This submethodology (M03) is intended to assist those conducting a BA to assign receptors in a representative, efficient and complete manner that is fit for purpose and in accord with high standards of professional scientific practice. It provides the basis for identifying areas of a subregion or bioregion where the hydrological impact of coal resource development is likely to occur and delivers a spatially explicit receptor register. Interactions between several components of a BA are involved in assigning receptors (Figure 7).
Firstly, generate conceptual models of the landscape classes and their associated registered assets including potential impacts from hazards due to coal resource development. Next, while referring to available modelling information and requirements and broadly anticipating potential hydrological response variables and receptor impact variables, identify receptor locations and generate the receptor register. The resulting spatially explicit receptors are then used in subsequent activities of the BA: receptor impact modelling (in which changes in receptor impact variables are estimated given changes in hydrological response variables) and ultimately the impact and risk analysis.
The receptor register (described in product 1.4 (description of the receptor register)) is a simple and authoritative list of the receptors, their unique identifier, their location and their landscape class. The development of the receptor register relies on input from:
- the context statement of the subregion or bioregion (product 1.1)
- the coal resource assessment (product 1.2)
- analysis of hazards (impact modes and effects) (reported in product 2.3)
- the water-dependent asset register (product 1.3)
- the conceptual model of causal pathways (product 2.3)
- surface water numerical modelling (product 2.6.1) and groundwater numerical modelling (product 2.6.2).
Readers should consider this submethodology in the context of the complete suite of methodologies and submethodologies from the Bioregional Assessment Programme (see Table 1), particularly the BA methodology (Barrett et al., 2013), which remains the foundation reference that describes, at a high level, how BAs should be undertaken. Submethodology M03 is most strongly linked to the following submethodologies (as listed in Table 1):
- submethodology M02 for compiling water-dependent assets (Mount et al., 2015)
- submethodology M04 for developing a coal resource development pathway (Lewis, 2014)
- submethodology M05 for developing a conceptual model of causal pathways (Henderson et al., 2016)
- submethodology M06 for surface water modelling (Viney, 2016)
- submethodology M07 for groundwater modelling (Crosbie et al., 2016)
- submethodology M11 for hazard analysis (Ford et al., 2016).
The application of M03 to a BA in a subregion or bioregion will deliver a receptor register suitable for use in the uncertainty analysis described in the companion submethodology M09 (as listed in Table 1) for quantifying uncertainty through models (Peeters et al., 2016) and also for receptor impact and risk analysis as described in the companion submethodologies M08 and M10 (as referred to in Table 1).
