Kangaroo Island Water Policy Review
Current status
The Kangaroo Island Water Affecting Activities Control Policy is being reviewed.
The Water Policy Review Committee is examining local water data, technical modelling and community knowledge before providing recommendations to the Kangaroo Island Landscape Board.
No revised policy has been drafted or endorsed, and the Board has not adopted a position on any potential changes. Formal community consultation has not yet opened.
The committee has requested additional time to examine the information and understand the possible implications of any changes to water take limits.
What is being reviewed?
The review concerns Kangaroo Island’s existing Water Affecting Activities Control Policy.
The policy guides decisions about permits for activities that can affect water resources, including:
- constructing or modifying dams
- diverting or collecting surface water
- undertaking work in watercourses, lakes or floodplains
- constructing or modifying water-related structures
- removing vegetation or excavating material from watercourses
- activities that may affect water quality, water flows or other water users.
The review will consider whether the policy remains practical, effective and appropriate for Kangaroo Island, including whether its existing water take limits adequately balance productive use with the needs of other users and water-dependent ecosystems.
No decision has been made about whether any of Kangaroo Island’s existing water take limits should change.
Why is the policy being reviewed?
The policy was adopted in 2017. During the review undertaken for the 2017 policy, community members called for future water-management decisions to be informed by data collected on Kangaroo Island.
In response, the Board has invested in local water and ecological monitoring, surface-water modelling and hydro-ecological risk assessment.
The current review is using this Kangaroo Island data and modelling to develop a better understanding of:
- the amount and quality of water available
- how water moves through different catchments
- the effects of water collection and diversion
- risks to existing water users
- risks to aquatic ecosystems and water quality
- how water can be managed for current and future needs.
Water quality and water quantity are closely connected. Reduced flows can affect water quality, aquatic ecosystems, downstream users and the suitability of water for primary production.
What is not being proposed?
This review is not a proposal to:
- prescribe Kangaroo Island’s water resources
- introduce water licences or individual water allocations
- establish water trading
- develop a water allocation plan.
Kangaroo Island has no prescribed water-management areas and no water allocation plan. It is one of only two South Australian landscape regions without a water allocation plan.
A Water Affecting Activities Control Policy is different from a water allocation plan. Kangaroo Island’s policy manages activities that may affect water resources through a permit system. Water allocation plans apply to prescribed water resources and establish licensing, allocations and water-trading rules.
Who is conducting the review?
The Water Policy Review Committee was established by the Kangaroo Island Landscape Board under section 36 of the Landscape South Australia Act 2019 and is supported by Board staff and technical specialists.
Its membership includes representatives from:
- the Kangaroo Island Landscape Board
- Kangaroo Island Council
- Agriculture Kangaroo Island
- the Kangaroo Island community
The committee is an advisory group. It does not have delegated authority to approve a policy or make decisions on behalf of the Board.
Its role is to examine the available information, consider local knowledge and provide recommendations to the Board.
The committee seeks to reach decisions by consensus. If members hold different views, those views will be recorded and provided to the Board for consideration.
How will evidence and local knowledge be considered?
The committee is considering the best available science alongside local knowledge and experience.
This includes:
- water and ecological data collected on Kangaroo Island
- surface-water and hydro-ecological modelling
- information about water-resource condition and trends
- the experience of farmers, landholders and other water users
- environmental, social, cultural and economic considerations
- the needs of future generations.
Technical evidence will not be considered in isolation. Local knowledge about properties, catchments, seasonal conditions and water requirements is an important part of the review.
When can the community participate?
Formal community consultation will begin once a draft policy is available for public review.
Consultation dates will be announced through:
- the Kangaroo Island Landscape Board website
- the Board’s newsletters and social media channels
- local media
- the South Australian Government’s YourSAy website.
The draft policy and supporting information will be published on YourSAy. Community members will be able to review the proposed policy and provide a formal submission.
Consultation dates have not yet been finalised. The community will be given notice before consultation opens and sufficient time to consider the information and respond.
What happens after consultation?
The review process includes the following stages:
- The committee examines the local data, technical evidence and community knowledge.
- The committee provides its recommendations, including any differing views, to the Board.
- The Board considers the committee’s recommendations and finalises a draft policy.
- The draft policy and supporting information are released for community feedback through YourSAy.
- The Board considers all formal submissions and determines whether changes to the draft policy are required.
- A proposed final policy is submitted to the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water.
- Department for Environment and Water specialists assess the proposal and provide advice to the Minister.
- The Minister decides whether to approve the policy or require further work.
No outcome has been predetermined. The objective is to develop a practical and balanced policy that supports productive water use while managing risks to water quality, other water users and water-dependent ecosystems.
Keep informed
Updates and consultation dates will be published on this page as the review progresses.
For questions about the review or water-affecting activity permits, contact the Kangaroo Island Landscape Board:
Phone: 08 8553 2476
Email: ki.landscapeboard@sa.gov.au