Strengthening Environmental Stewardship

Tasmanian Irrigation completed 58 audits of Farm Water Access Plans (Farm WAPs) this year, reaffirming our commitment to sustainable irrigation and environmental compliance across our schemes.

The program assessed individual conformance against Farm WAP requirements to ensure irrigators are meeting their obligations for responsible land and water management.

All new irrigators receiving water from a TI scheme are required under district by-laws to have an approved Farm WAP, and the plans are also a condition of approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 for most TI schemes.

These farm-specific documents guide the responsible use of Tasmanian Irrigation water, and are a cornerstone of our approach to sustainable irrigation, helping protect the long-term productivity and environmental values of irrigated farmland.

Properties using more than five megalitres of scheme water annually were prioritised during the audit process, providing insight of irrigation practices and environmental performance.

The 2025 results show that 41.4 per cent of audited properties were fully compliant, while 33 properties recorded minor non-conformances and one property recorded a major non-conformance.

Common issues included irrigation beyond approved Farm WAP areas, outdated Farm WAP documentation and incomplete biodiversity monitoring. While the overall compliance rate declined compared with last year, this reflects a more targeted audit selection process focusing on properties not previously audited, those with unverified Farm WAPs or where potential irrigation outside approved areas has been identified.

Importantly, the audit highlighted widespread evidence of good practice among irrigators. Many farms demonstrated strong soil stewardship, biodiversity protection and innovation through smart irrigation technologies, supporting both productivity and long-term sustainability.

Tasmanian Irrigation has initiated several program enhancements including automation of Farm WAP transfers during property sales, improved mapping accuracy and expanded education initiatives to support irrigator understanding and compliance.

A revised Farm WAP framework and a new Farm WAP template are also being developed to enhance consistency, efficiency and alignment with environmental best practice.

Tasmanian Irrigation Environmental Officer – Compliance, Amy Madsen, reminded all irrigators to review their Farm WAP regularly.

“If anything is outdated or incorrect, please contact us at Tasmanian Irrigation so we can update your plan,” Amy said.

“We thank all irrigators for their cooperation during the audit season. For those who receive reports, please review them. We will soon be updating your Farm WAP and maps, reissuing them for validation.

“Through continued collaboration, the Farm WAP program ensures the use of Tasmanian Irrigation scheme water remains sustainable, compliant and environmentally responsible for generations to come.”

You can contact Tasmanian Irrigation via farmwap@tasirrigation.com.au.