Program Overview

AGS320 Water Policy and Management (EM)

This subject is structured in three modules, each consisting of three units.

Module 1

In Module 1, Units 1 to 3 provide the context and introduction to water quantity and quality, including trends in water supply, climate change, and risks to water resources in Australia.

• Unit 1: An introduction and overview of trends in water policy and management, including pressures, status of water, social, economic, and environmental aspects, and planning.
• Unit 2: Frameworks for integrating supply and demand, hydrological characteristics, climate variability and change, surface and groundwater interaction, and land and water interactions.
• Unit 3: Water quality issues, including salinity, eutrophication, turbidity, and suspended particles, as well as guidelines for drinking, effluents, drainage, environmental protection, irrigation, and re-use.

Module 2

In Module 2, Units 4 to 6 explore water use and demand, including the value of water to the environment, irrigation agriculture, and urban uses, as well as water use efficiency and recycling.

• Unit 4: River, wetland, floodplain, and estuarine condition, environmental flow, selection of condition indicators, monitoring responsibilities, and institutional arrangements.
• Unit 5: International food security, sustainable production in Australia, responsibilities, planning, incentives, regulation, green labelling, irrigation water use efficiency, and property rights and trading.
• Unit 6: Water for urban use, improved efficiency and water-saving strategies, new water sources, reuse and recycling, and rural effluent management.

Module 3

In Module 3, Units 7 to 9 focus on water policy and planning, including principles of water reform, current developments in water policy, and catchment-based decision-making.

• Unit 7: Roles and responsibilities, Council of Australian Governments Water Reform Framework, water for the environment, water audit and cap, costing and pricing, property rights and trading.
• Unit 8: The National Plan for Water Security, new arrangements for the Murray Darling Basin, re-emphasis on urban water, dealing with water scarcity and climate change.
• Unit 9: Planning frameworks and processes for adaptive management, principles of catchment care, tools to support decision making at catchment level, and best practice case studies.

Subject Information

Grading System

• HD/FL

Duration

• One session

School

• School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences

Enrolment Restrictions

• Enrolment is restricted to students in Emergency Management courses.

Subject Relationships

• PSC420 Paired Subject

Incompatible Subjects

• PSC420

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the water cycle, including climate change and variability, risks to supply, and interaction of surface and groundwater.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the value of water to different users.
• Describe key regional, national, and international issues.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of aquatic ecology and allocation of water for the environment.
• Explain water use efficiency and management of water in sustainable agriculture.
• Demonstrate an understanding of urban and industrial water use, effluent management, and recycling.
• Describe the principal issues underpinning the development of water policy in Australia, future challenges, and roles and responsibilities of government, agencies, communities, industry, and individuals.
• Describe approaches to integrated catchment management and regional decision-making in Australia.

Availability

• Session 2 (60)
• Online
• Wagga Wagga Campus