Water licensing glossary
Allocation limit
Annual volume of water set aside for licensed use from a water resource
Aquifer
A geological formation or group of formations able to receive, store and
transmit significant quantities of water.
Crown
Vested in Her Majesty which is not for the time being dedicated to any public
purpose, or subject to any grant, lease, licence, contract, or engagement made
by or on behalf of Her Majesty.
Entitlement
The quantity of groundwater permitted to be abstracted by a well licence,
usually specified in kilolitres/year (kL/year).
Groundwater
The water that occurs in pore spaces and fractures in rocks beneath the ground
surface. Groundwater is contained in the following types of aquifer:
The unconfined aquifer (also referred to as a 'superficial' or 'surficial' aquifer) is the aquifer nearest the surface, having no overlying confining layer. The upper surface of the groundwater within the aquifer is called the watertable.
A confined aquifer is an aquifer lying between confining layers (such as clay, coal or rock) containing water under pressure.
An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer under hydraulic pressure that causes water levels to rise naturally to the ground surface.
Groundwater and surface water
areas
All the boundaries that are proclaimed under the Rights in Water and Irrigation
act (1914) and used for water allocation planning and management.
Groundwater resource area
All the boundaries that are proclaimed under the Rights in Water and Irrigation
Act and used for water allocation planning and management.
Groundwater resource area: Letter of
Undertaking
A letter issued to the applicant stating that a licence will be granted when
all the criteria outlined in the letter are met by the applicant (this usually
includes proof of legal access).
Hectare (ha)
A surface measure of area equal to 10 000 square metres or approximately 2.47
acres.
Letter of undertaking
See groundwater resource area; letter of undertaking
Non-artesian well
A well, including all associated works, from which water does not flow or has
not flowed naturally to the surface but has to be raised or has been raised by
pumping or other artificial means.
Proclaimed area
Proclamation is a legal process that makes managing water resources the
Department of Water's responsibility. In proclaimed areas, under the Rights
in Water and Irrigation Act 1914, it is illegal to take water from a
watercourse or groundwater aquifer without a licence or a conferred right (e.g.
exemption, riparian right).
Proclamation
A legal process that allows the Department of Water to regulate the taking of
water in certain areas under the Rights in Water and Irrigation Act 1914.
Spring
Water rising naturally to and flowing over the surface of the land. This does not
include the discharge of underground water directly into a watercourse,
wetland, reservoir or other water body.
Sensibly-diminished
Noticeable impact on downstream users or to the environment.
Subarea
A sub-division within a proclaimed groundwater resource area, defined for the
purpose of managing the allocation of groundwater resources.
Surface water
Water flowing or held in waterways or wetlands on the surface of the landscape
Surface water resource
area
Areas defined by the Department of Water, used for water allocation planning
and management, which are generally hydrologic basins or parts of basins.
Unused water entitlement
part or all of the licensed annual water entitlement that has not been taken
(used) for more than three consecutive years, unless otherwise specified in
licence conditions or operating strategies or agreed development timeframes.
Watercourse
A river, stream or creek in which water flows in a natural channel, whether
permanently or intermittently
Watertable
The saturated level of the unconfined groundwater. Wetlands in low-lying areas
are often seasonal or permanent surface expressions of the watertable.
Wetland
A natural collection of water, whether permanent or temporary, on the surface
of any land and includes: any lake, lagoon, swamp or marsh; and a natural
collection of water that has been artificially altered, but does not include a
watercourse.