Construction requirements for water bores

Poorly constructed water bores pose a risk to groundwater resources. Poor bore construction and decommissioning practices have caused contamination and pressure loss in many aquifers.

All water bore drilling activities must comply with the Australian minimum construction requirements for water bores, which include a technical standard for constructing water bores.

• Download the Minimum construction requirements for water bores in Australia (PDF, 10MB).

Additional requirements for bores in the Great Artesian Basin

There are additional construction requirements for any water bores that intersect the sediments of artesian basins.

The requirements cover the area managed under the water plan for the Great Artesian Basin and other regional aquifers with additional requirements applying to bores in water bore corrosion areas (PDF, 387KB).

This includes requirements that bores be:

• fully cased and grout-sealed from within 30m above the water bed to the surface
• constructed using inert casing to protect the groundwater from contamination and pressure loss due to corroded casing and headworks (in water bore corrosion areas only).

For more information, download:

• Minimum standards for the construction and reconditioning of water bores that intersect the sediments of artesian basins in Queensland (PDF, 958KB)
• Map of water plan for the Great Artesian Basin and other regional aquifers (PDF, 655KB)
• Bore corrosion area maps: Bulimba (PDF, 461KB) | Injune (PDF, 300KB) | Flinders (PDF, 984KB).

Drilling in gas prone areas

If you are planning to undertake water bore drilling activities in an area suspected of being gas prone, you should read the Safety advisory on drilling water bores in gas prone areas (PDF, 550KB) for information about gas safety management and identification of risks.

Special construction requirements also apply to the construction and abandonment of CSG wells and bores.