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7 The Overall Way Forward

As outlined in section 6.0, there is a range of possible actions to improve water quality management in relation to each of the seven essential features. This section examines how those actions can be combined to take water quality management forward.

There is no uniform solution to water quality management in a sustainable development context; it is a matter of prioritising between different values based on the outcomes sought by government and communities for each water body. The seven essential features together form a total package of possible actions to be undertaken. The decisions on what action will be done, where, and to what extent, will be directed by the extent and nature of the problem, the importance of the water body and the level of intervention needed.

Having good strategic direction and planning at both the national and regional levels is the core essential feature and the cornerstone for any other action. Effective strategic planning must include identifying government and community outcomes for water bodies, an integrated flexible and adaptive management approach, and improving planning practices.

A range of other actions is needed to enable effective strategic planning to enhance water management, planning and implementation processes, including:

  • clear identification of roles and relationships for all levels of government and landowners
  • collaborative and inclusive processes leading to effective consultation undertaken in a robust and meaningful manner
  • information and strategic research to identify water quality problems within catchment areas and to identify government and community outcomes
  • actions to promote education and community awareness are required throughout the process to determine community outcomes for water quality management, to identify and understand the problems, and to implement solutions
  • building skills and experience in water management is necessary to maintain capacity to undertake strategic planning and to maintain effective partnerships.

Other actions are needed to provide water quality managers with a range of implementation tools they can use to improve water quality management and achieve community outcomes. These tools include:

  • providing clear and enabling legislation and regulatory framework
  • access to a wider range of policy tools and economic instruments (including suasive measures, best management practices, voluntary agreements, and market based instruments like transferability of discharge permits and nutrient trading)
  • research into development of new technology to identify innovative solutions to issues and problems.

There are interdependencies between the actions which mean that they cannot succeed in isolation. For example, in order to apply economic instruments to water quality problems, the legislation needs to enable such instruments to be used.

7.1 Summary

As noted above, there is no uniform solution to improving water quality management - the nature of the issues being faced in water quality is such that the seven essential features described form the total package of possible actions towards improving water quality management. Good strategic planning is the starting point to improve current management and it needs to be underpinned by a range of other actions. Once strategic planning has been done, water quality managers will need a range of implementation tools they can use to achieve identified outcomes and priorities for water quality.


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