Summary
Objective and Scope
The objective of our audit was to determine if the Department of Environment and Protected Areas (the department) has effective processes to manage surface water allocation and use, and has adequate public reporting on the outcomes of surface water management.
Our audit covered the department’s processes for surface water management planning, licensing and compliance monitoring, and publicly available information on surface water management. We examined processes in place from January 1, 2019 to November 30, 2022.
Conclusion
We conclude, based on our audit criteria, that the department lacks effective processes to manage surface water allocation and use. And public reporting on surface water and the outcomes of surface water management is lacking.
We made three recommendations to the department.