{"id":"water-resources-marne-saunders-prescribed-water-resources-area-regulations-2005","name":"Water Resources (Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area) Regulations 2005","slug":"water-resources-marne-saunders-prescribed-water-resources-area-regulations-2005","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"sa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":238235,"registerId":"sa-water-resources-marne-saunders-prescribed-water-resources-area-regulations-2005-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-06","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Water Resources (Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area) Regulations 2005","content":"South Australia\nWater Resources (Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area) Regulations 2005\nunder the Water Resources Act 1997\n\nContents\nPreamble\n1\tShort title\n2\tCommencement\n3\tInterpretation\n4\tDeclaration of prescribed water resources\n5\tEstablishment and prescribed periods\nSchedule 1—Revocation of Water Resources (Marne River and Saunders Creek—Prescribed Water Resources) Regulations 2003\nLegislative history\n\n\nPreamble\n1\tThe Water Resources (Marne River and Saunders Creek—Prescribed Water Resources) Regulations 2003 (the 2003 Regulations) were made, and came into operation, on 20 March 2003 (see Gazette 20.3.2003 p1111).\n2\tThe 2003 Regulations declared—\n\t(a)\tan area to be the Marne River and Saunders Creek Area; and\n\t(b)\tthe Marne River and Saunders Creek Area to be a surface water prescribed area; and\n\t(c)\tall watercourses in the Marne River and Saunders Creek Area to be prescribed watercourses; and\n\t(d)\texisting wells and wells drilled in the Marne River and Saunders Creek Area to be prescribed wells.\n3\tThe establishment period in respect of the Marne River and Saunders Creek Area commenced on 6 May 1996 and ended at the commencement of the prescribed period (that is, 24 January 2002) and the prescribed period will end 3 years from the day on which the 2003 Regulations were made (that is, 20 March 2006).\n4\tIt is now appropriate to revoke the 2003 Regulations and make regulations that will have the effect—\n\t(a)\tof adding an area (area A) to the Marne River and Saunders Creek Area; and\n\t(b)\tof naming the area comprised of the Marne River and Saunders Creek Area and area A as the Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area; and\n\t(c)\tof continuing, in relation to the Marne River and Saunders Creek Area, the establishment period and prescribed period declared by the 2003 Regulations; and\n\t(d)\tof prescribing the establishment period and prescribed period in relation to area A of the Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area.\n\n1—Short title\nThese regulations may be cited as the Water Resources (Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area) Regulations 2005.\n2—Commencement\nThese regulations come into operation on the day on which they are made.\n3—Interpretation\nIn these regulations—\nAct means the Water Resources Act 1997;\narea A means the area bounded by the bold black line on GRO plan No 115/2004;\nMarne River and Saunders Creek Area means the area declared by the revoked regulations to be the Marne River and Saunders Creek Area;\nNote—\nThat area is comprised of the Marne River Proposed Prescribed Water Resources Area and the Saunders Creek Proposed Prescribed Water Resources Area as delineated and shown on GRO plan No 429/2002—see regulation 3 of the revoked regulations.\nMarne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area means the area comprised of the Marne River and Saunders Creek Area and area A;\nrevoked regulations means the Water Resources (Marne River and Saunders Creek—Prescribed Water Resources) Regulations 2003 revoked by Schedule 1.\n4—Declaration of prescribed water resources\nPursuant to section 8 of the Act—\n\t(a)\tall watercourses situated in the Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area are declared to be prescribed watercourses; and\n\t(b)\tall wells situated in the Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area and wells drilled in that area after the commencement of this regulation are declared to be prescribed wells; and\n\t(c)\tthe Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area is declared to be a surface water prescribed area.\n5—Establishment and prescribed periods\n\t(1)\tThe establishment period—\n\t(a)\tin relation to the Marne River and Saunders Creek Area of the Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area—commenced on 6 May 1996 and ended at the commencement of the prescribed period for the Marne River and Saunders Creek Area (that is, 24 January 2002);\nNote—\nSee regulations 5(1), 7(1) and 9(1) of the revoked regulations.\n\t(b)\tin relation to area A of the Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area—commenced on 6 May 1996 and ended at the commencement of the prescribed period for area A (that is, 20 May 2004).\n\t(2)\tThe prescribed period—\n\t(a)\tin relation to the Marne River and Saunders Creek Area of the Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area—commenced on 24 January 2002 and will end on 20 March 2006;\nNote—\nSee regulations 5(2), 7(2) and 9(2) of the revoked regulations.\n\t(b)\tin relation to area A of the Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area—commenced on 20 May 2004 and will end on 20 March 2006.\nSchedule 1—Revocation of Water Resources (Marne River and Saunders Creek—Prescribed Water Resources) Regulations 2003\nThe Water Resources (Marne River and Saunders Creek—Prescribed Water Resources) Regulations 2003 are revoked.\nLegislative history\nNotes\n\t•\tFor further information relating to the Act and subordinate legislation made under the Act see the Index of South Australian Statutes or www.legislation.sa.gov.au.\nPrincipal regulations\nYear\nNo\nReference\nCommencement\n2005\n18\nGazette 7.4.2005 p834\n7.4.2005: r 2 \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Insufficient information available to assess whether the scope changed from original intent. The legislative text could not be retrieved. Based on the title alone, the regulation appears narrowly scoped to water resource management within the defined Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area, which is consistent with its apparent purpose."},"complexity_factors":["The actual legislative text was unavailable due to a broken or outdated URL — analysis is based on title and contextual knowledge only","Water resource regulations in South Australia can involve technical hydrological concepts and licensing frameworks, which would typically add complexity","Geographic prescription regulations often cross-reference parent Acts and water allocation plans, adding interpretive layers","Score is kept low (2) because no substantive content was available to assess true complexity"],"plain_english_summary":"This regulation sets the local rules for managing and using water in the Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area in South Australia. It governs how water can be taken and used in that region, affecting farmers, irrigators, landowners and businesses reliant on surface or groundwater. If you draw water there, check the current regulations with the South Australian government or a water lawyer, since the full text here is unavailable."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation maintains its original purpose of prescribing water resources in the Marne River and Saunders Creek region. The 2005 regulations are a straightforward consolidation and expansion — adding area A to the existing prescribed area while continuing the same regulatory approach. There is no mission creep; the instrument does exactly what its preamble states: revokes the 2003 regulations, expands the geographical scope slightly, and continues the same time periods."},"complexity_factors":["Very short instrument (approximately 1.5 pages of substantive content)","Only 5 operative regulations plus a revocation schedule","Minimal defined terms (4 definitions in regulation 3, all straightforward geographical or reference terms)","Simple declaratory structure — primarily stating what is prescribed rather than creating complex conditional rules","No nested exceptions or conditional logic; straightforward application of existing statutory framework (Water Resources Act 1997)","Cross-references limited to the revoked 2003 regulations and one map reference (GRO plan No 115/2004)","Temporal provisions are date-specific but not algorithmic or formulaic"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this legislation does:**\n\nThese regulations manage water use in a specific region of South Australia called the **Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area**. This area covers the Marne River, Saunders Creek, and an additional area (\"area A\") near them.\n\n**Key actions:**\n\n* **Revokes old rules:** It scraps the 2003 regulations that previously governed this area.\n* **Expands the protected zone:** It adds \"area A\" to the existing Marne River and Saunders Creek area, creating one larger combined area with a new name.\n* **Brings water under formal control:** It declares that all rivers, creeks, and wells in this expanded area are now **\"prescribed\"** — meaning they are officially regulated under the Water Resources Act 1997. Once water is \"prescribed,\" people usually need permits or licences to take or use that water.\n* **Sets timeframes:** It confirms when the rules apply:\n  * **Establishment period:** When the government was assessing water use and preparing for regulation (1996–2002 for the original area, 1996–2004 for area A).\n  * **Prescribed period:** When the formal licensing and control system is active (2002–2006 for the original area, 2004–2006 for area A).\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n* Farmers, landowners, and water users in the Marne River, Saunders Creek, and surrounding area A (near the River Murray region of South Australia).\n* Anyone who wants to drill a well or take surface water from this area.\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nThis ensures water in this region is managed sustainably and shared fairly. By \"prescribing\" the water resources, the government can control how much is extracted, protect the environment, and prevent overuse — particularly important in Australia's dry climate where water is scarce."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Yes. The instrument revokes the 2003 Regulations (Schedule 1), expands the regulated geography by adding 'area A' (reg 3), renames the combined area the Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area (reg 3), declares watercourses and wells in the combined area to be prescribed and the area a surface water prescribed area (reg 4), and continues/sets the establishment and prescribed periods for both the original area and area A (reg 5)."},"complexity_factors":["Geographic definitions rely on external cadastral plans (GRO plan No 115/2004 and GRO plan No 429/2002) rather than textual coordinates (reg 3).","Regulatory effect depends on two temporal concepts—'establishment period' and 'prescribed period'—with different start/end dates for the original area and area A (reg 5).","Revocation and continuation: the instrument revokes earlier regulations but preserves some prior periods and declarations, requiring cross-reference to the revoked regulations for historical dates (Preamble; Schedule 1; reg 5 notes).","Multiple declared types of resource in the same area (surface water area, prescribed watercourses, prescribed wells) create layered regulatory status for the same geography (reg 4).","Short, formal drafting leaves administrative discretion and implementation detail to the Act and relevant agencies (declarations made pursuant to s 8 of the Act noted in reg 4)."],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations expand and rename a previously declared prescribed water resources area to the Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area, declare watercourses and wells in that area to be prescribed, and set the legal “establishment” and “prescribed” time periods that determine regulatory effect. They revoke the 2003 Regulations, add “area A” shown on GRO plan No 115/2004, and continue or set the start and end dates for establishment and prescribed periods for both the original area and area A (see regs 3–5, Schedule 1)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/water-resources-marne-saunders-prescribed-water-resources-area-regulations-2005","history":"/api/acts/water-resources-marne-saunders-prescribed-water-resources-area-regulations-2005/history","analysis":"/api/acts/water-resources-marne-saunders-prescribed-water-resources-area-regulations-2005/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/water-resources-marne-saunders-prescribed-water-resources-area-regulations-2005/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/water-resources-marne-saunders-prescribed-water-resources-area-regulations-2005/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/water-resources-marne-saunders-prescribed-water-resources-area-regulations-2005/documents"}}