Great Artesian Basin Groundwater Sources 2020 Amendment - Submission Questionnaire

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Introduction

The NSW Department for Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (the department) sought public feedback in late 2023 on proposed changes to the Water Sharing Plan for the NSW Great Artesian Basin Groundwater Sources 2020 (the plan), to distance restrictions for new or amended bores from other bores or property boundaries.


Several stakeholders opposed the proposed changes, while others supported the proposed changes. Some requested more information or suggested additional changes.


Given opposing stakeholder views, requests for more information, and the time elapsed since we first consulted, we are providing additional information and inviting further community feedback before we prepare recommendations to the Minister for Water.


We have prepared an update, what we heard report that:

  • provides further information on the proposed amendments including implications of making changes versus not making changes
  • describes how we have engaged and what we have heard from stakeholders to date and
  • advises how to have your say during the additional consultation period.

We strongly encourage all respondents to review this report before completing their submission. The report is available at the NSW Great Artesian Basin Groundwater Water Sharing Plan page.

Your voice is important

This is your opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed changes to the water sharing plan and information presented in the update, what we heard report, how it impacts you, and what we should consider. 


We value your feedback and would appreciate if you could complete this 15-minute submission. 


Your responses can remain anonymous if you wish, and you can choose which questions you’d like to respond to. 


Mandatory questions are indicated with an asterisk (*) 


This submission period closes at 11:59 pm (AEST) on Sunday 6 April 2025. 


For assistance email water.enquiries@dpie.nsw.gov.au


Privacy and confidentiality


We collect information about you, which may include personal information, to assess submissions in response to the department's dealings and activities, and perform other functions required to complete the project. This information must be supplied. If you choose not to provide the requested information, we may not be able to assess your submission. To promote transparency and open government, we intend to make all submissions publicly available on our website, or in reports. Your name or your organisation’s name may appear in these reports with your feedback attributed. 


If you would like your submission and/or feedback to be kept confidential, please let us know when making your submission. You will be asked for your confidentiality preference below, before addressing any other questions. 


If you request your submission to be kept confidential, it will not be published on our website or included in any relevant reports, however it will still be subject to the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009. 


Your submission will be stored securely, consistent with the department's Records Management Policy, and you have the right to request access to, and correction of, your personal information held by the department. 


Further details can be found in our Privacy statement available on our website.



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Your submission

Before answering the following questions, we kindly encourage you to review the update, what we heard report, which provides important context and additional details on the proposed changes. Your feedback will be most valuable if informed by the latest information, which can be accessed at the NSW Great Artesian Basin Groundwater Water Sharing Plan page.

Proposed changes

Changes are proposed to distance rules designed to manage interference between bores across 5 groundwater sources covered by the water sharing plan. The Eastern and Southern Recharge groundwater sources are in the east and south of the plan area. The Central, Surat and Warrego groundwater sources are situated to the west where groundwater pressures are generally up towards the land surface and most bores are artesian (i.e., water is pressured). 

Central, Surat and Warrego Groundwater Sources

For all applications for groundwater supply works (bores), the proposal is to allow Ministerial discretion to approve an application within the following distances provided the proposed extraction will have no more than minimal effect on the ability of a person to take water from an existing bore:
  • 200 meters from the boundary of another landholding
  • 1,000 meters from local water utility or major water utility bores
  • 500 meters from bores located on another landholding used solely for basic landholder rights or nominated by a non-local water utility licence
  • 400 meters from government monitoring or observation bores.


Eastern and Southern Recharge Groundwater Sources

For applications for groundwater supply works (bores) used solely for basic landholder rights, the proposal is to remove the following distance restrictions:
  • 200 meters from the boundary of another landholding
  • 1,000 meters from local water utility or major water utility bores
  • 200 meters from bores located on another landholding used solely for basic landholder rights or nominated by a non-local water utility licence.


For applications for groundwater supply works (bores) nominating a water access licence, the proposal is to allow Ministerial discretion to approve an application within the following distances provided the proposed extraction will have no more than minimal effect on the ability of a person to take water from an existing bore:
  • 200 meters from the boundary of another landholding
  • 1,000 meters from LWU/MWU bores
  • 200 meters from bores located on another landholding used solely for basic landholder rights or nominated by a non-LWU licence
  • 400 meters from government monitoring or observation bores.


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Thank you

Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. Your input is essential in helping us improve water sharing plans and address the concerns of all stakeholders. 

If you have any further comments or would like to stay informed about the proposed amendments to the Water Sharing Plan for the NSW Great Artesian Basin Groundwater Sources 2020, please visit our website for updates. 

Thank you once again for your participation. 

To finish this survey and have your responses recorded, please press the submit button below. 
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