Taking surface water

If you want to use surface water for anything other than drinking water for your farm animals or your household, you need an extraction licence.

You should:

check the rules for the area you want to get the water from - found in the water allocation plan
read the water allocation framework.

There are rules and conditions for taking surface water in the Top End during the wet season.

This policy replaces the water allocation framework during the wet season.

Key aspects of the policy are that it:

has been designed with caution
reduces the volume of water available from Top End rivers in the wet season from 20% to less than 5%
- or a volume determined by a water allocation plan
stops water being taken in dry years through minimum flow conditions in licences
ensures permits for water infrastructure are required at the same time through the interference with a waterway guideline.

The video below explains how the policy works.

You can read feedback about the policy principles in the consultation report PDF (1.1 MB).

This feedback was received during the public consultation process.

Interference with a waterway

If you want to take surface water during the wet season, you may need to apply for a permit. Read the guidelines for interference with a waterway PDF (324.6 KB).