Licensing and industry support

Licensing

Licences are required for all artesian groundwater wells throughout the State. New licences are issued only if the total number issued in an area will not exceed the allocation limits for the resources. In this way we protect the interests of existing users and the environment.

In areas proclaimed under the Act, we ensure that water use is within sustainable limits.

Proclaimed Areas

In proclaimed areas under the Rights in Water and Irrigation Act. it is illegal to take water from a watercourse or groundwater aquifer without a licence. Applications for water licenses are made through our regional offices.

Unproclaimed Areas

Water can be taken from watercourses in unproclaimed areas without a licence so long as the flow is not "sensibly" diminished, affecting the rights of downstream users.

Water Industry Services

The Department advises the Minister for Water Resources in relation to licensing policy and regulations for water service providers (administered by the Economic Regulation Authority). The Minister is also responsible for issuing pricing references on water matters to the ERA.

Key areas include competition and industry structure policy and meeting Western Australia's obligations under the National Competition Policy Agreement.