Domestic garden bores are used for irrigation of lawns and gardens and are generally unlicensed. They draw groundwater from shallow aquifers which is a valuable resource and we need to use it wisely.
To achieve this, sprinkler rosters, daytime sprinkler bans and the winter sprinkler ban have been put in place as permanent water efficiency measures.
Daytime sprinkler ban
A daytime (9am to 6pm) sprinkler ban applies to all scheme and domestic garden bore water users throughout Western Australia.
Watering days
In the Perth/Mandurah area you may only use your domestic garden bore once a day up to three days per week on your rostered watering days, either before 9am or after 6pm (except during the winter sprinkler ban). We recommend 10mm per station.
For all garden bore users outside the Perth/Mandurah area, you are allowed to water once per day, either before 9am or after 6pm (except during the winter sprinkler ban).
Neighbours using a shared garden bore should water based on their individual house number. If a shared controller is used, and both properties can only be watered at the same time, then the watering should take place on the assigned roster for the property on which the bore controller is located.
The area to which the three day per week watering roster applies has been extended. To see if your property is within the Perth/Mandurah area click here.
For your garden bore watering days please view the Perth/Mandurah area page.
Winter sprinkler ban 1 June – 31 August
The winter sprinkler ban is now a permanent water efficiency measure. The winter sprinkler ban applies to domestic garden bores users in the Perth/Mandurah and South West areas of the state from 1 June until 31 August, each year.
For more information click here.
Watering exemptions
For automatic exemptions to the watering day roster and the winter sprinkler ban click here.
If you are establishing a new lawn or garden, you may be eligible for an exemption. For more details click here.
Penalties for not doing the right thing
Anyone found using a domestic garden bore between 9am and 6pm, or during the winter sprinkler ban, or outside their rostered days, can be fined $100. If you observe the mis-use of water please contact your water service provider.
The Water Corporation or call 13 10 39
Aqwest – Bunbury Water Board or call 9780 9500
Busselton Water- Busselton Water Board or call 9781 0500
Installing a domestic garden bore
Domestic garden bores are generally a better alternative to scheme water as a fit-for-purpose source, where highly treated drinking water is not required for irrigation.
However, some parts of the Perth/Mandurah area are unsuitable for the establishment of new domestic garden bores. A map has been developed to show areas that are suitable / unsuitable. To view the map on the Perth Groundwater Atlas click here. To read the department's Operational Policy 5.17: Metropolitan domestic garden bores, click here.
Unsuitable areas are generally those where:
- the salinity level means the water is unsuitable for garden irrigation
- the area is close to the ocean or a river and vulnerable to drawing salt water into the aquifer through bore use (e.g. the Cottesloe Peninsula)
- the area is close to conservation wetlands and other important groundwater dependent ecosystems, which could be adversely affected by bore use
- the supply may be unreliable due to the soil type (e.g. Guilford Clay)
- the area has a thin superficial aquifer underlain by a confined aquifer (e.g. the Leederville aquifer), and there may be inadvertent use or waste of the confined aquifer and the potential transfer of groundwater between aquifers. A licence is required to construct a bore and pump water from confined aquifers.
- there is potential for acid sulphate soils to be exposed to the air and increase groundwater acidity
- the area is over allocated to existing users, and further development of garden bores could present a sustainability risk to the groundwater.
Prior to constructing a bore the Department recommends that the Contaminated Sites Database (available on the Department of Environment and Conservation's website) be checked to identify any known local contaminated sites, which may adversely affect water quality.
Frequently asked questions
Questions
Do metropolitan domestic garden bore users require a groundwater licence?
Do domestic garden bore users outside the metropolitan region require a groundwater licence?
Does the use of domestic garden bores interfere with water available for licensed bore users?
What sprinkler restrictions apply to domestic garden bore use?
Why do domestic garden bore users in the metropolitan area have less stringent sprinkler restrictions than scheme water users?
Are there any fees or charges for domestic garden bores?
Are there areas where I am not allowed to have a domestic garden bore?
How can my neighbour over the road be in a suitable area, but my area is considered unsuitable for domestic garden bores?
Are the number of bores and the quantity of use monitored?
Why are domestic garden bores encouraged when some parts of the Gnangara Mound are stressed and allocations are being reduced?
Answers
Do metropolitan domestic garden bore users require a groundwater licence?
Domestic garden bore users in the metropolitan area do not require a licence. They have been exempted from the requirement to have a licence through an Exemption Order under the Rights in Water and Irrigation Act 1914.
The Department of Water has adopted this management approach for metropolitan domestic garden bores because:
- the risk to the environment through domestic bore use in suitable areas is minimal
- the risk to other water users is minimal
- it would be costly to licence many small water users and is not considered a good use of public funds
- information on the number of garden bores and the level of use can be collected more cost efficiently through surveys
- there is no need to secure water entitlements for domestic garden bore users.
Do domestic garden bore users outside the metropolitan region require a groundwater licence?
With the exception of the Albany and the Exmouth northwest cape section of the Gascoyne groundwater areas, licences are not required for domestic garden bores as long as they are non-artesian and are used for the following activities:
- domestic and ordinary use (i.e. water for your house)
- fire fighting purposes
- watering of non-intensive stock
- lawns and gardens of up to 0.2 hectares.
Does the use of domestic garden bores interfere with water available for licensed bore users?
For most of the metropolitan area, domestic garden bore users are not located in close proximity to licensed users, and there is limited potential for garden bore use to interfere with licensed bores at the local level.
In some areas of the urban fringe of Perth, domestic garden bore users and licensed bore users are in close proximity. However, the potential for interference is small because:
- the quantity of water taken for domestic use is generally very small in proportion to licensed users
- domestic bore users access the superficial aquifer at a shallow depth where as licensed users typically access water deeper into the superficial aquifer, beyond potential interference, or in confined aquifers.
The overall use by domestic garden bores is taken into account when the department determines the allocation limits which set the amount of water that can be taken sustainably by licensed users. This ensures that the use of water by both licensed bore users and domestic garden bore users is at a sustainable level.
What sprinkler restrictions apply to domestic garden bore use?
Domestic garden bore users in the Perth to Mandurah area can use their bores up to three days per week on their rostered watering days, once per day, either before 9am or after 6pm (except during the winter sprinkler ban). We recommend 10mm per station.
Why do domestic garden bore users in the metropolitan area have less stringent sprinkler restrictions than scheme water users?
Under the current water restrictions, domestic garden bore users can water three days per week, while scheme water users can water only two days per week. The less stringent sprinkler restrictions provide an incentive for residents to use domestic garden bores as they provide a fit for purpose supply instead of using high quality scheme water.
However, domestic garden bores need to be used wisely. Responsible use ensures that there is sufficient water in suitable areas for all garden bore users.
Are there any fees or charges for domestic garden bores?
There are no fees or charges payable for construction or using a garden bore.
Are there areas where I am not allowed to have a domestic garden bore?
Many areas of Perth are suitable for domestic garden bores, but some areas are unsuitable. The garden bore suitability map in the policy shows suitable and unsuitable areas. The department does not support the construction and use of new bores in unsuitable areas.
How can my neighbour over the road be in a suitable area, but my area is considered unsuitable for domestic garden bores?
In developing the map showing areas suitable and unsuitable for domestic garden bores, the department has made some practical decisions to ensure that boundaries do not cut across blocks or small localities. In general, the department has used roads to define the boundaries.
If you are on the edge of an unsuitable area, the department can provide you with additional advice on request.
Are the number of bores and the quantity of use monitored?
The department periodically estimates the number of domestic garden bores and the volume of water used. The last estimate of bore numbers and use was undertaken in 2009 which found there were approximately 167 000 garden bores in the Perth metropolitan area. With the introduction of three day per week sprinkler restrictions for domestic garden bores and the winter sprinkler ban, we estimate that each domestic garden bore uses an average of 440 kilolitres of water per annum, giving a total water use in the order of 73 gigalitres per annum.
Why are domestic garden bores encouraged when some parts of the Gnangara Mound are stressed and allocations are being reduced?
The superficial aquifer in some parts of the Gnangara Mound is under stress. Generally, this is away from areas of urbanisation, in the rural, semi-rural or bush areas of the Mound. These areas are the focus for abstraction from the superficial aquifer for public water supplies and licensed private users. The reduced recharge to the Mound due to low rainfall is causing lower water tables than would normally occur.
In urbanised areas of the Mound, recharge is generally enhanced because trees are removed and hard surfaces such as roofs and roads enhance the amount of rain that is recharged to the aquifer.
The department has taken account of those areas of the Mound that are under stress in identifying those areas of Perth that are suitable for new garden bores to be established.
Using your bore water safely
Using bore water for drinking, cooking, bathing and filling pools and spas is not recommended unless it has been professionally tested and treated. For more information click on the links below.
Bore water facts
Hydrogen Sulfide and Public Health
Safe use of bore water in rural areas
Water efficiency measures
There are lots of ways you can save water in your house and in your garden. To find out more click here.