5. Allocation of Public Resources Volume One Once those uses are provided for, water can then be made available for the consumptive uses listed in (c) to (e). The application of the policy does influence the reliability of water abstraction for consumptive use. Limits to protect the matters in (a) and (b) will be applied to consumptive water uses. However, those restrictions will be applied progressively, reflecting the relative priority of domestic and stock water supply, municipal water supply and other consumptive takes of water. [R] Policy 5.3.2 – Provide information to water users about the amount of water available for abstraction and the circumstances under which it is available. The use of water involves users making investment decisions relating to the establishment, redevelopment, upgrading and maintenance of infrastructure required to take and use that water. It is therefore important that water users are provided with adequate information regarding the volume of water that is expected to be available for out-of-stream use, as this will influence those investment decisions. Rules will identify the volume of water available for consumptive uses in each freshwater management unit. Equally important are the circumstances under which the water is available for taking. The application of Policies 5.2.4 to 5.2.11 will influence the reliability of the water supply. The consequent rules establishing environmental flows for rivers and levels for aquifers will prevent water from being taken in particular circumstances. It is anticipated that water users will utilise this information to make informed decisions on the level of risk they are prepared to adopt when making their respective investments. The information provided to water users will be based upon historical river flow or aquifer level data. However, it is future rainfall that will determine the status of the river flow and aquifer levels, and therefore the availability of water for abstraction. Historical records provide a representation of the reliability of the water allocation but should not be treated as an accurate prediction due to natural variation in rainfall between seasons and within a season. [R] Policy 5.3.3 – Confirm and, where they have not previously been set, establish allocation volumes that reflect the safe yield from any Freshwater Management Unit over and above the management flows/levels set through the implementation of Policies 5.2.4 and 5.2.10. The NPSFM requires the Council to set limits on the allocation of water. Previous planning instruments had established allocation limits for particular rivers and aquifers to ensure the sustainability of the water resource, protect the natural and human use values that the water resource sustains and maintain the reliability of supply for existing water users. These limits have been reviewed and, where appropriate, reconfirmed. Other water resources have not previously had allocation limits and these have now been set. Rules prevent the allocation of water beyond these limits. For some rivers, two allocation classes are provided for, referred to as Class A and Class B. In many cases, the two classes are carried over from previous planning instruments. Class A water permits have a greater inherent reliability, due to their lower restrictions, than Class B permits. In some cases, a Class B allocation has been provided for the first time in order to provide for growth in demand (within the constraints of the water resource). These allocation classes provide for run-of-the-river irrigation and other instantaneous uses. Allocation moves sequentially through the two allocation classes. Note that Policy 5.8.2 also provides for a Class C allocation for some water resources, specifically for storage purposes. Class C water can be applied for at any stage. 5 – 12