About water availability
We use the rules in water sharing plans to distribute available surface and groundwater resources sustainably and fairly. We also ensure that water entitlements and allocations are secure and tradeable in accordance with plans and rules.
A water allocation, or available water determination, is the proportion of a licensed water user’s entitlement credited to their water account for use. Allocations vary over time based on the water available in dams, river flows and the prevailing catchment and weather conditions.
Find a summary of current water allocations, recent water allocation statements and available water determinations.
Information on drought and flood management and extreme events such as fish deaths, hypoxic blackwater and water for fire preparedness.
Find water accounting reports, historical water determination data and a range of water information dashboards.
How to apply for a new groundwater licence through a controlled allocation (tender) process.
Current temporary water restrictions for regulated river, unregulated river and groundwater water sources.
Managing groundwater and surface water extractions against extractions limits.
Information on the assessment of management of the 2020 Northern Basin First Flush event.
How we managed inflows from widespread rainfall over north-west NSW and southern Queensland during January and March 2020.
Our hydrogeologists reviewed and analysed data from 1,300 groundwater monitoring sites.