Announced entitlements and announced allocations

An announcement can be made that limits the water you can take under your water licence or water allocation during a water year. These are commonly referred to as announced entitlements (for water licences), announced allocations (for water allocations), or annual announced limits. These occur in certain situations, including times of drought, low water availability or stress on water resources.

A water management area that has been identified in the Water Regulation 2016, a water plan or a water management protocol may have water sharing rules which apply announced entitlements or annual announced limits.

• Announced entitlements apply to unsupplemented water licences managed by the department. A holder of a water licence that is subject to an announced entitlement will be notified at the start of their water year and will be advised of any additional changes that may occur throughout that year.
• Announced allocations apply to unsupplemented water allocations managed by the department. A holder of an unsupplemented water allocation that is subject to an announced allocation will be notified at the start of their water year and advised of any additional changes that may occur throughout that year.
• Annual announced limits apply to unsupplemented water allocations. A holder of a water allocation that is subject to an annual announced limit will be notified at the start of their water year.

If you hold a water allocation managed by a water supply scheme operator such as Sunwater or Seqwater (a supplemented water allocation), you should check your current announced allocation with your water supply scheme operator.

Find out how to calculate your maximum volume for the water year.