Water Plan (Gulf) 2007

This water plan may be cited as the Water Plan (Gulf) 2007.

The following are the purposes of this plan—

to define the availability of water in the plan area;

to provide a framework for sustainably managing water and the taking of water;

to identify priorities and mechanisms for dealing with future water requirements;

to provide a framework for establishing water allocations to take supplemented surface water;

to provide a framework for reversing, where practicable, degradation that has occurred in natural ecosystems;

to regulate the taking of overland flow water;

to regulate the taking of groundwater.

The dictionary in schedule 13 defines particular words used in this plan.

This plan applies to the area shown as the plan area on the map in schedule 1.

Each part of the plan area that is within a groundwater management area shown on the map in schedule 2 is a groundwater management area for this plan.

Each part of the plan area that is within a catchment area shown on the map in schedule 3 is a catchment area for this plan.

Each part of the plan area that is within a subcatchment area shown on the map in schedule 3 is a subcatchment area for this plan.

Groundwater in an aquifer under a prescribed watercourse, or under land within 1km of a prescribed watercourse, is declared to be water in the watercourse.

Subsection (1) does not apply to water the chief executive is satisfied is not hydraulically connected to the water in the watercourse.

The owner of land within 1km of a prescribed watercourse may take groundwater that is water in the watercourse for stock or domestic purposes.

In this section—

prescribed watercourse means each of the following—

the Nicholson River to the extent it is downstream of node 2;

Lawn Hill Creek to the extent it is downstream of node 3;

the Gregory River to the extent is downstream of node 4;

the Leichhardt River;

the Cloncurry River;

the Flinders River;

the Gilbert River;

the Einasleigh River to the extent it is downstream of node 5;

the Norman River;

the Staaten River.

The exact location of the boundaries of the plan area, groundwater management areas, catchment areas and subcatchment areas is held in digital electronic form by the department.

The information held in digital electronic form can be reduced or enlarged to show the details of the boundaries.

A node mentioned in this plan is a place on a watercourse in the plan area.

The location of each node is shown on the map in schedule 1 and described in schedule 4.

Each node is identified on the map by a number.

This plan applies to the following water (surface water) in the plan area—

water in a watercourse or lake;

water in springs not connected to GAB water;

overland flow water, other than water in springs connected to GAB water.

This plan also applies to underground water that is not GAB water (groundwater) in the plan area.

In this section—

GAB water means underground water to which the Water Plan (Great Artesian Basin and Other Regional Aquifers) 2017 applies.

This chapter states the outcomes for the sustainable management of water to which this plan applies.

Without limiting subsection (1), the outcomes include the allocation and management of water in a way that—

recognises that the natural state of watercourses, lakes, springs and aquifers has changed because of the taking of, and interfering with, water; and

achieves a balance in the following outcomes—

the economic outcomes mentioned in section 13;

the social outcomes mentioned in section 14;

the ecological outcomes mentioned in section 15.