Declared subartesian areas
In Queensland, a number of subartesian areas have been declared under the Water Act 2000. Some have been declared within water resource plans, while most have been declared under the Water Regulation 2002, both of which are subordinate legislation to the Act.
Water licensing and development permit requirements
For subartesian areas defined in the Water Regulation 2002:
- a water licence is required to take or interfere with subartesian water, other than for the purposes specified within Schedule 11 of the Water Regulation 2002.
- under the Integrated Planning Act 1997, a development permit is required to construct or install works that take subartesian water, other than works constructed or installed solely for the purposes mentioned within schedule 11 of the Water Regulation 2002.
For subartesian areas that are defined in water resource plans, the respective water resource plan defines the area-specific water licensing and development permit requirements. See the following table for a summary of the area-specific water licensing and development permit requirements.
You can download water legislation and water resource plans from the website of the Office of Queensland Parliamentary Counsel.
Viewing the subartesian areas
By clicking on the relevant subartesian area in the map below, you can view PDF maps* of the declared areas. These have been optimised for downloading and printing on A4 paper, but the file sizes of some are still quite large. Please note that some maps are currently under review and therefore not available.
If you need boundaries clarified, or would like an A3 copy, please contact your local NRW service centre. Please specify the plan number of the declared subartesian area, and your Lot on Plan Number.
Declared subartesian area maps
Declared subartesian areas within Queensland
Mt Isa, Eastern Downs and Great Artesian Basin subartesian areas
Area-specific water licencing and development permit requirements
| Name of declared subartesian area | Subordinate legislation defining the subartesian area | Water licence not required for | Works not assessable for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluewater | Water Regulation 2002 | ||
| Bowen | Water Regulation 2002 | Stock or domestic purposes | Stock or domestic purposes |
| Callide | Water Regulation 2002 | Domestic purposes | Stock or domestic purposes |
| Cattle Creek | Water Regulation 2002 | Domestic purposes | Domestic purposes |
| Clarendon | Water Regulation 2002 | Stock or domestic purposes | Stock or domestic purposes |
| Cook | Water Regulation 2002 | Stock or domestic purposes | Stock or domestic purposes |
| Duck Farm | Water Regulation 2002 | ||
| Eastern Downs | Water Regulation 2002 | Stock or domestic purposes | Stock or domestic purposes |
| Farnborough | Water Regulation 2002 | Stock or domestic purposes | Stock or domestic purposes |
| Fitzroy | Water Regulation 2002 | Stock or domestic purposes | Stock or domestic purposes |
| Fraser Island | Water Regulation 2002 | Domestic purposes | Domestic purposes |
| Great Artesian Basin | Water Regulation 2002 | Stock purposes from subartesian aquifers not connected to artesian aquifers. Domestic purposes. | |
| Highlands | Water Regulation 2002 | Stock or domestic purposes | Stock or domestic purposes |
| Monto | Water Regulation 2002 | Stock or domestic purposes | Stock or domestic purposes |
| Moreton Island | Water Regulation 2002 | Stock or domestic purposes | Stock or domestic purposes |
| Mossman | Water Regulation 2002 | Stock or domestic purposes | Stock or domestic purposes |
| Mulgildie | Water Regulation 2002 | All purposes | Stock or domestic purposes |
| North Stradbroke Island | Water Regulation 2002 | Stock or domestic purposes | Stock or domestic purposes |
| Pioneer | Water Regulation 2002 | Stock or domestic purposes | Stock or domestic purposes |
| Proserpine | Water Regulation 2002 | Stock or domestic purposes | Stock or domestic purposes |
| Upper Georgina | Water Regulation 2002 | Stock or domestic purposes | Stock or domestic purposes |
Last updated: 11 June 2009