Water Resources
Water is essential to life and is one of Australia’s most valuable natural resources. It is a finite and fragile resource subject to a complex range of needs and demands ranging from supporting an increasing population to sustaining ecosystem health and biodiversity.
The Northern Territory’s water resources are generally considered to be under relatively little pressure due to a comparatively small population base and low intensity of land use. However, this is changing and as the rest of Australia is experiencing immense pressure on its water resources, the largely intact water resources in the Northern Territory are increasingly becoming subject to higher demands.
“In partnership with the community, conserve and manage water resources in a transparent, equitable and sustainable manner”.
The Water Resources Branch has been set up to implement the primary piece of water resource legislation, the Northern Territory Water Act. The Water Act is an Act to provide for the investigation, allocation, use, control, protection, management and administration of water resources, and for related purposes.
The Water Resources Branch is responsible for the development of Water Allocation Plans across the Northern Territory. Water Allocation plans are statutory instruments, declared under the Water Act to ensure that water extraction is undertaken in a sustainable and equitable manner with priority given to environmental and cultural flows to protect our unique environment.
The other main function of the Branch is to ensure that licensing, regulation and compliance are undertaken in a thorough and transparent manner.
For further enquiries please contact the Water Resources Branch on (08) 8999 4455 or water.nretas@nt.gov.au