Western Davenport water control district

Water control districts (WCDs) in the Northern Territory (NT) are areas that need increased management of water resources.

The Western Davenport WCD covers significant areas of agricultural, horticultural development and mineral exploration.

While this has potential to contribute to the economy, water resources in the area should still be managed in a fair and sustainable way.

There are a number of surface water resources, but they are mainly temporary. They include the Hanson River, Taylor and Wycliffe creeks, Thring and Warrabri swamps, and the Skinner Creek floodout.

Wetlands also feature in the landscape and these are filled by rainfall that travels through river channels and floodouts. Where there are shallow groundwater areas, wetlands are more commonly filled by localised rain and flooding.

The most significant groundwater resources include Lake Surprise sandstone, Arrinthunga formation, Chabalowie formation and Dulcie sandstone aquifers in the Central Plains management zone.

Water allocation plans

Water allocation plans identify how much water can be taken from groundwater and surface water resources while protecting the resource and environment.

They establish Aboriginal water reserves and enable trade of water entitlements.

The WCD has an expired plan, the Western Davenport water allocation plan.

Licensing and permits

You need a licence or permit for activities within this WCD.

Water management rules apply to people wanting to access and use water within the WCD.

This includes applying for:

• water extraction licences to take surface and groundwater and
• bore construction permits.

Read the guidelines on limits of acceptable change to groundwater dependent vegetation PDF (1.7 MB) in this WCD.

Exemptions

Water for rural stock and domestic use is exempt from licensing under section 11 and 14 of the Water Act 1992.

An exemption also applies if the combined groundwater use from all bores on a parcel of land extracting groundwater is less than 5 megalitres per year.

Small rural dams and some forms of road and drainage works are exempt from needing an interference with a waterway permit.

Contact

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

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