Water Act 2000

If the resource tenure is a petroleum tenure, the baseline assessment timetable must provide for a baseline assessment to be undertaken for each water bore located in a priority area for the tenure by the earliest of the following—

before production testing starts, if—

the bore in the priority area is located within 2km of the production testing; and

during the production testing, water will be taken from the aquifer supplying the water bore;

before production of petroleum starts in the priority area;

the day after a period of 30 days, whether continuous or not, of undertaking production testing in the priority area.

However, subsection (1)(a) does not apply if the petroleum tenure holder obtains the written agreement of the owner of the water bore to a baseline assessment being undertaken on a later day.

Subject to subsection (4), if the resource tenure is a mining tenure, the baseline assessment timetable must provide for a baseline assessment to be undertaken for each water bore in a priority area before the exercise of underground water rights in the priority area.

If the chief executive gives the holder of a mining tenure a notice under section 394A(5)(a), the baseline assessment timetable must state a day by which a baseline assessment will be undertaken for each water bore in a priority area.

A baseline assessment timetable must state the rationale for each date by which baseline assessments will be undertaken.