The Northern Territory Government is committed to the long term management of water resources.
Water Allocation Plans (WAPs) provide the framework for sustainable water management and allocation strategies which are developed in consultation with the community. This enables regional development to be balanced with the conservation of the Northern Territory?s water resources. WAPs are made under s.22B of the Water Act 1992(NT) (the Act).
The Great Artesian Basin (GAB) is Australia?s largest water resource and one of the largest artesian roundwater basins in the world. It extends over 1.7 million km2 or 22 % of the Australian continent and underlies large areas of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory (See Figure 1).
The GAB Water Control District (the District) in the Northern Territory covers just less than five per cent of the total GAB. To date, water extraction in the District has been mainly used for domestic purposes by the community and for watering stock. There are also mining and gas exploration1 activities currently occurring in the area and these could have significant impacts on future water use in the District. A WAP will help ensure that this regional development continues to proceed on a sustainable basis.
The GAB Strategic Management Plan was developed by the GAB Consultative Council for the whole of the GAB in 2000 with a key objective of encouraging legislative and administrative frameworks for sustainable water management and water use within the GAB. The Strategic Management Plan was adopted by all Governments responsible for GAB management. This Plan has been developed to assist the Northern Territory to meet its obligations under the GAB Strategic Management Plan.
This Plan will regulate management of all water extraction required to be licensed under the Act for the whole of the District as shown in Figure 2. The District has been geographically defined to encompass the Northern Territory portion of the GAB. However, the Plan applies to both surface and groundwater resources, including but not limited to the water in the GAB aquifer, within the District.
This Plan takes effect from the date of its declaration by the Minister for Land Resource Management (the Minister), and will remain in force for a period of 10 years. In accordance with the Act, the Plan must be reviewed at intervals not longer than five years.Part One: Background -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Water Allocation Planning Policy and Process -- 2.1 The Water Act and policy framework -- 2.2 National Water Initiative -- 2.3 GAB Strategic Management Plan -- 2.4 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act -- 2.5 Community Consultation -- 3. The GAB Water Control District -- 4. The Resource -- 4.1 Climate -- 4.2 Surface water -- 4.3 Geology -- 4.4 Hydrogeology -- 4.5 Pressure -- 4.6 Groundwater storage -- 4.7 Recharge -- 4.8 Discharge -- 4.9 Regional water balance -- 5. Water Use -- 5.1 Current licensed groundwater use -- 5.2 Current unlicensed groundwater use -- 5.3 Current cultural use -- 5.4 Current environmental use within District -- 5.5 Current environmental use outside District -- 5.6 Future prospects for use -- 5.7 Potential impacts of extraction -- Part Two: Licensing Framework -- 6. Objectives and Strategies -- 7. Water for non-consumptive purposes -- 8. Consumptive Pool -- 8.1 Surface water -- 8.2 Groundwater from the J aquifer -- 8.3 Other groundwater resources -- 9. Permits for water extraction -- 9.1 Surface water extraction and interception -- 9.2 Groundwater -- 10. Licences for water extraction -- 10.1 Licensing under the Act -- 10.2 Licensing under the Plan -- 10.3 Interstate consultation -- 10.4 Transfer of licences as result of property sale -- 10.5 Assignment of Risk -- 10.6 Fees and Charges -- 10.7 Emergency powers to limit rights to take water -- 11. Water trading -- 11.1 Rules -- 12. Limitations and assumptions -- 12.1 Climate change -- 12.2 Protection of environmental and cultural values -- 13. Review of this plan -- 14. Monitoring and Performance Evaluation -- 14.1 Implementation targets -- 15. Glossary and Abbreviations -- 16. References -- Appendix 1: Standard Licence Terms & Condition -- Figures -- 1. Great Artesian Basin -- 2. Land Tenure - Water Control District -- 3. Wetlands and surface water catchments -- 4. Groundwater flow direction -- 5. Hydrogeological Map -- 6. Cross section A-B-C -- 7. Bore Location Map -- Plates -- 1. Salt lakes near Poeppels CornerMade available by the Northern Territory Library via the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT)
