Dawson Valley strategic water infrastructure reserve release
Water has been made available from the strategic water infrastructure reserve (SWIR) in the Dawson Valley Water Management Area (Dawson Valley WMA) to allow landholders to expand or diversify irrigation activity.
SWIR water is held as unallocated water under the Water Plan (Fitzroy Basin) 2011 to enable the development of infrastructure projects. The Water Act 2000 enables SWIR water to be granted as temporary licences, which ensures the water can still support strategic infrastructure projects in the future.
How to apply
The release process and application requirements are documented in the Terms of Sale (ToS) (PDF, 1.23MB). These include details such as:
- eligibility and restrictions
- water availability
- price
- licence conditions
- evaluation criteria
- application form.
Review the ToS, and if you’re interested in applying for Dawson SWIR water, print the form from it, complete it, scan and email it with supporting information to UAW_DawsonSWIR@rdmw.qld.gov.au.
You can also view the Dawson Valley WMA map (PDF, 602KB) that shows the area of water availability for this Dawson SWIR release (PDF, 1.23MB). The Dawson Valley WMA covers the Dawson River from upstream of Taroom down to the confluence of the Fitzroy River.
Applications will be accepted anytime until 5pm on Friday 6 June 2025.
For more information, email UAW_DawsonSWIR@rdmw.qld.gov.au or phone 1800 822 100.
Dawson SWIR 2022
In 2022, water in the Dawson River Water Management Area was temporarily made available to landholders through a release of Strategic Water Infrastructure Reserve (SWIR).
This initiative aimed to support landholders in expanding and diversifying their irrigation activities promoting agriculture development.
Altogether, we offered 90,000 megalitres (ML) of SWIR water from the Dawson River for use each year for a temporary period. Through a submission process, 13 water licences were granted with an expiry date of 30 September 2025. These temporary water licences allow licensees access up to 69,360ML of SWIR water each year.
Below is a summary of the water licences granted within the Dawson Valley WMA. For more information on this release process and the granting of temporary water licences, read our evaluation report (PDF, 2.2MB).
| Dawson Valley WMA location | Number of 3-year water licences | Nominal entitlement volume (ML) |
|---|---|---|
| Dawson B | 1 | 4,000 |
| Dawson E | 1 | 10,070 |
| Dawson G | 4 | 32,110 |
| Dawson H | 3 | 10,380 |
| Dawson I | 1 | 7,800 |
| Dawson J | 3 | 5,000 |
| Total | 13 | 69,360 |
Also consider...
- Learn about the Fitzroy Basin water plan.
- Learn more about unallocated water.