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| Groundwater ManagementTaking Groundwater
Groundwater Area
Groundwater Provisions
Further Information
 The Department is responsible for managing the State’s groundwater resources under the provisions of the Water Management Act 1999.
Please note: information on groundwater quality and quantity, including access to the groundwater borehole database and a library of groundwater reports and maps, can be found in the Groundwater Section of the Mineral Resources Tasmania website:www.mrt.tas.gov.au
The Department is currently developing a regulatory framework for groundwater management to ensure that the State’s groundwater resources are developed and used in an orderly, equitable and sustainable manner.
Recent amendments to the Water Management Act 1999 will facilitate this process, and the Department is developing the required policy documents and administrative systems to put these new arrangements into place.
A system to license the State’s well drillers has been put in place. After 11 April 2009, well works will only be able to be undertaken by an appropriately licensed well driller or those people who have applied for a Tasmanian Well Driller’s Licence (applications must be received before 11 April 2009). However after 11 August 2009, well works may only be undertaken by holders of a Tasmanian Well Driller’s Licence.
"Well works" means an excavation undertaken to give access to groundwater, any other works undertaken to repair or modify the structure of a well or any works undertaken to plug, backfill, seal or decommission a well.
Certain types of well works will be exempted from this requirement, so you will need to contact the Department to find out whether this applies to your proposed well works.
The licensing of well drillers will ensure that minimum standards of well drilling and construction are met and this will help to protect consumers and those in the drilling industry from unqualified and inexperienced operators.
The system will be consistent with other States in that it will recognise different competency levels within the drilling industry and will be based on a combination of qualifications and experience. Drillers licensed in Tasmania will be able to work in other States with minimal additional requirements.
A permitting process for new wells will also be introduced later this year. After 1 September 2009, a well works permit will be required to undertake all well works.
This will allow for better management of the location of new wells and the standards to which they are drilled and constructed, and will assist with the collection of information on the groundwater systems and their levels of development and use.
A system for the licensing of groundwater use is also being developed and will be implemented progressively across the State in high priority areas and situations, through the appointment of Groundwater Areas.
At present, the owner or occupier of land may take groundwater from the land for any purpose without a water licence, unless:
a) the land is situated in a Groundwater Area appointed by the Minister and a licence is required in that Groundwater Area, or
b) the land is situated in a water management plan area and a licence is required by the Water Management Plan, or
c) the taking would cause, either directly or indirectly, material environmental harm or serious environmental harm.
A Groundwater Area is an area of land which has been appointed as a Groundwater Area by an order made by the Minister. The purpose of a Groundwater Area is to define specific areas where groundwater resources are intensively used and groundwater licensing is required in order to equitably and sustainably manage the water resource.
There are no Groundwater Areas currently declared in Tasmania.
Groundwater management provisions may be included in Water Management Plans where appropriate if, for instance, an aquifer or interconnected surface water body is considered to be under threat from over-extraction or contamination. These provisions may cover issues such as groundwater licensing and allocation, monitoring, and well construction and maintenance.
Contact: Groundwater ManagementLudovic Schmidt
Program Manager (Groundwater)
1 Franklin Wharf HOBART TAS 7000 TAS
Phone: 03 6233 6605
Fax: 03 6224 4977
Email: Ludovic.Schmidt@dpipwe.tas.gov.au
Guidelines for Assessing Applications for Well Driller's Licences.
Wells and Bores - outlines the responsibilities of well owners and well drillers.
Assessing Groundwater Yield - explains aquifer prospectivity and how to find out your bore yield.
Groundwater Resources - an overview of the State's groundwater resources and an explanation of aquifers and springs.
Water Management Plans
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