Tintinara Coonalpyn Water Allocation Plan

Tintinara Coonalpyn Water Allocation Plan

If you have a water licence or are looking to get a licence in the Tintinara Coonalpyn area you should understand the Tintinara Coonalpyn Water Allocation Plan.

This plan sets out the rules for the take and use of water in the area from the confined and unconfined aquifers. The Tintinara Coonalpyn Water Allocation Plan aims to:

• protect the resource for all water users, now and into the future
• provide greater certainty for water users.

Tintinara Coonalpyn Water Allocation Plan [PDF, 2 MB]

The Limestone Coast Landscape Board develops and maintains water allocation plans as outlined in the Landscape South Australia Act 2019. The plans are developed with environmental, social, cultural and economic needs in mind and seek to ensure long term sustainability and security of the resource.

Water resources in the Tintinara Coonalpyn Prescribed Wells Area

Water resources in the area are divided between the unconfined and confined aquifers. The unconfined aquifer is recharged through rainfall. A thick clay sits under the unconfined aquifer preventing recharge into the confined aquifer and connectivity between the aquifers.

The area supports just over 110 water licences.

Water resource in the unconfined aquifer

Groundwater tends to be shallow in the western parts of the area, between 2 and 5 metres below the surface. Dryland salinity occurs west of Tintinara where water levels are closest to the surface. High well yields occur in this western area. In the east of the area groundwater tends to be deeper, 25-50 metres deep reflecting the elevation of land in this area. Well yields are lower and wells deeper in the east.

The unconfined aquifer is divided into four management areas.

Water resource in the confined aquifer

This deeper aquifer tends to have well yields lower than the unconfined aquifer. Like the unconfined aquifer salinity increases from east to west.

The confined aquifer is divided into three management areas.

Review and amendment of the Tintinara Coonalpyn Water Allocation Plan

The current version of the plan was adopted on 23 April 2012. In 2016 there was a review of the water allocation plans in the upper Limestone Coast. This review considered areas for improvement in the Tintinara Coonalpyn, Tatiara and Padthaway water allocation plans. It also considered whether the three plans should be amalgamated. The outcome of review was to not amalgamate the three plans and some areas for improvement were identified. Amendment did not occur for the Tintinara Coonalpyn Water Allocation Plan.

The next comprehensive review of the Tintinara Coonalpyn Water Allocation Plan needs to occur by 2026.