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Government of Western Australia Department of Water and Environmental Regulation
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Planning for the future Show Sub Nav
Finding water Finding Water

Finding new water resources, including Royalties for Regions-funded programs and other drilling programs to explore resources across the state.

Water allocation plans Photo from consultation for the Gingin groundwater allocation plan

Information about allocation plans, which set out how much water can be reliably taken from groundwater and surface water sources for productive purposes while ensuring the sustainability of the resource and protection of the water-dependent environment.

Meeting demand 1.3.1 Crop irrigation

Information about ensuring sustainable water supplies for the state’s population and industries, including the Water for Growth and Water for Food programs.

Rural water support Rural Assistance

Click here to apply for rebates and grants for farmers, pastoralists and rural communities to improve local water supplies and for information about assistance to help farmers access water during dry seasons.

Flood planning and mapping Meeting demand

Information, advice and management of flood plans based on flood behaviour research and floodplain mapping for the state's major rivers.

Water and land use planning Narrows Bridge

Integrated water and land use planning based on the principles of total water cycle management.

Innovation

The Department of Water invites you to share your ideas on creating innovative solutions to water challenges.

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Water licensing Water Licensing

Licences and how to apply, licensing policies, forms to download and answers to questions frequently asked by current and prospective licensees.

Water trading Water Trading

Find out who is eligible to trade water entitlements and how applications are assessed. Click here to identify potential trading partners from the Water Register.

Metering and measurement

Metering and measuring the water you take helps you understand your water usage to make the most of your entitlements and reduce your overall costs.

Water licensing fees

New fees for water licence and permit applications are being introduced to the mining and public water supply sectors from the 13 November 2018, post

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Current legislation Current Legislation

Current legislation for which the Department of Water assists the Minister for Water. Click here for current WA legislation.

Water reform

We are updating our policy and legislation to deliver water resource management legislation that is flexible, progressive and capable of managing water today and in the future.

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Water services Water Services

Legislation and policy for Western Australia’s water service providers.

Urban development Urban Development

Planning and managing water to enable growing, liveable water smart towns and cities.

Drinking water Mundaring Weir

Protecting and managing public drinking water source areas including policies relating to public drinking water source areas, water source protection plans, water quality strategies and management and review processes.

Recycling and efficiency Recycling

Information about wastewater recycling, water efficiencies and the use of fit-for-purpose water. Recycling is encouraged whenever it is socially, economically and environmentally acceptable to make smart use of waste water for the ongoing development of the State.

Bores Domestic Garden Watering

Garden bores are small domestic groundwater bores for private garden irrigation. Click here for more information about your garden bore, licence exemptions and being ‘bore water-wise’ in your garden.

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Groundwater Ground Water

Information on the state’s groundwater resources, locations, investigations, aquifer recharge and sustainable management of water resources, including an overview of state groundwater investigations.

Surface water Surface Water

Surface water, like rivers and streams used for public water supply, self-supply, irrigation, recreation and hydropower and rainfall and streamflow monitoring, catchment modelling and flood studies to manage surface water.

Water quality Water Quality

Click here for information about water quality, including public drinking water source areas, salinity, brochures, fact sheets and best management practices for various land uses and activities to help protect water quality and public health.

Waterways Rivers and Estuaries

Rivers and estuaries and their importance including information on monitoring and assessing waterways, protecting, understanding, planning, restoring, and risks and threats.

Estuaries

There are 166 estuaries in Western Australia as established through the National Land and Water Resources Audit (NLWRA) 2000, where an estuary is defined as

Irrigation Irrigation

Click here for information on types of irrigators, licenses and the role of irrigation as an economic enabler for industry.

Onshore petroleum and water resources 5.6 Shale_and_tight_gas.jpg

Information on the department’s role in relation to the shale and tight gas industry.

Maps & data Show Sub Nav
Maps Maps

A detailed collection of online atlases and maps with information on the State’s water resources, including depth to groundwater, garden bore suitability, geology and proclaimed management areas.

Monitoring and data Data logger hut

Information and reports collected from the department's extensive State-wide monitoring network, which are provided free for water management, state development and research purposes.

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    • What are waterways, rivers, estuaries and wetlands?
    • Values of our waterways
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    • Assessing waterway health
      • Estuary water quality assessment
      • Estuary sediment quality
      • River water quality assessment
      • South West Index of river condition
      • Foreshore condition and assessment
      • Ecotoxicity
      • Phytoplankton
      • Catchment nutrient reports
    • Managing our waterways
    • Vasse Geographe Strategy
  • Estuaries
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Assessing waterway health

Assessing waterway health

Assessing waterway health is a vital step in being able to manage our waterways effectively. Healthy waterways have intrinsic ecological value and provide a wide range of economic and social benefits to communities – see values for our waterways for information. Waterways are subject to a range of threats which can result in the degradation and loss of ecological, economic and social value.

Assessing the health of waterways, and the values they possess, requires a suite of indicators to provide information about current state, including pressures or stressors. The department uses a range of indicators to assess the health of waterways and to determine appropriate management requirements.

Many indicators are centred on the quantity and quality of water in waterways, but also include assessment of fish and crayfish, macroinvertebrates, aquatic and riparian vegetation, habitat and features of catchment disturbance.

Assessing estuary health

The Department of Water has developed a range of indicators to assess the health of estuaries. Assessments include understanding aspects of water quality, sediment quality, seagrass, macroalgae and phytoplankton, and catchment pressures such as river flows, land use and inputs. Integrated assessments of estuary health provide an understanding of current condition as well as inform on the likely responses of estuaries to additional pressures (e.g. climate or development). Stokes Estuary

Assessing river health

 The Department of Water developed the South West Index of River Condition which uses multiple indicators to provide an integrated assessment of river health. This assessment tool has been used to help with water allocation planning in many rivers:

  • Ecological study of the lower Canning River environmental water releases (below Canning Dam to Kent Street Weir)
  • Ecosystem health in the Canning River, focusing on the influence of the Kent St Weir : assessed December 2009 - September 2011
  • Assessment of low-flow thresholds in maintaining ecological health of the Gingin Brook : 2010-2011 dry season
  • Assessment of low-flow thresholds in maintaining ecological health of the Lennard Brook : 2010-2011 dry season
  • Assessment of ecological health and environmental water provisions in the Harvey River (between Stirling Dam and Harvey Reservoir) : February to May 2011
  • Assessment of ecological health and environmental water provisions in the Logue Brook : February to May 2011

Other tools for focussing on specific aspects of river health are water quality monitoring and the Foreshore Condition Assessment.Angove River

The Department of Water also models the impact of land use change and nutrient export into our waterways.

The information gathered during river and estuary health assessments is used to underpin the management of our waterways.

Page last updated - 02 Jul 2015
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The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation was established by the Government of Western Australia on 1 July 2017. It is a result of the amalgamation of the Department of Environment Regulation, Department of Water and the Office of the Environmental Protection Authority. This website/publication may contain references to previous government departments and programs. Please contact the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation to clarify any specific information.

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