Telemetry Uplift Program

TUP is part of a federal government initiative to improve telemetry uptake in the Murray–Darling Basin.

In NSW the program aims to facilitate the installation of around 2,500 telemetry devices.

The installation program commenced in February 2025 and runs to the end of June 2027, or earlier if program funding is exhausted.

The program offers two options for eligible water users:

1. Free installation of a telemetry device, plus 12 months on-site warranty, by a duly qualified person (DQP) selected by the department through open tender.
2. A cashback option for those who choose/have chosen to use their own DQP.

Telemetry is the automated, remote transmission of water-use data from your meter to a secure online system. This is done via a small device called a local intelligence device (LID), which connects directly to your meter and once a day sends readings to a secure cloud platform called the data acquisition service (DAS). With this near real-time reporting, you can easily access and monitor your water usage through a secure online dashboard, simplifying compliance with the NSW non-urban metering rules.

The data transmitted to the data acquisition service (DAS) in NSW can be read by water users (you), DQPs, WaterNSW, the Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) and the department.

Telemetry provides accurate, consistent and timely data, allowing both water users and agencies to track water usage efficiently. It helps water users optimise their water use while reducing the need for manual reporting.

Telemetry is now required for both groundwater and surface water works for water users with cumulative entitlements of 100ML or more, unless otherwise exempt. Use the online Metering Guidance Tool to confirm your compliance requirements.

It remains the responsibility of the landholder to comply with water metering regulations.

A pattern-approved meter is a meter that passes testing by the National Measurement Institute of Australia, confirming it conforms with the Australian Standard for Non-Urban water meters (AS4747). This requires that the meter is capable of measuring the volume of water to an accuracy of +/- 2.5% in the laboratory and +/- 5% in the field.

The Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water provides a list of pattern-approved meters - Pattern approved non-urban water meters conforming to AS4747 August 2025

No, the Telemetry Uplift Program does not provide for the installation of a meter, nor reimbursement of the cost of meter installation.

The Australian Government allocated $10.5 million in NSW to support the installation of telemetry devices, including LIDs, for eligible water users. Water meters are excluded from this initiative.

Meter installation remains the responsibility of the approval holder.

To qualify for the free installation of an approved local intelligence device (LID) with telemetry under the Telemetry Uplift Program, you must have a pattern-approved water meter installed to AS4747. 

If you meet all other eligibility requirements of the TUP: 

• We can share your details with our contractor who may assist you to arrange installation of a new or replacement pattern-approved meter at your expense. This must be completed before our contractor installs the telemetry device (LID),

OR

• You can arrange for a pattern-approved meter to be installed by a duly qualified person (DQP) of your choice, who will provide you with the necessary documentation for registration on the DQP Portal, prior to LID installation by our contractor.  

To qualify for a cashback under the program, you must have a pattern approved meter installed and your LID validated before you submit your application. 

Check our website for the eligibility criteria and how to apply Telemetry Uplift Program.

As part of the program, a pattern-approved meter must be installed to AS4747 specifications and validated by a duly qualified person (DQP), before the telemetry device, the local intelligence device (LID), can be installed.

The department has prepared standard designs for installation of closed conduit meters and LID equipment. These diagrams and checklists are indicative of the recommended best practices that should be considered during meter and LID installation to meet AS4747 specifications. These drawings can be found on our website. 

For LID installation through TUP the DQP who installed your meter must provide evidence that the meter is pattern-approved and the installation meets AS4747 requirements. 

If you do not have evidence to demonstrate your meter is patten approved and installed to AS4747 specifications, you will need to engage a DQP to validate your existing meter. You can follow the process under the question: "I’m preparing for Installation under TUP, but my DQP can’t register my meter in the DQP portal. What now?" below.
 

Currently, the DQP Portal does not support standalone meter registrations, this means that it is not possible to register a meter on the DQP portal before a telemetry device is installed.  

The DQP installing the meter will need to:

• Install a pattern-approved meter to AS4747 outside of the DQP Portal
• Complete the PDF Installation Test Plan (ITP) form manually as a record

Normally, the ITP is completed and submitted directly through the DQP Portal when both the meter and telemetry device are installed at the same time. However, because the DQP Portal does not allow standalone meter registrations, the ITP must be completed manually using the PDF form instead.

View the Installation Test Plan Document

• An Installation Test Plan is the compliance form that a DQP must complete whenever installing or commissioning a non-urban water meter and telemetry device. It acts as:
  • The official record of installation
  • A compliance check against AS4747 (the Australian Standard for non-urban meters)
  • A QA package that WaterNSW reviews before accepting a site as compliant
• Collect all required documentation and photographic evidence (as outlined in Section 5 of the ITP), as if submitting through the portal

Photographic evidence includes:

• A clear photo of the meter marker plate
• A photo of the meter serial number
• Photos showing all tamper-evident seals in place
• A photo showing the upstream and downstream pipework and meter installation
• General photos of the whole site and installation.
• A copy of the calibration certificate from the meter manufacturer
• Any other photos or documents that support the commissioning and validation process.

After installation 

These records act as documentation that the meter has been installed correctly, the same way it would be recorded through the portal.

• The DQP installing the meter must provide the ITP and photographic evidence to the customer
• The customer must then provide this documentation to the DQP installing the LID under the Telemetry Uplift Program
• The DQP installing the LID can then use the ITP and supporting documentation to complete registration of both the meter and the LID in the DQP Portal.

Yes, in some cases.

The Aquamonix meter is the only pattern-approved model that can be upgraded from a Pulse to a Modbus output without significant modifications, thanks to its internal expansion card. The Telemetry Uplift Program will cover the cost of this upgrade.

For all other meter types, landholders may choose to upgrade from Pulse to Modbus at their own expense. These upgrades are not covered by the Telemetry Uplift Program.

Yes. You can choose your preferred brand of local intelligence device (LID) but only if you engage your own duly qualified person (DQP) to purchase and install it.

If you choose this option:

• You are responsible for arranging and paying for the purchase and installation.
• You will be eligible for a $2,000 cashback to help offset these costs.

The type of local intelligence device (LID) installed - Modbus or Pulse -depends on the water meter’s communication method. This will be specified when the meter is purchased.

The LID must be compatible with the meter’s communication protocol. While some LIDs support both methods, most are designed for a single specific method, so the right option will be selected for you by the installer.

The Australian Government has confirmed replacement of faulty or aging LIDs does not meet the project objectives and that only 'new installs' can be supported. As a result, LID replacements are not covered under the TUP.

Faulty means that the equipment is not operating properly or is not operating at all. This includes any device used for or in connection with measuring the flow of water and any ancillary wiring, pipework, telemetry equipment or supporting structure.

If your local intelligence device (LID) is faulty or not operating correctly, or if telemetry connection is lost for more than 72 hours, you should take the following steps:

1. Notify WaterNSW within 24 hours via their online s91i self-reporting form, to avoid being in breach of the Water Management Act 2000. The faulty equipment must be repaired or replaced within 21 days. Find more information on the WaterNSW website.
2. Contact the duly qualified person (DQP) who installed the LID for advice and troubleshooting.
3. Reach out to the LID manufacturer to check if the issue is covered under the manufacturer’s warranty.
4. Submit a completion form within 28 days of repairing or replacing. You must include the logbook used to record water taken while the meter was faulty. Where applicable a validation certificate from your DQP must be supplied to close your s91i.

Please note: It is an offence under law to take water if your metering equipment is not working unless certain requirements are met.

The Minister has granted an exemption for works that are required to connect to telemetry but cannot because they are in a site that does not receive network coverage.

The exemption will only apply when a person notifies the department, using the correct form, that the work that requires telemetry is in a telemetry blackspot area.

The exemption is intended to apply only to works that are physically unable to comply with telemetry requirements. The exemption will be reviewed as technology and network coverage improves, to ensure these works comply with the telemetry requirements when it is possible to do so.

Use the department’s Telemetry Coverage Tool to check if you are in a telemetry blackspot area and find the exemption notification form. 

If you are not automatically exempt but you believe you are in a blackspot area, you can engage your DQP to do an onsite telemetry connectivity test.

If this test demonstrates that your work site is not in a coverage area, submit the telemetry exemption notification form along with this supporting information demonstrating connectivity issues and any additional attachments to water.enquries@dcceew.nsw.gov.au.

By opting into the Telemetry Uplift Program a contractor engaged by the department will manage the end-to end installation process for free telemetry devices (local intelligence devices, LIDs).

If you choose the cashback option, you will need to engage your own duly qualified person (DQP) to manage the installation. Upon completion you can apply for the cashback payment.

Benefits of opting in for TUP installation

For water users who meet the eligibility criteria:

• A contractor engaged by the department will manage the end-to-end installation process. At no charge to you, they will install a Captis LID to your pattern-approved meter.
• All installation fees and a 12-month warranty are included as part of the TUP. This includes contractor support to fix any issues that may arise in the warranty period.

After the warranty period ends, you will be responsible for maintaining the device to continue meeting metering requirements.

Benefits of choosing a cashback payment

For water users who meet the eligibility criteria:

• You can choose your own DQP to install a telemetry device/s of your choice.
• Once WaterNSW issues the Validation Certificate/s confirming that your telemetry device/s is registered in the data acquisition service (DAS), you can apply online for a $2,000 cashback payment.

You will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the telemetry device from the time the DQP has installed the device.

You are responsible for all fees payable to your DQP for supply and installation of the telemetry device/s.

To complete your cashback application, you will need to:

• Provide evidence of your bank account details to enable payment
• Upload the Validation Certificate/s

Access the Cashback application form via our website.

Once you’ve joined the Telemetry Uplift Program and your details have been sent to a contractor, financial and resourcing commitments have already been made by both the department and the nominated installer. For this reason, we ask that you continue with the installation pathway.

No. Water users who installed telemetry prior to 1 July 2024 were eligible to receive a rebate of $975 under the previous Telemetry Rebate Program. The rebate was launched in June 2023 and backdated to include water users who had already installed devices and connected to the NSW Government’s data acquisition system (DAS).

The rebate is applied over five years as automatic deductions on the water user’s WaterNSW bill. 

As you were eligible for/in receipt of the $975 rebate, you are not eligible for the TUP cashback payment.

If you installed a LID/s prior to 1 July 2024 and are not sure if you are in receipt of this rebate, check your WaterNSW water bill for the credited instalment amounts, or contact WaterNSW via email at enquiries@waternsw.com.au or on 1300 662 077.

The Telemetry Uplift Program (TUP) is a federally funded initiative aimed at increasing the use of telemetry across the Murray–Darling Basin. It supports water users to meet current NSW metering and telemetry requirements, particularly following recent regulatory changes that expanded who must install compliant equipment.  

The TUP replaces the previous rebate program, which ended in July 2024. It is the latest form of financial incentive for water users, made possible by Australian Government funding.

The cashback stream of the Telemetry Uplift Program has been introduced to recognise those landholders who have already installed at their own cost, prior to commencement of the Telemetry Uplift Program in February 2025.

Eligible water users can benefit from participation in the program by receiving either: 

• free telemetry devices and installation, or
• a cashback payment of up to $2,000 per Local Intelligence Device (LID) upon installation by their own Duly Qualified Person (DQP).

Telemetry offers significant benefits, even for those not required to install it. By connecting your equipment to the NSW Government’s telemetry system, you can simplify compliance and reduce the need for manual water take recording and reporting.

Additionally, you’ll gain access to your data in real-time via a private online dashboard and receive email notifications if your telemetry system stops transmitting, keeping you informed and on top of your water management.

Accurate, consistent and timely metering data is important for effective water resource management. It improves water planning, sharing and policy decisions and enables fair enforcement for the benefit of the community and the environment.

The Telemetry Uplift Program creates demand for local services and technology providers, for both companies contracted to install devices on behalf of the government, and where water users engage their own DQPs to install telemetry and then select the cashback payment option. This provides a vital boost to regional economies.

The increased demand for qualified technicians and duly qualified persons (DQPs) encourages job creation and skill development as DQPs find work through installations and ongoing maintenance.

The Telemetry Uplift Program offers two different options, and the level of cost coverage depends on which option you choose.

Option 1: Free telemetry device and installation (no cost to you)

• You will receive a free telemetry device (LID).
• The device will be installed at no cost to you.
• The whole end-to end process will be managed by a contractor engaged by the department.
• A 12-month warranty is included for the device and installation.

Option 2: Up to $2,000 cashback (you manage the installation)

• You choose your own duly qualified person (DQP).
• You are responsible for arranging and paying for the purchase and installation of the LID.
• You can apply for a $2,000 cash reimbursement to assist with the cost of compliance.

The Telemetry Uplift Program (TUP) is a federally funded initiative aimed at increasing the use of telemetry across the Murray–Darling Basin. It supports water users to meet current NSW metering and telemetry requirements, particularly following recent regulatory changes that expanded who must install compliant equipment. 

The TUP replaces the previous rebate program, which ended in July 2024. It is the latest form of financial incentive for water users, made possible by Australian Government funding.

The cashback stream of the Telemetry Uplift Program has been introduced to recognise those landholders who have already installed at their own cost, prior to commencement of the Telemetry Uplift Program in February 2025.

No, TUP is part of a federal government initiative to improve telemetry uptake in the Murray–Darling Basin, to ensure water taken from inland regional water sources is extracted fairly, equitably and according to the rules.

For coastal water users, the department has extended the date for metering compliance to 1 December 2026.

If you are a coastal water user with a licence entitlement of 100 ML or more, the Regulation requires the installation of a pattern-approved AS4747-compliant meter, validated by a duly qualified person (DQP), along with telemetry. You have until 1 December 2026 to have this equipment installed. If you have a surface water pump of 500 mm or larger, it needs to be compliant now regardless of entitlement size.