Watercourse identification map
The watercourse identification map in the Queensland Globe will help you determine what authorisations you’ll need to take water or undertake other activities covered by the Water Act 2000.
The map will help you distinguish between:
- surface water—this is water from features mapped 'lakes' and 'watercourses'
- overland flow water—from features mapped as 'drainage features'.
If you need help accessing the map, see the detailed instructions below.
How to access the map
- Open the Queensland Globe watercourse identification map.
- Find the area you're interested in by moving around the map, or search for a location using the search tool.
- Expand the map's right-hand panel to access the legend, which you can use to identify water features.
Please report any errors to your local business centre.
What authorisations will you need?
Once you've determined the type of water feature using the map, you can check the water plan for your area. This will tell you the rules that apply to this type of water. You can also read more about water authorisations.
Contact your local business centre if you have any doubts about what’s required.
Map features
The map is updated every month to reflect any new information.
| Type of feature | Colour | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Watercourse | Blue line | The map can only be used to determine the length of features—not their width |
| Drainage feature | Red line | The map can only be used to determine the length of features—not their width |
| Unmapped | Light grey line | Contact your local business centre for advice about whether this feature is a watercourse or drainage feature |
| Downstream limit of a watercourse | Blue point | Marks the end of the Water Act jurisdiction and the beginning of the Coastal Protection Act 1995 jurisdiction. Contact your local business centre for more information |
| Lake | Light blue point marked 'L' | The point is placed near the centre of the lake. If the lake covers multiple land parcels, each parcel will show a lake point. Contact your local business centre for more information on the exact extent of a lake |
| Spring | Dark blue point marked 'S' | The point is placed at the centre of the spring. Contact your local business centre for more information on the regulatory provisions that apply to the spring. |
Additional map data
The map contains extra information about the features and when they were mapped. To access this data:
- Select the Spanner
in the upper right-hand side to pop out the toolbar. - Select the identify tool
from the toolbar. - Click on a feature. The Layers panel will open on the left.
- On the Layers panel, click on the relevant layer to expand it (Watercourse, Drainage feature).
- Click on the feature name to display its attributes.
Note: The spatial data for the map can be accessed via the Queensland Spatial Catalogue - QSpatial and the Queensland Government Open Data Portal.
- Last reviewed: 22 Aug 2018
- Last updated: 7 Nov 2022