New South Wales Consolidated Regulations

WATER SHARING PLAN FOR THE DORRIGO PLATEAU SURFACE WATER SOURCE AND DORRIGO BASALT GROUNDWATER SOURCE 2003 - REG 57

57 Water level management

(1) The Minister may declare that, in order to protect water levels within this groundwater source, local access rules are to apply in a defined area known as a local impact area.

(2) If water levels in any part of this groundwater source have declined to such an extent that adverse impact is occurring, or is likely to occur, extraction from all water supply works (bores) within a local impact area declared under subclause (1) and nominated by an access licence, will be restricted to such an extent and for such time as is required to reinstate water levels to such a degree as to mitigate or avoid that impact.

Note: This clause recognises that in some locations, at certain periods of high groundwater demand, critical water level declines may occur, and that additional extraction limitations may be required.

Note: It is intended that local impact models will be developed and used to predict water level declines in a local area under different extraction scenarios. Significant drops and minimum sustainable groundwater levels can then be set for an area based on the requirements of groundwater dependent ecosystems in the locality, and on the impact that reduced water levels may have on basic rights and extraction in the locality.