Licence to Take Water

Under the Water Resources Act 2007, the owner or occupier of land in the ACT may require a licence to extract ground or surface water from sources such as bores, dams or waterways. Before a licence can be issued the licence applicant must hold a surviving allocation or a water access entitlement of a volume of water at least equivalent to the licensed volume required.

Activities that do not require licencing include the taking of water for camping or similar purposes, watering stock, domestic use, extinguishing or preventing the spread of fire, or the taking of rainwater from an approved rainwater tank.

For more information visit the Environment and Sustainable Development website.