Water Assist
Not sure where to start with your water licence or approval enquiry?
Water Assist is an easy step-by-step tool to help you find the information and support you need for water licencing and approvals.
About the Water Act 1912 licence
Activities that involve aquifers and interfering with aquifers need a licence under the Water Act 1912. A Water Act 1912 licence (also known as a Part 5 or groundwater licence) allows you to:
- construct a bore, well or works which may connect with an aquifer outside the water sharing plans
- monitor bores
- artificially recharge into an aquifer.
The department and WaterNSW share responsibility for granting and managing Water Act 1912 licences.
The department issues licences and approvals for:
- government agencies – local, state, and Australian
- state-owned corporations
- water utilities, water supply authorities and licensed network operators under the Water Industry Competition Act 2006
- mining activities
- irrigation corporations
- public schools and hospitals
- Aboriginal communities and businesses.
WaterNSW issues licences and approvals for all other applicants. Find more information at WaterNSW
Find more information about what each agency does at: Water agencies
Apply for a new Water Act 1912 licence
A new licence is required for:
- proposed work that is yet to be constructed
- existing work that is unlicensed
- Determine which water agency will assess your application. The department and WaterNSW share responsibility for granting and managing Water Act 1912 licences. Find out which agency will manage your application at: Water agencies
- Review the application form and gather all required supporting documents. A list of mandatory supporting documents is provided below.
- Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
- Print or download the application form
- Complete the application form
- Save the completed application form
- Send the completed application form and any supporting documents to the department by email at water.enquiries@dpie.nsw.gov.au
- Pay the application fee by credit/debit card (see below)
- Email your completed application, make sure to include the following:
- subject title: New Water Act 1912 licence application + location of work/s
- short message stating you are applying for a new Water Act 1912 licence
- your contact details
- completed and signed application form and any supporting documents (as a PDF file).
- Application form
- Map with property location, works location/s, watercourses and wetlands, contaminated sites
- Detailed design plans for proposed works
- Aboriginal or European cultural heritage search for features on the property - use the Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System (AHIMS) Web Services to identify any Aboriginal heritage features on the property
- For artificial recharge bores:
- geotechnical report
- acid sulphate soil management plan
- review of environmental factors
Find more information on supporting documents on the Water Act 1912 licence application form.
.
| Approval type | Application fee | Additional fees (if applicable) |
|---|---|---|
| Non-artesian bore | $151 | $2,052.55 for technical referral |
| Artesian bore | $48 | $2,052.55 for technical referral |
- fees are charged to cover the cost of assessing applications.
- once your application has been accepted, an officer from the department will call you to take your payment by credit/debit card.
- application fees are non-refundable for change of mind or where an application is not granted or refused.
Find more information at: Application fees
Applications are assessed within 65 working days.
Find more information at: Assessment timeframes
To check the status of an existing application for a Water Act 1912 licence, if the assessment timeframe has passed, contact water.enquiries@dcceew.nsw.gov.au.
Apply for a new Water Act 1912 licence
Renew a Water Act 1912 licence
A Water Act 1912 licence for an injection bore must be renewed. Monitoring bores do not have an expiry date.
- The department and WaterNSW share responsibility for granting and managing Water Act 1912 licences. Find out which agency will manage your application at: Water agencies
- Review the application form
- Gather all required information.
- Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
- Print or download the application form
- Complete the application form
- Save the completed application form
- Send the completed application form to the department by email at water.enquiries@dcceew.nsw.gov.au
- Pay the application fee by credit/debit card (see below)
- Email your completed application and make sure to include the following:
- subject title: Renew Water Act 1912 licence application + licence number
- short message stating you are applying to renew a Water Act 1912 licence
- your contact details
- completed and signed application form and any supporting documents (as a PDF file)
| Approval type | Application fee | Additional fee (if applicable) |
|---|---|---|
| Renew a Water Act 1912 licence | $154.62 | n/a |
- Fees are charged to cover the cost of assessing Water Act 1912 licence applications.
- Once your application has been accepted, an officer from the Department will call you to take your payment by credit/debit card.
- Application fees are non-refundable for change of mind or where an application is not granted or refused.
- Find more information at: Application fees
Applications are assessed within 25 working days.
Find more information at: Assessment timeframes
To check the status of an existing application for a Water Act 1912 licence, if the assessment timeframe has passed, contact water.enquiries@dcceew.nsw.gov.au.
Renew a Water Act 1912 licence
Amend a Water Act 1912 licence
You need to apply to amend a Water Act 1912 licence when:
- altering an existing work that is already constructed
- adding or changing the purpose of the existing work on a licence.
- Determine which water agency will assess your application. The department and WaterNSW share responsibility for granting and managing Water Act 1912 licences. Find out which agency will manage your application at: Water agencies
- Review the application form and gather all required supporting documents. A list of mandatory supporting documents is provided below.
- Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
- Print or download the application form
- Complete the application form
- Save the completed application form
- Send the completed application form to the department by email at water.enquiries@dcceew.nsw.gov.au
- Pay the application fee by credit/debit card (see below)
- Email your completed application and include the following:
- subject title: Amend Water Act 1912 licence application + licence number
- short message stating you are applying to amend a Water Act 1912 licence
- your contact details
- completed and signed application form and any supporting documents (as a PDF file).
- Application form
- An amendment report detailing all proposed changes
- Amended plans annotating amendments
- Document comparing previously approved licence
- Map with property location, works location/s, watercourses and wetlands, contaminated sites
- Detailed design plans for proposed works
- Aboriginal or European cultural heritage search for features on the property. Login to use the Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System (AHIMS) Web Services to identify any Aboriginal heritage features on the property:
- For artificial recharge:
- geotechnical report
- acid sulphate soil management plan
- review of environmental factors
Find more information on supporting documents on the Water Act 1912 licence application form.
.
| Approval type | Application fee | Additional fees (if applicable) |
|---|---|---|
| Amend a Water Act 1912 licence | $154.62 | $3,492.59 for technical referral |
- Fees are charged to cover the cost of assessing Water Act 1912 licence applications.
- Once your application has been accepted, an officer from the department will call you to take your payment by credit/debit card.
- Application fees are non-refundable for change of mind or where an application is not granted or refused.
- Find more information at: Application fees
Applications are assessed within 65 working days.
Find information at: Assessment timeframes
To check the status of an existing application for a Water Act 1912 licence, if the assessment timeframe has passed, contact water.enquiries@dcceew.nsw.gov.au.
Amend a Water Act 1912 licence
Cancel a Water Act 1912 licence
A Water Act 1912 licence should be cancelled when the bore is no longer required and has been decommissioned in accordance with the Minimum Construction Requirements for Water Bores in Australia.
The department and WaterNSW share responsibility for granting and managing Water Act 1912 licences. Find out which agency will manage your application at: Water agencies
Send an email to the department that includes:
- subject title: Cancel Water Act 1912 licence application + licence number
- state that the bore/s has been decommissioned in accordance with the Minimum Construction Requirements for Water Bores in Australia and you want to cancel the Water Act 1912 Licence
- if you have not decommissioned all bores on the licence, you must identify which bore/s is to be removed from the licence.
There is no fee to cancel your licence or remove bores from the licence.
The estimated timeframe to cancel a licence will be given when the request is lodged.
To check the status of the cancellation contact water.enquiries@dcceew.nsw.gov.au.