Water Act 2000

The purpose of this chapter is to provide for the management of impacts on underground water caused by the exercise of underground water rights by resource tenure holders.

This purpose is achieved primarily by—

providing a regulatory framework to—

require resource tenure holders to monitor and assess the impact of the exercise of underground water rights on water bores and to enter into make good agreements with the owners of the bores; and

require the preparation of underground water impact reports that establish underground water obligations, including obligations to monitor and manage impacts on aquifers and springs; and

manage the cumulative impacts of the exercise of 2 or more resource tenure holders’ underground water rights on underground water; and

giving the chief executive and the office functions and powers for managing underground water.