Community Water
Management Plan

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Description of Lands

The Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands comprise nine major communities, four emerging communities and approximately 70 homelands. The area of land that falls under the administration of Anangu Pitjantjatjara covers more than 103,000 square kilometres of arid lands in the far northwest of South Australia (Figure 1). The Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands extend from the 129° East Longitude to east of the 133° East-longitude, and from the 26°South-parallel of latitude to south of the 28° Southparallel. The Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands share boundaries with Western Australia to the west, Northern Territory to the north, and the Maralinga Tjarutja Lands and the unnamed conservation park to the south. Anangu Pitjantjatjara is incorporated by the Pitjantjatjara Land Rights Act and received title to the lands by the act of parliament in 1981.

Population

The latest population figures published by Nganampa Health Council indicate that in 2002 there were 2,600 people living on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands. The figures reported by NHC indicate that features of both a high growth rate and excess premature mortality still persist. The age distribution falls sharply with age, which is both characteristic of developing countries and quite different from the non-indigenous population profile in Australia. Population figures provided by Nganampa Health Council are collected at each regional clinic. The clinics are located at the major communities and so the population distribution includes those communities and homelands that are associated with the clinics. Population figures for Kaltjiti and the associated homelands is 290, and were recorded by NHC in 2002. The community population figures for Anangu and non-Anangu staff and their families are not recorded by directly by NHC.

Climate

The country around Kaltjiti experiences two different seasons, summer, for the months of November to March, and winter for the months of April to October. Records from Kaltjiti, were kept for rainfall from approximately 1969 to 1989. The mean annual rainfall is about 250mm. Mean Monthly rainfall is fairly low from month to month, ranging from approximately 45mm in the summer, down to 8mm in the winter. Typically higher rainfall is generally experienced during the summer month and extreme rainfall events are more likely to occur during the summer season. Weather data has been kept at Pukatja approximately 65 Km away and temperatures at Kaltjiti are likely to be similar to those experienced in Pukatja. In the summer the temperatures can reach beyond 40°C, with highest recorded temperatures reaching 50°C. In the winter the temperatures can fall below 0°C and frosts can be experienced during June, July and August

Water Resources Catchment Area

The catchment area for Kaltjiti is located in the Warburton Surface Water Management Area (SWMA) and the Watinuma Sub Area (Figure 4). The south trending catchment basin is extensive and encompasses the drainage of Ernabella creek, Officer creek and Currie creek. The northern boundary adjoins the southern boundary of the Ngarutjara Sub Area and follows the spine of the Musgrave Ranges through Mt Woodroffe and Mt Everard as they tend to their eastern extent. The northern boundary continues to follow the spine of the Musgrave Ranges past just to the north then east of Pukatja, where it adjoins the boundary of the Tietkens Sub Area. The northern boundary continues to the north of Mt Warrabillinna and terminates with the eastern boundary where it adjoins the western boundary of the Eateringinna Sub Area and Yunyarinyi community to the east. The eastern boundary of the catchment, derived from topographical information, is located arbitrarily between the drainage of Officer Creek to the west and Eateringinna creek in the east. The eastern boundary tends south at the approximate location of highest recorded elevations and contour lines as far as just to the north of Mallacoondinna Hill where it now adjoins the boundary of the Artoonanna Sub Area. The boundary passes to the north of Mt Barnet and south of Ronald Well and then tends in a southeastern direction until the vicinity of Cartu Hill. Approximately 15 kilometres east-northeast of Cartu Hill the basin boundary tends to the west-southwest passing just to the south of Cartu Hill. Approximately 2 kilometres southwest of Cartu Hill the basin boundary turns and then tends generally south through the sand hill country to the boundary of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands. At this point the catchment boundary becomes more arbitrary due to the scarcity of reportable features and topographic relief. The western boundary is similarly derived from topographical information and is located arbitrarily between the drainage of Currie Creek to the east and an unnamed drainage channel to the west near Kunapanti soak. The western boundary continues south through Wintiginna Hill, approximately 30 Km east of Makiri, and then generally south through the Great Victoria Desert. The southern extent of the catchment basin is the boundary of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands, which also forms the southern boundary for the Sub Area.

Groundwater Area

Kaltjiti is located over the Musgrave GMU. Dodds et al1 report that the bores are drilled into weathered granite and schist of the Birksgate Complex. Radiocarbon dating indicates a range of 58% to 67% modern recharge (between 3000 and 4000 years. The data from 36Cl/Cl ratio is inconclusive for the age of the groundwater. There are several possible reasons for the inconclusive outcome of isotope dating of these groundwaters. Firstly there might be more than one recharge mechanism at work for this bore field. Recharge associated with rainfall in the Musgrave Ranges to the north around Watinuma, Alywanyuwanyu and Pukatja might be combined with stream recharge along Ernabella creek and then Officer creek farther down stream. These two combined flows might then be combined with a third recharge mechanism, distributed recharge, which is direct recharge, due to high rainfall events in the areas away from the ranges and surrounding Kaltjiti. Recharge is likely to occur in these areas after rainfall events that exceed approximately 130mm (Barnes et al, 1994). The time taken for this ground flow to reach Kaltjiti from the northern recharge zones is not known but this may be a factor in the presence of older water.

The groundwater that was tested was taken from fractures at depths of 20 meters or more. Rate of infiltration of modern water from the surface to the groundwater zone by the distributed recharge mechanism has been modelled and the 36Cl isotope associated with the bomb pulse signature from the nuclear testing in the 1950’s is predicted to have reached approximately 9 metres deep. Therefore the younger groundwater infiltrating from distributed recharge will not have transported the marker isotope marker into the groundwater mixture. The two groundwater sources could provide a mixture of old and new groundwater without there being any conclusive data to corroborate the results.

The geologic units responsible for groundwater storage and transmission in this area are weathered units of granite and schist. The lateral and limits of all the groundwater basins that supply the community bores are not known and until they can be identified the size of the groundwater resource cannot be evaluated.

Sustainability

Factors that affect the sustainability of the water resource at Kaltjiti include: • Present production rates
• Planned production rates
• Expected serviceable life of the bores
• Estimated age of groundwater and modern recharge capabilities.
• Climatic conditions, especially rainfall and temperature.
• Threats to resources due to depletion and contamination.

Considering all of the above factors the following guidelines can be set. At these rates, the life of the bores is estimated to be approximately 40 to 50 years. This means that the bores will be useful for production for that lifetime as long as their condition is well maintained. There is some evidence of intrusion by tree roots in FMB-FRG1. Failure of one or two of these bores will not affect the supply to the community in the short term. The available supply is sufficient to accommodate a threefold increase in demand and if the community continues to develop, there is sufficient supply available for the near future. Groundwater quality is a greater concern for Kaltjiti. Concentrations of Total Dissolved Solids that exceed 1000 mg/L pose a much more pressing problem for the community. The chances of locating a supply of better quality near the community are slim. The remaining alternatives for improving the quality of water supplied to the community include piping water from a more distant location where the supply us chemically within the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, or installing water treatment facilities to desalinate the water that is available in the community borefield. These production figures are useful for estimating current abstraction rates and assisting forecasts for future life of the bores and the borefield with respect to community growth rates and consumption predictions. This also assists community planners to form predictions about time for planning for expansion of water resources required for timely community development.

Water Quality

When considering a way to measure the performance of groundwater quality a performance based guideline will assist community planners and managers to set goals for the quality of their community water supply. Two basic parameters become the “line in the sand” across which water quality must not be carried. First parameter is the basic health of the consumers and how water quality affects them. The second is the basic health of the resource, that is the quality and quantity of the water supply. This includes all sources of water, surface water, groundwater, stored rainwater, recycled and treated effluent water. One might argue that the two parameters are in fact just one being the repetition of the other, namely that when the water resource is not healthy, the health of the consumers will suffer. There is in fact an intrinsic link between the two and poor health of one part of the link may manifest before the state of health of the other part Kaltjiti Community Water Management Plan Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Water Management Plan 14 is recognised. Each must be monitored using their own particular monitoring methods and when aberrations are noticed, this is the trigger to check the other in detail. The Nganampa Health Council monitors consumer health on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands. An extensive database is maintained on the health of Anangu but at this time there is no cross-referencing between Anangu health and groundwater quality. Groundwater quality is monitored by multiple organizations and the results of the monitoring are presented below.

Groundwater Sampling

Groundwater sampling has been conducted by a variety of organisations over the lifetime of Kaltjiti. A brief overview of the organisations and their contribution is included below.

Pitjantjatjara Council Projects

Groundwater sampling has been conducted across the AP Lands almost from the time that drilling commenced. In the early days, water samples were collected and analysed at the time of drilling. Analysis consisted of a basic physical and chemical suite, and this was the only record of water quality that remained. In the early 1980’s Pitjantjatjara Council started to collate the records into a single database. Pitjantjatjara Council conducted annual chemical analyses at water supplies in the homelands and communities not serviced by DoSAA, where there were people living year round. These records for homelands water supplies are continually updated with new analyses where project finances allow.

Department of State Aboriginal Affairs

The Department of State Aboriginal Affairs (DoSAA) have concentrated in managing water analyses for the communities on the AP Lands, including Kaltjiti once it became established. DoSAA has been conducting chemical sampling and analyses at the communities since approximately the mid 1980’s.

Records of the sampling and analyses from 1995 to present are collected in a single database and are available for use in monitoring the water quality in the communities. The records include physical and chemical constituents and are recorded over a period of approximately seven years and although the recording period is relatively short, some confidence can be gained from the analysis of the records.

Some trends can be seen to be emerging that can assist evaluation of the water resource for its usefulness to the community and also in relation to its sustainability. The results can be used to monitor the status of the aquifer by watching for changes in water quality that might be indicators of depletion of aquifers. These changes can also be indicators of recharge when the presence of constituents like silicates and bicarbonates are detected in higher concentrations.

The Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Water Resources Council

The Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Water Management Council (APYWMC) will be responsible for an area approximately 103,000 square kilometres with approximately 3000 Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people living in the communities of Kalka, Pipalyatjara, Amata, Pukatja, Kaltjiti, Yunyarinyi, Mimili, and Iwantja as well as four emerging communities1 and over 70 identified homeland areas.

The vision of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Water Management Plan is "A commitment to value diversified cultural and economic qualities for the purpose of maintaining and improving the water resources in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands and the health of Anangu."

The goals of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Water Management Plan include:

• Educating the general public about the effective use and management of water within the catchment areas, including the taking of personal ecological responsibilities for maintenance and improvement of the general environment as it relates to water use;
• Developing strategies for dealing with evolving water use in response to environmental, climatic and population changes, and creating a living legacy that engenders intergenerational equity for access to the water;
• Maintaining and improving the quality of surface and groundwaters.
• Improving the quality of water delivered to consumers;
• Changing the concept of water management to create an integrated system of total water management to promote long term resource sustainability;
• Develop visions for enhancing the partnership and integration between stakeholders for the purpose of general improvement of water resource maintenance; 1 These communities are Watarru, Kanypi, Nyapari & Watinuma Kaltjiti Community Water Management Plan Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Water Management Plan 22
• Measurement of the success of total water management by the general health of the communities that use it.

The APYWMC will act as an advocate for Anangu and communities in matters regarding effective water management strategies, including water resource management, water allocation and delivery of water related services. The APYWMC views the appropriate level of advocacy as one that ensures, to the best of its ability, fair access to suitable quantities of quality water for community and homeland members.

The APYWMC will consist of 10 members. Membership is based on the requirement for representation from established communities or emerging communities within the surface water management sub-areas, and from AP, the regional administrative body. Representatives will be nominated by community, or emerging community members, by election or by appointment, whichever method is deemed appropriate. APYWMC members are responsible for reporting back to their communities, emerging communities homelands and outstations. The representatives maintain the interests of the communities, emerging communities, homelands and outstations and the regional administration, to the APYWMC. One member of the APYWMC will be nominated from Kaltjiti.

Water Management

In light of the dangers of over-utilisation of the water resources water management is essential for the long term existence of the water supply and ultimately the community. There for water management must be incorporated into the plan for the community as well as the region. Community Awareness Reporting the results of the data logging is essential to increase the level of awareness that Anangu have about their water resources. The information should be provided regularly and in a manner that is easily understood by the consumers. Informed consumers will have a much better response to crisis situations and a more confident outlook for the sustainable future of their resource.

Total Resource Integration

In order that all of the water be considered for use in the community, steps must be taken to embrace all of those water sources available to the community. These water sources include the following:

• Groundwater
• Rainwater in tanks on houses
• Reused water from building cooling systems
• Reused water from the community wastewater system There are many aspects involved in the development of the integrated water system and some of the more appropriate aspects for Kaltjiti are listed below:
• Set up a framework, which includes a system of management for the whole water resource. The management system must include the whole passage of water through the community: from groundwater assessment to extraction, storage, treatment, distribution, consumption, waste removal, effluent treatment, alternative utilisation and ultimate disposal. All facets of the management system must be linked to capital and ongoing funding sources to support the resource.
• Compile existing information into a comprehensive database. Use the database to provide real time outputs, produced in a form that can be utilized by the consumers to assist conservative water consumption activities.
• Develop a system of community and area planning to promote the use of designs that will assist in reduction of water consumption. These can include changes in housing and building design, the use of micro-catchments and tuunpara for diverting storm water to landscaping and house-based vegetation projects
• Establish a network of community water consumption monitoring points that will be able to evaluate water consumption across the community down to a household level. The water monitoring will be used to assist consumers manage their water consumption and evaluate where problems like water line leaks might be developing.
• Complete a detailed assessment of all available technologies that can be incorporated into community and housing designs that promote water conservation techniques. Create a set of performance-based standards based on the assessment. Incorporate the performance-based standards into policy that guides development in communities and housing across the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands.
• Incorporate techniques that utilize storm water flows to supplement community infrastructure and reduce the community dependence on groundwater resources.
• Investigate new and existing technologies for collection of storm water for use as domestic supplies in areas where groundwater resources are very poor.
• Detailed examination of sub-areas and sub-catchments that are directly responsible for water supply in communities and emerging communities. Create a system of safeguards to protect the catchment zones from physical and chemical damage. Evaluate the areas for feasibility of artificial recharge to enhance recharge using storm events that do not achieve the current requirements.

Community Issues

The community has had a history of problems with water quality. As described earlier the main problems are high concentrations of Total Dissolved Salts (TDS).There have been several proposals to improve the water quality to consumers. A dual, storage, treatment and distribution system to deliver potable and non-potable water to each house has been proposed. There has also been a proposal to conduct further drilling exploration activities farther away from Kaltjiti in an effort to find more potable water. Both proposals have some merit but there has been no decision on which course of action to take for several years and there is a subsequent high level of frustration in the community. Furthermore, the community has not been included in any of the preliminary discussions and is now not kept appraised of the status of the program. The poor water quality of the potable water must then be addressed in the community. Anangu are at risk of health problems due to bacterial contamination in the rainwater tanks, presently being used for potable water and the health risks and high cost of heavily sweetened bottled or canned drinks from the store.

Kaltjiti Community Water Management Plan

Outlook Water management must include a much higher level of community awareness about water consumption practices and their consequences. A first step to raising the level of community awareness is to provide feedback in real time about water consumption rates at a house and community level. This can be combined with information about the chemical makeup of the water and any health based consequences of drinking the water. Knowledge about the water will lead to a more even response to unusual situations. Water management issues must be included in community planning for future needs and a realistic timeframe for infrastructure and resource development must be included in the planning procedure.

Tables

PREPARED BY:
Anthony Davies
Randolph Harris
Arpad Kalotas
John Tregenza