New South Wales Consolidated Regulations

WATER SHARING PLAN FOR THE NSW GREAT ARTESIAN BASIN GROUNDWATER SOURCES 2008 - REG 39

39 Water quality management

(1) The beneficial use of these groundwater sources is as follows:

(a) for ecosystem protection,

(b) for recreation and aesthetics,

(c) for raw drinking water supply,

(d) for agricultural water, and

(e) for industrial water.

(2) Water quality decline will be deemed unacceptable if extraction causes, or is likely to cause, water quality to decline to a lower beneficial use class, as prescribed within the framework described in the NH&MRC/ARMCANZ Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (1996), and the ANZECC/ARMCANZ Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (2000).

(3) There are localised areas within these groundwater sources where the beneficial use is of a lower class.

(4) Before declaring a local impact area the Minister should consider water analysis from water bores within the proposed local impact area.

(5) If water quality decline is resulting from extraction, extraction from all water supply works for water bores nominated by an access licence within a local impact area will be restricted to such an extent and for such time as required to halt that decline, or restore the beneficial use of the groundwater source.

(6) In the case of subclause (5) the local impact rules may be expressed:

(a) as restrictions on yearly, quarterly, or weekly extraction in the affected areas, and

(b) they will subject to review and amendment as a result of the assessment of data from monitoring bores within the local impact area.