Whitsunday general reserve

If you are located where water is being released, you should start planning for a project, including the location(s) and volume of water that you are seeking:

• Establish whether you can construct and operate works to take water at the proposed location(s).
• For irrigation projects, you will need available land that has or can be granted vegetation approvals, has adequate slopes for applying water, and soil types that can grow crops.
• For all projects, consider best practice principles and guidelines in determining the required annual volume of water and land area.

Determine whether the location is a watercourse or drainage feature.

The watercourse identification map will help you to search for your property, the location of take and identify the water feature(s) at that location. It will help you distinguish between:

• watercourse water—from features mapped as a 'watercourse'
• overland flow—from features mapped as a 'drainage feature'.

To search for your property within the watercourse identification map:

• click on the search function on the left hand side menu and either click on 'Street Address' or 'Lot on plan'
• enter the relevant details and this will take you to your property
• you may need to zoom in or out to see your entire property or location of take.

Blue lines represent a 'watercourse', and red lines represent a 'drainage feature'.

If water features have not been determined from where you wish to access water (light grey lines) or there are no lines shown, you will need to request a watercourse determination from us as soon as possible via WaterServicesNorth@dlgwv.qld.gov.au.

The request should include the following information:

• the address or the lot/plans of the property
• the proposed location(s) from where you intend to take (e.g. GPS location or marked on a map)
• photos of the water features including the bed and banks, vegetation within the bed or along the banks of the feature and any water flow or water holes
• information about duration of water flows, the persistence of waterholes following the wet season, and spring discharge that may be present or has been observed.

We will contact you if we require more information.

Under the Whitsunday water plan, if you are applying for unallocated water for the purpose of irrigation you are required to demonstrate that you have the availability of land without remnant vegetation.

The Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Manufacturing, and Regional and Rural Development is responsible for vegetation management information, advice, and how to obtain vegetation approvals.

Phone 13 58 34 or email vegetation@nrmmrrd.qld.gov.au.

If you are proposing to construct a dam on a drainage feature, you may trigger an approval under the waterway barrier works legislation.

The Department of Primary Industries is responsible for waterway barrier works information, advice, and approval requirements. Recent updates have been made to the accepted development requirements.

Phone 13 25 23 or email planningassessment@dpi.qld.gov.au.

The State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) can act as a centralised contact to provide free information and advice on relevant legislative requirements specific to your project.

We recommend you request pre-lodgement advice from SARA on relevant approvals if these are triggered.

Phone (07) 4898 6888 or email MIWSARA@dsdilgp.qld.gov.au.