About water supply work and/or water use approvals
These types of approvals allow you to take and/or use water from a river, lake, or groundwater source. A water access licence may also be required to account for the water taken.
Note: You can apply for a combined water supply work and water supply use approval on a single application.
Where do you apply for water supply work or water use approvals?
WaterNSW issues licences and approvals for private rural landholders and rural industries.
The department provides licences and approvals for many larger commercial and all government entities.
Applications
What do these approvals allow you to do?
Water supply work approvals
Allow you to construct and use a work that takes water from a river, lake, or groundwater source. Examples of works include:
- pumps
- bores
- dams
- weirs
- irrigation channels
- banks and levees
- dewatering.
Water supply use approvals
Allow you to use water for a particular purpose such as:
- irrigation
- town water supply
- public recreation
- power generation
- mining.
Approval is needed for these works to ensure they don’t harm water sources or the animals and plants dependent on them. Approvals also ensure the works don’t affect access to water by other water users.
Not sure about what you need?
We've developed the Water Assist tool to help you work out who to talk to and what steps to take to get the licences and approvals you need.