Restoring and protecting water in the GABORA water plan area

Restoring groundwater pressure

The current Great Artesian Basin and other regional aquifers (GABORA) water plan sets out strategies to restore groundwater pressure lost through the use of uncontrolled bores and bore drains. This requires rehabilitating or replacing bores to be controlled and replacing open bore drains with watertight delivery systems.

Bores must be controlled and watertight by 2 September 2032, with bore owners able to privately fund cap and pipe projects (and apply for a water savings licence) or apply for funding for these projects.

Protecting flows for bores and springs

The GABORA water plan sets out criteria to project flows to groundwater dependent ecosystems including springs and existing water users.

These criteria apply to granting of unallocated water, licences for stock or domestic purposes, seasonal water assignments and the amendment or relocation of water licences:

• minimum separation distances between bores to limit drawdown at existing bores due to new entitlement to 5m
• groundwater dependent ecosystem (GDE) setback criteria to ensure new licences and trades are only permitted if the cumulative drawdown at GDEs is no more than 0.4m.

As part of the plan review, the criteria and rules for protecting existing users and springs will be reviewed to ensure they reflect the latest science, are fit for purpose and are providing the appropriate balance between protection and flexibility to support regional water supply security and economic development.