Sustainable Agricultural Drainage Drivers,

Benchmarking and KPI’s as part of IWRM

Willem F. VlotmanChairman Working Group on Drainage

Assistant Director Basin Plan ModellingMurray-Darling Basin Authority, Canberra, Australia

Outline Drivers of Drainage Integrated Water (Resource) Management Triple Bottom Line, what’s that? Tools and SMART Indicators Eflow?, Climate Change & Risk

Management in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia

Conclusions on drivers and KPI’s and where we are heading

Drivers

Drainage

Drivers of Drainage

Drivers of Drainage Drainage to achieve sustainability of a water

management development Historic drivers of drainage

Generic agricultural level National policy level, and Farm/project level

Future drivers of drainage Drainage of rain fed land Drainage of salinity control Drainage driven by environmental aspects

Recently drivers of drainage can be grouped in: Satisfy ecological objectives Sustainability of diversions for consumptive use Integration & risk management

Modernisation = a driver An opportunity to do it right this time! BUT

Modernise ON TIMEWITHIN BUDGET, and above allTAKE YOUR TIME TO DO THINGS RIGHT

IWRM

Sustainable IWRM Sustainable IWRM encompasses the aspects of true

integrated water management in a sustainable manner by using Triple Bottom Line (TBL) Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure achievements.

Sustainable development is development that needs to meet the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs and aspirations.

Integration is defined as considering the whole of the hydrologic water cycle on catchment scale quantitatively and qualitatively

drainage

drainage

drainage

drainage

drainage

drainage

IWRM

Integrated WRM Meteorology Surface Water Hydrology Groundwater

Sustainability

TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE

TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE

TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE

Triple Bottom Line

1 Environmental

2 Economic3 Social & Cultural

Sustainable Development

Triple Bottom Line Reporting

1 Environmental

2 Economic

3 Social & Cultural

Common TBL reporting is through the annual report of the organisation, but is it Sustainable Development?

Catchment area for the Murray and Darling Catchment area for the Murray and Darling rivers and their tributaries rivers and their tributaries Total of 23 river valleys Total of 23 river valleys Basin area over 1 million square Basin area over 1 million square kilometres kilometres 14% of total area of Australia 14% of total area of Australia Population >2 millionPopulation >2 millionAnnual average rainfall 530,618 gigalitres Annual average rainfall 530,618 gigalitres 94% of rainfall evaporates; 2% drains into the ground; 4% 94% of rainfall evaporates; 2% drains into the ground; 4%

ends up as runoff ends up as runoff Basin generates 39% of the national income derived from Basin generates 39% of the national income derived from

agricultural production agricultural production Produces 53% of Australian cereals grown for grain, 95% Produces 53% of Australian cereals grown for grain, 95%

of oranges, and 54% of apples of oranges, and 54% of apples Supports 28% of the nation’s cattle herd, 45% of sheep, Supports 28% of the nation’s cattle herd, 45% of sheep,

and 62% of pigs.and 62% of pigs.

QLD

NSWSA

VIC

ACT

The Murray-Darling Basin

47 surface and groundwater models used in the 18 MDB reporting regions

Paroo IQQM

Warrego IQQMNebine IQQM

Condamine MODFLOW

Middle Condamine IQQM

St George SGCS13NT

Lower Balonne IQQM

Upper Condamine IQQM

Border R. and Mac B. IQQMBorder Rivers MODFLOW

Moonie IQQM

Gwydir IQQMLower Gwydir MODFLOW

Eastern Mt Lofty Ranges 6*WATERCRESS

DailyWeeklyMonthly

Barwon-Darling IQQM

Menindee IQQM

Peel IQQMUpper Namoi MODFLOW

Namoi IQQMLower Namoi MODFLOWMacq-Castlereagh 6*IQQMMacquarie MODFLOW

Wimmera REALMLachlan IQQM

Mid-Lachlan MODFLOWLower Lachlan MODFLOW

Ovens REALMGSM REALM

Avoca REALMSnowy SIM_V9

Murray BigModMurray MSM

Southern Riverine Plains MODFLOW

Upper Bidgee IQQMACTEW REALM

Mid Bidgee MODFLOW

Bidgee IQQMLower Bidgee

MODFLOW

Season: what time of year (start and end day)

Spell definition: duration, number, single longest:

Threshold: flow above or below this level

• Minimum duration: – what is the minimum

number of days for a partial spell to be considered

• Return period: – every year or some

multiple• Independence criteria:

– how long between spells

Ecological Objectives and Functions

Back to flow diagram

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Environment

Environmental health; meet ecological objectives and functions

Water quantity & quality Bird breeding events, fish propagation, etc.

Economic Maintain productivity of region Economic viability and change in regional wealth Financial soundness

Social & cultural Stakeholder involvement Safety issues Cultural acceptance

SMART

SMART Simple Measurable Accessible Relevant Timely

Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time-framed

Guidance with selection of KPIs Separate internal and external indicators INTERNAL is for SHAREHOLDERS, staff and

direct customers EXTERNAL is for the remaining stakeholders;

the indirect customers, those that are affected by our products and services

INTERNAL: business performance EXTERNAL: TBL

Tools

Benchmarking: last major action in 2007 Balanced ScoreCard TBL GRI

Achilles Heel Large amount of data to be collected for a

few KPI’s for instance:Australian National Committee on Irrigation

and Drainage (ANCID) Benchmarking study: 69 irrigation industry performance indicators (3-4 drainage related), but covering all TBL aspects

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) performance indicators 79 (49 core and 30 additional but each indicator built up from various supporting parameters/indicators

BSC has 40+ indicators

Conclusions on KPI’s

INTERNAL INDICATORS (BSC) 12 KPI’s 4 of each of categories

EXTERNAL INDICATORS (TBL)3 economic9 environment (health, quantity, quality)6 social/cultural

Conclusions Change in paradigm from socio-economic to Triple

Bottom Line: environmental-economic-social/cultural Did we do the right thing? Generally no Drivers of drainage

Modernisation (aging water supply system) Climate changes (anthropogenic and natural weather cycles

shorter than commonly perceived) Sustainability of physical environments

IWRM at basin level Environmental Health of river systems and dependent eco systems Increased property values (urbanisation/industrialisation)

Select appropriate KPIs using the Balanced Scorecard system for internal performance indicators and the Global Reporting Institute Triple Bottom Line approach for external performance indicators

Questions