Western Davenport water allocation plan
Current plan | Western Davenport water allocation plan 2024 – 2034 PDF (519.3 KB) Western Davenport background report 2024 – 2034 PDF (1.4 MB) Western Davenport implementation actions 2024 – 2034 PDF (543.3 KB) |
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Key messages | Key messages - Western Davenport water allocation plan documents PDF (147.8 KB) |
Map | Western Davenport water allocation plan map |
Area | 24,594km2 |
Declared | 17 December 2024 - read the Government Gazette PDF (198.6 KB) |
Duration | 5 years |
Expiry | 18 December 2034 |
State of the water resource | State of the water resource - Western Davenport 2023-24 PDF (586.6 KB) |
The plan applies to all surface water and groundwater within the Western Davenport water control district.
It covers 1.82% of the Northern Territory.
Consultation
During the development of the plan, a public consultation was completed.
It gathered feedback from the water advisory committee, stakeholders and the public.
To advise the draft plan, a water advisory committee was established. Read more about the committee and what they consider on the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security website.
Plan objectives
The overarching goal of water sharing is to optimise the benefits to the community.
These benefits are created by the sustainable use of a water resource, within climate variability.
The objectives of the plan are to:
- balance the retention and preservation of key environmental values dependent on water with 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.
Beneficial uses
In the water control district, the beneficial uses of:
- waterways are:
- Aboriginal economic development
- cultural
- environment
- rural stock and domestic
- groundwater are:
- Aboriginal economic development
- agriculture
- aquaculture
- cultural
- environment
- industry
- mining activity
- petroleum activity
- public water supply
- rural stock and domestic.
The Administrator may set other categories and publish a notice in the Gazette.
Read the Government Gazette PDF (192.6 KB) that was published on 3 December 2021 in section 40.
Water resources
The surface water catchments and groundwater systems of the district are interconnected.
Flows from the Davenport Range and southern ranges recharge aquifers in the Central Plains water management zone.
Smaller local aquifers in the Davenport Range and southern ranges are also recharged by surface water flows and local rainfall.
Surface water
Surface water is mostly temporary and not a reliable source for consumptive use.
There are some rock holes and small springs in the ranges that are possibly permanent, which have important environmental and cultural value.
Licences
The plan does not permit surface water extraction licences within the plan area.
Surface water can be used for rural stock and domestic purposes without a licence.
Groundwater
The estimated sustainable yield for groundwater is 87,700ML per year, leaving 153,721,000 ML available for the environment.
Allocations
The water allocation plan identifies 3 groundwater water management zones where an estimated sustainable yield has been established.
These zones include the Davenport Ranges, Southern Ranges and Central Plains.
They represent unique water environments, with the Central Plains featuring higher yielding and better quality aquifers.
The water in these aquifers has been stored for thousands of years and is connected. This means extraction from one aquifer will affect the neighbouring aquifers.
Water resources in the southern ranges and Davenport ranges are limited and expected to be used mainly for stock purposes.
The estimated sustainable yield is the amount of water that can be extracted. This is done while ensuring its meet the needs of environmental and cultural values of the area, depending on the resource.
The table below shows the estimated sustainable yield of each groundwater management zones in the water allocation plan.
Beneficial uses | Davenport Ranges | Central Plains | Southern Ranges | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rural stock and domestic | 249 | 279 | 455 | 983 |
Public water supply | 30 | 500 | 35 | 565 |
Aboriginal water reserve for Aboriginal economic development | 1,293 | 24,225 | 159 | 25,677 |
Other consumptive uses - agriculture, aquaculture, cultural, industry, mining activity, petroleum activity | 2,818 | 56,486 | 1,141 | 60,445 |
Environment* | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 |
Total allocations ML/year | 4,400 | 81,500 | 1,800 | 87,700 |
*Nominal allocation within consumptive uses as required under section 22A(2) of the Act. The majority of water retained for non-consumptive uses is to:
- maintain important ecological functions and
- for cultural purposes and values of water in the region.
Licences
There are existing groundwater licences in the plan area.
All licences are made public on the water licence portal.
Aboriginal water reserves
An Aboriginal water reserve is established by a plan, with 25,677 ML per year made available for Aboriginal economic development in the plan area.
Reports and publications
- Groundwater dependent vegetation probability of occurrence: Western Davenport 2023
- Biodiversity assessment of the Western Davenport area 2022
- Ecological characteristics of potential groundwater dependent vegetation in the Western Davenport water control district 2021
- Risk of salinity due to irrigation developments in the Western Davenport Basin, December 2021, prepared by Flinders University for the National Water Grid Authority
- Guideline: limits of acceptable change to groundwater dependent vegetation in the Western Davenport water control district 2020 PDF (1.7 MB)
- The potential for groundwater use by vegetation in the Australian arid zone 2018
- Development of a groundwater model for the Western Davenport Plains 2018
- Western Davenport water allocation plan 2024 to 2027 PDF (4.0 MB)
- Western Davenport background report 2024 to 2027 PDF (6.0 MB)
- Western Davenport implementation actions 2024 to 2027 PDF (2.9 MB)
- Western Davenport water allocation plan 2021 to 2022
- Western Davenport water allocation plan 2018 to 2021
- Western Davenport water allocation plan 2011 to 2021
Maps
Contact
If you have any questions about permits or licensing requirements in the area, email water.licensing@nt.gov.au.
For water planning enquiries, email waterresources@nt.gov.au.