Cape York water plan area

This information will help you understand how water is managed in the water plan area and how you can access water.

Map of the water plan area

Check whether your property is covered by the plan on the Cape York water plan area map (PDF, 542KB).

30 November 2024: Due date for meter revalidations for the Lakeland water licence zones 1 and 2 of the Cook underground Water management area.
7 Dec 2020: We have published a guide to accessing unallocated water from the Cape York Peninsula Heritage Area (CYPHA) reserve.

Type of water	Management
Surface water	Check the water plan information below for rules and requirements.
Overland flow	Check the water plan information below for rules and requirements.
Underground water	Check the Great Artesian Basin and Other Regional Aquifers water plan for underground water and spring water in the Great Artesian Basin and other important regional aquifers. Check the water plan below for all other underground water rules and requirements.

Cape York Peninsula Heritage Area (CYPHA) unallocated water reserve	New CYPHA water licences are available for any purpose to eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons. Holders of existing CYPHA water licences can assign CYPHA water to other persons (including non-Indigenous persons).
Unallocated water releases	No current releases from the general or strategic reserves.
Relocatable water licences	Read about the relocatable water licence market.
Seasonal water assignment	Check the Water management protocol (PDF, 573KB) for rules and read about the application process.
Water allocation trading – unsupplemented water	Trading is available in the Endeavour Water Management Area. Check the Water management protocol (PDF, 573KB) for trading rules.

Contact the Mareeba business centre for more information on water management and how you can access water in the plan area.

Find out more about Indigenous water reserves.
Get streamflow and groundwater data from the Queensland Government Water monitoring information portal.
Access maps and water data using Queensland Globe or the water entitlement viewer.
Find out about river improvement trusts and their work.
View price information for permanent water allocation trades and relocatable water licences.
Read about water planning and learn where to find information in the new water planning documents.
Read the Water planning science plan 2020–2030 to find out how we use science to develop water plans and improve water planning.