Georgina Wiso water allocation plan

Current plan	Georgina Wiso water allocation plan 2023 - 2031 PDF (1.9 MB) Georgina Wiso background report 2023 - 2031 PDF (6.2 MB) Georgina Wiso implementation actions 2023 - 2031 PDF (1.9 MB)
Key messages	Key messages - Georgina Wiso water allocation plan PDF (170.6 KB)
Map	Georgina Wiso water allocation plan map
Area	155,638km²
Declared	10 November 2023 - read the Government Gazette published on 10 November 2023
Duration	8 years
Review	Every 5 years or when water use in the region reaches 70% of the estimated sustainable yield.
Expiry	9 November 2031

The plan applies to groundwater in the Cambrian limestone aquifer within the plan area.

It covers 11.55% of the Northern Territory and 47% of the Daly Roper Beetaloo water control district (WCD).

You can read feedback received during the public consultation process in the consultation summary PDF (441.1 KB).

Plan objectives

The main objectives of the plan are to:

find the right balance between protecting key environmental values that rely on water and making use of the overall benefits provided by the water resources
ensure water licence decisions account for Aboriginal and other cultural values dependent on water
predict and protect water for rural stock and domestic purposes
provide long-term security of a sufficient quantity and quality of water for public water supplies
set aside water to support local Aboriginal economic development
provide access to water to support sustainable development for the benefit of the region.

The beneficial uses of water in the Daly Roper Beetaloo WCD are:

Read the Government Gazette PDF (515.6 KB) that was published on 19 October 2022.

The Georgina and Wiso basins are known to discharge into the Roper and Flora rivers.

The plan area partially covers surface water catchments within 2 drainage divisions:

There are no perennially flowing waterways within the plan area.

Surface water can be taken for rural stock and domestic purposes.

The plan does not apply to surface water. There are no surface water licences in the plan area.

The groundwater resource is the extensive Cambrian Limestone Aquifer which covers at least 200,000 km², with a stored volume of 740,000,000 ML.

It has 2 hydrogeologically distinct environments represented by the Georgina and Wiso management zones in the plan area.

The plan establishes estimated sustainable yields for the Georgina and Wiso management zones.

The table below shows the volume of water allocated under the estimated sustainable yield for each of the management zones.

Beneficial uses	Georgina Basin	Wiso Basin	Total
Rural stock and domestic	14,250	5,300	19,550
Public water supply	800	216	1,016
Aboriginal water reserve for Aboriginal economic development	17,109	3,142	20,251
Petroleum activity	8,000	2,000	10,000
Other consumptive uses - agriculture, aquaculture, cultural, industry, mining activity	145,985	13,178	159,163
Environment	10	10	20
Total allocations ML/year	186,154	23,846	210,000

All licences are made public on the Water Licensing Portal.

Aboriginal water reserves are established under the plan.

The table below shows the volume of water allocated to the reserve in each of the management zones.

Management zone	AWR (ML per year)	AWR availability (ML per year)	Percent provisioned
Georgina Basin	17,109	17,109	100
Wiso Basin	3,142	3,142	100
Total	20,251	20,251	100

Strategic Regional Environmental and Baseline Assessment (SREBA) - go to the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security website
SREBA Water Quality and Quantity Studies Summary Report - go to the Territory Stories website

For water planning enquiries, email waterresources@nt.gov.au.

If you have any questions about permits or licensing requirements in the area, email water.licensing@nt.gov.au.