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- 1.3 Water-dependent asset register for the Sydney Basin bioregion
Executive summary
The water-dependent asset register for the Sydney Basin bioregion is a simple and authoritative list of assets within the preliminary assessment extent that are potentially affected by changes in water due to coal seam gas and coal mining development.
This register was extracted from the bioregion's asset database in March 2016.
Preliminary assessment extent
The preliminary assessment extent for the Sydney Basin bioregion comprises two disconnected components: one in Western Coalfield in the vicinity of Lithgow (2522 square kilometres); and the second in the Southern Coalfield centred on Wollongong (2876 square kilometres).
To guide the development of the preliminary assessment extent for the Sydney Basin bioregion, a list of new coal mine proposals and existing coal mines with plans to expand mining areas, extend timelines or modify existing development approvals beyond December 2012 was compiled in mid-March 2015. There were 11 underground mines and two open-cut coal mines. The list was compiled primarily from the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment's Major Projects website.
Water-dependent assets
The water-dependent asset register for the Sydney Basin bioregion contains a total of 1002 water-dependent assets ‒ 751 ecological assets, 61 economic assets and 190 sociocultural assets.
Ecological water-dependent assets
There are 751 ecological water-dependent assets included on the water-dependent asset register for the Sydney Basin bioregion. They include:
- 34 groundwater features
- three globally important bird habitats
- four threatened ecological communities protected under Commonwealth conservation legislation
- 21 threatened vegetation communities protected under state conservation legislation
- the habitat of 105 species protected under Commonwealth environmental legislation
- 151 threatened species protected under state conservation legislation
- many groundwater features, rivers, lakes, floodplains and wetlands.
Economic water-dependent assets
There are 61 economic water-dependent assets included on the water-dependent asset register for the Sydney Basin bioregion. Assets include water access licences, basic water rights, water source areas and water supply infrastructure.
Sociocultural water-dependent assets
There are 190 water-dependent sociocultural assets on the water-dependent asset register for the Sydney Basin bioregion.
They include:
- 143 heritage sites
- 23 Indigenous sites
- 24 recreation areas.
Many of the sociocultural assets were also classified as ecological assets.
A separate report on Indigenous water assets in New South Wales is available. It includes information that is relevant to this product and contributes to this bioregional assessment.