Water licences amendments in the Gold Coast water plan
The draft Gold Coast water plan proposed changes to certain water licences, including:
- amending licences to specify a volume of water that may be taken in a year (i.e. nominal entitlement (NE) in megalitres (ML))
- specifying maximum rates of take (RoT) in megalitres per day (ML/d),
- standardising licence purposes
- removing or standardising certain licence conditions.
These changes aim to provide clarity, equity, and flexibility in water management while also supporting compliance.
Draft water entitlement notice (WEN)
The draft Gold Coast WEN provides details about how the changes to licences will be implemented.
Amending a water licence purpose
Unsupplemented surface water licences will state a purpose of ‘any’, ‘urban’, or ‘stock’ and/or ‘domestic’.
- Multi-purpose water harvesting licences will state a purpose of ‘any’ to allow for diverse uses such as irrigation, aquaculture, and commercial activities.
- Licences for town water supply will have the purpose of ‘urban’.
- Existing non-riparian stock and domestic water licences will retain the purpose of ‘stock’ and/or ‘domestic’.
Stating a nominal entitlement
Unsupplemented surface water licences will have a nominal entitlement (a volumetric limit in ML/annum). The table below sets out the methods we use to determine nominal entitlements and RoT for water licences.
- For non-riparian water licences with a purpose of stock and/or domestic that are without a current volume, a nominal entitlement of 1ML will be stated.
- For water licences with an existing volume (including annual volumes specified in a water licence condition), that volume will be retained as the nominal entitlement (method 1, step 1).
- If there is no volume stated on the licence, but an area to be irrigated is specified, the nominal entitlement will be calculated using the area conversion method (method 2, step 1).
- If there is no volume or irrigable area stated on the licence, the nominal entitlement will be calculated using the rate of take method (method 3, step 2 or method 4, step 2).
- If there is no volume, irrigable area or rate of take stated, the nominal entitlement will be calculated using the authorised works method (method 5, step 2).
Stating a RoT
Unsupplemented water licences will include a maximum RoT (ML/d). The calculated RoT provides for a rate that is proportional to the nominal entitlement of the licence and ensures that water users are able take a rate that allows for the efficient use of water and supports a range of crop water requirements:
- For licences that state a nominal entitlement, the RoT will be proportional to the nominal entitlement (method 1, step 2).
- For licences that state an irrigable area, the RoT will be proportional to the calculated nominal entitlement (method 2, step 2).
- Licences that do not state a nominal entitlement but do have a RoT stated in ML/d will retain the same RoT.
- Licences that do not state a nominal entitlement and have a RoT stated in litres per second (L/s) will require the RoT to be converted to ML/d (method 4, step 1).
- If there is no nominal entitlement or RoT stated on the licence, the appropriate RoT will be calculated using the approved works for taking water under the licence (method 5, step 1).
- If none of the above methods apply, the licence holder may submit for a RoT and/or the Chief Executive will determine the appropriate rate.
Methods to determine nominal entitlements and RoT for water licences
| Method | Volume explanation | Rate of take explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Method 1 | Step 1 Same as stated on your existing licence ______ML | Step 2 Your new RoT is your volume divided by 30 days RoT = [volume] ML / 30 days RoT = [volume / 30] ML/d |
| Method 2 | Step 1 Convert the area on your existing licence to a volume NE = [area] ha x 5ML/ha NE = [area x 5] ML | Step 2 Your new RoT is your new volume divided by 30 days RoT = [volume] ML / 30 days RoT = [volume / 30] ML/d |
| Method 3 | Step 2 Your new NE is your rate multiplied by 30 days NE = [rate] ML/d x 30 days NE = [rate x 30] ML | Step 1 Same as stated on your existing licence ______ML/d |
| Method 4 | Step 2 Your new NE is your rate multiplied by 30 days NE = [rate] ML/d x 30 days NE = [rate x 30] ML | Step 1 Convert the rate on your existing licence to ML/d RoT = [rate] L/s x 0.0864 RoT = [rate x 0.0864] ML/d |
| Method 5 | Step 2 Your new NE is your rate multiplied by 30 days NE = [rate] ML/d x 30 days NE = [rate x 30] ML | Step 1 Use schedule 7 of the Water Regulation 2016 to find the RoT of your pump (according to pump size) RoT = ______ML/d |
Other definitions
| Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Area to volume conversion |
Water licences that state the maximum area to be irrigated have been converted to a volume using a factor of 5ML per hectare (ML/ha).
This factor is based on a review of average annual crop irrigation demands in the water plan area, and the amount of water available in each subcatchment. |
| 30-day factor |
For water licences with an original purpose of water harvesting, the nominal entitlement is calculated by multiplying the daily RoT (expressed in ML/d) by 30.
For water licences with a purpose of ‘any’, the maximum RoT was calculated by dividing the nominal entitlement by 30. This conversion factor rate reflects the average annual days of water harvesting opportunities across the water plan area, based on updated hydrological modelling. |
| l/s to ML/d conversion | To perform the unit conversion from L/s to ML/d, the factor 0.0864 is applied. |
Amending licence conditions
- Licence conditions that are superfluous, obsolete, or poorly specified will be amended or removed.
- Existing flow conditions will be reviewed to ensure they are measurable and enforceable.
- Conditions are either updated or removed. No additional conditions have been imposed.
These updates aim to improve transparency and management by clearly defining shares of the available water resource.
Submitting on the draft WEN
The draft water plan allows water licence holders to request changes to their proposed nominal entitlement volume or maximum RoT, provided they can demonstrate a valid water use.
- If a request to increase the nominal entitlement is supported, the licence holder will also receive a proportional increase in their maximum RoT.
- If a request to increase the maximum RoT is supported, the licence holder will not receive an increase in their nominal entitlement, unless they make a request for this and it is also supported.
- Submissions must include information that demonstrates that authorised historical water use under the existing water licence is higher than what has been provided for in the draft water plan.
- Supporting information should relate to historic water use practices and not proposed or future developments.