Greater Adelaide is facing emerging water security challenges as a result of a growing population and climate change. A key limiting factor to addressing this challenge is the current water governance arrangements which do not adequately enable the consideration of all sources of water or provide for sustainable investment in solutions.

Identification of new governance arrangements is highly complex as there are multiple stakeholders, pieces of existing legislation, and institutional arrangements. BMCG has been engaged by Watertrust Australia and is working with SA Water, the SA Department for Environment and Water and other stakeholders including local and state government agencies to:

• Identify and unpack the current governance (institutional and financial) challenges and limitations, and how these are constraining progress towards integrated water management.

• Develop an agreed set of principles and outcomes for IWM and good governance.

• Identify possible alternative governance (institutional and financial) models, and consider the risks and opportunities associated with any alternative model and the likely transition arrangements.

• Oversee the stakeholder engagement processes including facilitating workshops, interviews and surveys.

• Providing advice on how best to engage with local First Nations groups.

This work includes extensive research, technical analysis and engagement with a broad range of stakeholders and requires consideration of policy, legislation, funding, and financing, decision-making processes and cultural perspectives.

The Northern Water Project is an initiative of the South Australian Government aimed at providing a new, climate-independent water source for the Far North, Upper Spencer Gulf and Eastern Eyre Peninsula regions of South Australia. The project will enable economic growth in industries crucial to achieving net-zero goals, including the emerging green energy and hydrogen sectors. The BMCG team have worked with Infrastructure SA (ISA), Jacobs and GHD during the planning phase since 2021.

Industry and workforce economic participation strategy
BMCG are currently working with ISA, partners and stakeholders to provide advisory, engagement and project services to support Northern Water’s industry economic participation initiatives. The planning, design and enabling of these initiatives involves close collaboration and engagement with the project team, project partners, Eyre Peninsula and Upper Spencer Gulf industry, Indigenous businesses and suppliers, community and stakeholders.

Infrastructure location options assessment
BMCG team members worked with the Jacobs and Northern Water project team to design a multi criteria assessment process for a qualitative and quantitative assessment of potential infrastructure locations and considerations to inform further detailed investigation.

Detailed Business Case – Technical advisory services
Through the early phase of the project, BMCG team members worked with ISA and the Jacobs GHD team to provide technical advisory services as part of the project’s strategic assessment phase. This involved technical feasibility assessments, a review of potential environmental constraints, project environmental approval considerations, a preliminary site selection review, and preliminary delivery schedule and risk assessment. Following the strategic assessment phase, BMCG team members worked with Jacobs, GHD, ISA and partners to provide technical services to support the projects detailed business case and associated infrastructure reference design.

In November 2023 the Australian parliament passed the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023. The Bill provides an extension of time, among other things, to complete sustainable diversion limit offset projects and recover the 450 gigalitres of water for the environment.

BMCG was engaged by the SA Department of Environment and Water to facilitate workshops with stakeholders in the Riverland and Murraylands to better understand any possible impacts and inform how best to design any future water recovery programs, deliver the proposed reforms, and support communities and industries to adjust and prosper.

BMCG prepared a report that summarised what was heard across the workshops and proposed next steps.

SDLAM is a key program under the Basin Plan designed, through a range of infrastructure, policy and operational measures, to achieve similar or improved environmental outcomes using less water. BMCG team members have been involved in the program since 2020 as part of the 3Rivers Joint Venture (Jacobs and GHD), partnered with the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

BMCG is currently working with 3Rivers, the NSW Government and stakeholders to support the progression of a number of packages under the program including:

The Lower Murray: Locks 8 and 9 Project: This project aims to restore and enhance riverine habitat across the Frenchmans Creek, Carrs, Capitts and Bunberoo Creek systems through operational mechanisms, regulators, fishways and complementary works and measures.

BMCG are supporting 3Rivers and the NSW Government with project management and advisory services to support the progression of approvals, modelling, infrastructure designs and stakeholder engagement.