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Improved seasonality of flows and system harmonisation social component Catherine Allan. risk averse society. denial. Incremental change. Avoid ideas that might not work. Improved seasonality of flows and system harmonisation. Big idea. Big changes.
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Improved seasonality of flows and system harmonisation social component Catherine Allan
risk averse society denial Incremental change Avoid ideas that might not work
Improved seasonality of flows and system harmonisation Big idea Big changes How can we do this on a risk averse society? Pay attention to social aspects Pilot
Get the science ‘right’ before taking it to the people Work may be great but wasted because of social rejection Model 1 Involve ‘community’ fully from the start Premature alarm Resource intense Model 2 Put much effort into science but periodically take to community experts Pragmatic compromise Model 1.5
the pragmatic approach 2 workshops with irrigation ‘middlepeople’ Leeton April 2005 Griffith March 2006 • criteria for assessing new projects • different options (concepts) • acceptability of different options Hydraulic modelling Economic modelling
Workshop participants • Colleambally Irrigation • Murray Irrigation • Murrumbidgee Irrigation • Ricegrowers Association • Murrumbidgee Horticultural Council • Water for Rivers • State Water • A few individual irrigators • DNR • MDBC • CSIRO • CRC IF
Draft criteria for assessing projects Economic benefits Social benefits Environmental benefits Improved water use efficiency Demonstrate impacts on water availability Significance Sound stakeholder processes Equity/fairness Feasibility Risk reduction Identify costs/ cost minimisation
no net increased diversion from rivers no net reduction in diversions from rivers
The project options presented • Cropping mix changes • Conjunctive use of ground and surface water • Manage evaporation • Water trading • On-route storage • Barrage barge • sell water as service
Initial thoughts on the options conjunctive use of water good support/ interest from all groups on-route storage, managing evaporation and barrage barge very popular with some groups very unpopular with others polarised cropping mix and water trading moderate support from all groups Selling water as a service little support from any group.
Worth pursuing Baseline (current approach) Market-based surface water demand reduction Managed Accessible Recharge/Active SR Conjunctive water use Worth pursuing En-route storages Worth pursuing, but others are on to it Increased System efficiency/ increased end use efficiency? Acceptance snapshot Mixed (most doubtful) Spreading demand with new cropping mix
Improved seasonality of flows and system harmonisation Big idea Big changes How can we do this on a risk averse society? Pay attention to social aspects Pilot
What did we learn about the pragmatic approach? • the value of involving non scientists from the start is useful • outweighs costs and efforts • Things to consider • who is involved? • power / influence must be negotiated • be prepared to hear negative • be prepared to learn rather than sell