Interfere with a waterway

If you want to carry out an activity in a waterway in the Northern Territory (NT), you may need to apply for a permit.

When you don't need a permit

You don't need a permit if you're building any of the following:

• road drainage
• culverts, bridges and urban stormwater drainage works that meet engineering standards accepted by the relevant public authority
• rural dams* with a bank height of less than 3 metres and a catchment area of less than 5km²
• soil conservation and land care activities approved by the NT Government.

*If you're constructing a dam, you may need approval under the Planning Act 1999. You should contact a planner from Development Assessment Services to discuss.

When you need a permit

You must have a permit for any activity that:

• materially changes the shape of a waterway
• materially changes the volume, speed or direction of water flow
• causes any change to the bed or bank stability, including by vegetation removal.

A waterway includes a:

• river, creek, stream or watercourse
• lake, lagoon, swamp or marsh in which water collects and is connected to a river, creek, stream or watercourse
• floodplain.

A waterway does not include any artificial channel or diversion works constructed on a floodplain.

To check if you need a permit, read the interference with a waterway guideline PDF (324.6 KB).

The guideline can help you decide:

• when a permit is required
• the type and amount of information required to support a permit application.

How to apply

To apply for a permit, you must follow these steps:

Step 1. Fill in the application for a permit to construct or alter works PDF (17.3 KB).

Step 2. Provide supporting documentation or information relevant to the proposed interference.

Step 3. Submit the application and supporting documents by emailing water.licensing@nt.gov.au.

Contact

If you need advice, contact the Water Resources office.