Water Engagement Roundup
The following are questions by topic asked from the registration and during the Water Engagement Roundup webinar recorded on Wednesday 21 June 2023 on the Water Licensing improvement program.
Watch the webinar
Wednesday, 21 June 2023 webinar.
Questions and answers
The following are questions by topic asked from the registration and during the Water Engagement Roundup webinar.
Licencing
Will the new licencing procedures significantly improve the current delays in applying for town water and irrigation bores which in many cases take at least 6 months and many are taking up to 12 months?
A. The Water Licencing Improvement Program is contributing to a modern government by streamlining the water licencing and approval system, ensuring a smoother customer experience, and improved coordination between government agencies involved.
The program is a vital component of the NSW Government’s commitment to deliver a better planning system and reduced timeframes for planning assessments.
Our aim is to simplify the licencing process and minimise red tape, leading to great public benefits for the people of NSW.
Application assessments times will continue to be appropriate to the level of potential impact associated with the construction and operation of water management works.
Why is the process so much slower when applying for a bore licence for a town water bore via the department vs an Irrigation bore with Water NSW in the same water sharing plan area?
A. Information about the department's Water application processing timeframes can be found at our website.
Has the recently introduced excessive high charges for works approvals licences had an impact on the number of applications for bores and if so will that speed up the timing for processing of the lower volume of bore licence applications?
A. Consent transaction charges are set by IPART. No analysis has been completed on the relationship between application fees and the number of applications received. Application assessment times are impacted both by the number of applications and the complexity of impact assessment.
Is there anyway the department can improve communication and consult with licenced drillers of NSW? It would be better to work with them, as they are on the front line and can help the department's licencing staff in advising clients the rules for bore siting in different areas and avoid the delays of to-and-fro between applicant and licencing staff.
A. Thank you for your feedback, your comment has been provided to the licencing team.
The valley is already overallocated. Does it consider security and reliability impacts for existing users when issuing new licences?
A. New licences are issued in accordance with the rules of the Water Sharing Plan. The potential impact on existing users is considered when assessing applications which will result in the granting of new entitlement in a water source.
I and many of us original people of the land and waterways would like to know more information about our rights to the licence it needs more workshops about the issue
A. The NSW Government is partnering with Aboriginal people to co-design a state-wide Aboriginal water strategy. The strategy will identify a program of measures to deliver on Aboriginal people's water rights and interests in water management and planning. For more information about NSW Aboriginal Water Strategy visit our website.
Licencing contribution: Information about the Aboriginal Water Program can be found at our website – this site also includes an email address to correspond with the group responsible for delivering the program. Aboriginal Water Program | Water (nsw.gov.au)Information about basic landholder rights is available from both the department website (Basic landholder rights | Water (nsw.gov.au)) and the WaterNSW website (Basic landholder rights - WaterNSW).
Will this update to Water licencing mean increased public transparency of water licence holders?
A. The data collected through metering is collected and stored in a single source that is managed by WaterNSW.
The data collected will build into better understanding how water is extracted in NSW and across the Murray-darling Basin. The information will be incorporated in department decisions.
The department will always be transparent with the public about water extracted in the water year and long-term average annual extraction limits (LTAAELs).
Cultural water use, is this covered under the water licencing improvement program? If so, can you please send me any information about cultural water?
A. Information about the Aboriginal Water Program can be found at our website – this site also includes an email address to correspond with the group responsible for delivering the program. Aboriginal Water Program | Water (nsw.gov.au)
Are there any discounts for intergeneration transfers? Are there any concessions for tidying up licences particularly in relation to reduction of pump size. Why is it so dear to transfer water and take up to 6 months within the same sub catchment (question from postcode 2471 – Lismore region).
A. Dealings are the remit of WaterNSW and transaction fees are set by IPART. The pump size on an approval can be reduced via an administrative amendment. Please see further information on amendments.
Does the reduction of red tape mean a lower cost of water transfers as the departments all will need less time to process them?
A. Dealings are the remit of WaterNSW and transaction fees are set by IPART. It is not an objective of this program to deliver cost reductions but to make our processes as efficient as possible.
Regional water strategies
With the population growth in Tamworth, how will there be water security in the future? Especially when new residents don't adhere to the constant water restrictions that the locals have had to endure for decades.
A. The NSW Government is developing 12 regional water strategies and the Namoi Regional Water Strategy will be finalised in the coming weeks. Key options were identified to improve Tamworth’s water security, using initiatives that may be implemented as the town and region grows.
Multiple supply and demand measures are needed for residential and commercial use, improvements to water conservation and efficiency, such as detection of infrastructure leaks, advanced water treatment facilities for industrial use, purifying recycled water, inter-valley transfers, and increasing existing dam reserves and off-river storage.
The NSW Government has undertaken significant community and stakeholder engagement over the last 3 years and will continue to work closely with Tamworth Regional Council to progress preferred options and pursue funding opportunities to support them.
Metering
What would be the government’s objections to making the quantities and qualities of all water withdrawals and discharges publicly available instantly?
A. WaterNSW host full system water extractions by water source available online. It is not the role of government to share personal or private business data.
What do you do if you have a joint works approval and one party wants to install new meter and the other doesn’t?
A. That is a private matter and not the role of government to intervene. However, note that all water users will need to meet all condition on their approval. You can keep a non-pattern-approved meter installed before 1 April 2019 if it can be fitted with a LID and tamper proof seals, and you can show:
- the meter’s manufacturer confirmed the meter was within +/- 2.5% accuracy in factory conditions and a duly qualified person (DQP) has certified that the meter has been correctly installed, or
- a DQP confirmed the meter is within +/- 5% accuracy in the field.
Water agencies
Who is involved in the 'Water group'? Could you explain the different functions of agencies such as WaterNSW and the department in the licencing space?
A. ‘Water group’ refers to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s Water division. The lead NSW agency who sets NSW water policy, manages NSW’s water resources, water security, and equitable sharing of regional and metropolitan surface and groundwater.
The department’s Water group is the lead agency who sets water policy in NSW, manages NSW’s water resources, water security, and the equitable sharing of regional and metropolitan surface and groundwater.
WaterNSW is a state-owned agency that manages the supply of water to dams, weirs, and water access licencing, metering and pricing.
Natural Resource Access Regulator is an independent law enforcement agency, created to change the water compliance landscape in NSW, and ensure water laws are enforced through monitoring compliance and education.
How many people are working on this initiative?
A. There is a core team of representatives from the department's water group and WaterNSW actively working on this water licencing improvement program.
Who is WaterNSW answerable to regarding timeframes for applications such as Flood Work Approvals?
A. WaterNSW assesses applications for flood work approvals so they would be best to respond to this question. However, in the southern Basin we are currently replacing 10 localised historical floodplain management plans with 4 valley-wide floodplain management plans which will streamline the assessment process with clear rules and assessment criteria.
What would be a reasonable time for completing an assessment of a flood work approval? Particularly since the development and adoption of floodplain management plans to guide this process.
A. WaterNSW assesses applications for flood work approvals so they would be best to respond to this question. However, in the southern Basin we are currently replacing 10 localised historical floodplain management plans with 4 valley-wide floodplain management plans which will streamline the assessment process with clear rules and assessment criteria.
Has the department finalised work undertaken under the Water Reform Action Plan for the Transparency section (Ensure transparency in how we share, allocate and manage water)?
A. Information about Water Reform Action Plan can be found at resource assessment process.
The biggest hurdle we hit seems to be the under resourcing - a few people working really hard to process a very large number of approval requests. We are conscious of not over-burdening approvals officers, but have no choice once approvals pass a certain point in terms of time. Externally funded projects can't wait unfortunately. How will the department address this issue?
A. It is a project goal to reduce the administrative burden that currently exists on assessment teams. There is a process for receiving licence and approval applications that needs to be reviewed. A core principle of this program was to stand up a small program team that doesn't distract from the business as usual of those assessment officers to work on these improvements by getting subject matter experts involved to explain how these processes can be simplified and made more efficient.
Approvals
When will aquifer interference and drainage approvals be turned on?
Two part answer
Aquifer interference approvals
The department is commencing a program of work to develop a framework for enabling and regulating activities that intentionally add water into groundwater sources, including for managed aquifer recharge activities. Switching on aquifer interference approvals may be one mechanism needed to enable these activities. Once the program has been scoped and planned in more detail, we will be able to provide more information on the timing and opportunities for us to consult with stakeholders along the way.
Drainage works
The department, in partnership with other agencies, is developing options to:
- improve the framework for managing agricultural drainage works
- improve water quality and the health of coastal floodplains and estuaries
- simplify the approvals process to support viable primary industries.
One option being considered is whether switching on drainage approvals would improve the process and outcomes.