are four phases to TIDB projects, depending on whether they are based on dam construction or based on pipeline construction (from rivers or existing dams.)
For dam-based schemes, the project phases are Pre-feasibility; Feasibility and Approval; Pre-construction and Tendering; and, Construction. For pipeline-based schemes, the project phases are Pre-feasibility; Feasibility; Planning and Approvals; and, Construction. The activities conducted in each phase vary, and progress through the phases depends on the preceding phase achieving the necessary outcomes.
More information on dam project phases is available here: Project Phases - Dams (pdf 99kb)
More information on pipeline project phases is available here: Project Phases - Pipelines.pdf (pdf 101kb)
Sustainability of TIDB schemes
The environmental sustainability of TIDB schemes is paramount. TIDB schemes must be sustainable - and be seen to be sustainable - otherwise farmers will not want them, the community will not want them and the TIDB will not want to build them.
TIDB schemes must have no unacceptable impact on the environment either as a result of construction (dams, pipelines etc) or as a result of water extraction. These aspects will be demonstrated scheme by scheme by the range of studies, reports and approvals.
However, the TIDB understands that its environmental obligations extend beyond these matters to include the on-going consequences of irrigation in the rural landscape. It is a requirement that, before water from TIDB schemes can be applied to the land, farmers must have completed a Water Access Plan which demonstrates that the irrigation is sustainable. This introduces a new element to irrigation in Tasmania through which the consequences of irrigation at each property will be known and managed.
An overview of Water Acess Plans is available here: Water Access Plan Overview (pdf 64kb)
The WAP Soil component comprises: WAP Soil Guidelines WAP Soil Risk Assessment
The WAP Water component comprises: WAP Water Guidelines WAP Water Risk Assessment
The WAP Biodiversity component comprises: WAP Biodiversity Risk Assessment and Guidelines.pdf
Information on how to use the components is available here: WAP - Applying the Guidelines
TIDB schemes and climate change
The TIDB predominantly bases its hydrological assessments on data gathered over the past 11 years. It guarantees that on the historical data it has got the maths right and that each scheme advanced to the final stages meets its 95% reliability requirement when assessed on that basis.
But what of the future? How to assess the reliability of the schemes against an uncertain future in which climate change is predicted to affect rainfall (and therefore run-off into streams and ground water systems), temperature and weather patterns, among other matters?
The answers have been supplied by Australia’s premier research body, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) through its Tasmanian Sustainable Yields project. Using the CSIRO’s considerable expertise, this project has examined water availability in Tasmania through to 2030 under a range of climate scenarios. The Sustainable Yields project factors in the expected level of development of plantation forestry, groundwater and irrigation over the next 20 years.