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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.

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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.

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

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

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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.

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

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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

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

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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.

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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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Legislation, policies and guidelines for waterways

Our legislation helps us protect and manage waterways

The Minister for Water has statutory powers regarding the protection and management of waterways and their foreshores. The Department of Water supports the Minister in exercising these powers.

Under the Water Agencies (Powers) Act 1984, the Department of Water provides water science and advice to support policy development, planning, decision-making and management of the state's waterways.

The Department of Water has responsibility for applying the Country Areas Water Supply Act 1947 and Metropolitan Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Act 1909 and associated by-laws to protect waterways that are public drinking water sources.

The Rights in Water and Irrigation Act 1914 provides for regulating the take and use of water from watercourses and wetlands in proclaimed rivers, surface water management areas, irrigation districts and groundwater areas. The objects of this Act include providing for the sustainable use and development of water resources, protection of their ecosystems and the environment in which water resources are situated, and assisting the integration of water resources management with other natural resources management.

The Rights in Water and Irrigation Act 1914 also provides for permit system for activities that may damage, obstruct or interfere with the beds and banks of watercourses and wetlands in proclaimed rivers, surface water management areas and irrigation districts.

The Minister for Water has statutory responsibility for administering the declared management areas under the Waterways Conservation Act 1976. These are Albany waterways, Avon River, Wilson Inlet, Peel–Harvey estuaries and Leschenault Inlet. However, Department of Water has no active 'management programs' as specified under this legislation at present. For waterways management planning, the Department of Water generally acts under the Water Agencies (Powers) Act 1984 (above). 

Legislation administered by other agencies

The Department of Water also has a role in providing advice to, and considering the legislation administered by, other agencies and entities to ensure that waterways are appropriately considered and protected in other approval and land administration processes. This includes the:

  • Minister for Planning, Western Australian Planning Commission, Department of Planning, local government and redevelopment authorities when they administer the Planning and Development Act 2005.
  • Office of the Environmental Protection Authority when it assists the Environmental Protection Authority and the Minister for the Environment to administer the environmental impact assessment process under Part IV of the Environmental Protection Act 1986.
  • Department of Environment Regulation when it administers licenses, works approvals and the native vegetation protection process under Parts IV and V of the Environmental Protection Act 1986, Environmental Protection (Clearing of Native Vegetation) Regulations 2004 and Environmental Protection Regulations 1987.
  • Department of Mines and Petroleum when it administers the Environmental Protection (Clearing of Native Vegetation) Regulations 2004 and Part V Division 2 of the associated parts of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 under delegation.
  • Swan River Trust when it administers the Swan and Canning Rivers Management Act 2006 in relation to the Development Control Area, Riverpark and their enforcement actions (e.g. river protection notices) in the wider catchment.
  • Department of Regional Development and Lands when it assists the Pastoral Lands Board to administer the Land Administration Act 1997 to manage land uses and permits on crown land, including pastoral diversification permits, and when it creates and manages waterways foreshore reserves under the Land Administration Act 1997.
  • Department of Parks and Wildlife, Department of Agriculture and Food and National Trust of Australia, when they create covenants to protect vegetation in foreshore areas under the Transfer of Land Act 1893, Soil and Land Conservation Act 1945 and National Trust of Australia (W.A.) Act 1964, respectively.
  • Minister for Fisheries and Department of Fisheries when, under the Fish Resources Management Act 1994, they create a fish habitat protection area for the conservation and protection of fish or the aquatic ecosystem, or when the Minister for Fisheries requires a suitable fishway on a dam weir or reservoir when a public authority proposes to construct, alter or modify that dam weir or reservoir on a waterway.

Policies and guidance that relate to waterways

Department of Water assists other state agencies to consider waterways in their policies and guidelines where appropriate. Key guidance documents for protecting water resources during land planning and development are:

  • State Planning policy 2.9: Water resources (Western Australian Planning Commission 2006)
  • Better urban water management (Western Australian Planning Commission 2006)
  • Chapter B5 Waterways in Guidance statement 33: Environmental guidance for planning and development  (Environmental Protection Agency 2008).

The Department of Water has prepared a number of policies and guidelines that explain our waterway protection and management principles and expectations and how to implement our advice.

A key policy specific to waterways is Identification and establishment of waterways foreshore areas.

For more information, see current legislation and Department of Water policies or refer to specific topics for links to relevant guidelines.

Page last updated - 22 Sep 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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