• Skip to content
  • Skip to navigation
  • About us
  • Make a payment
  • Accessibility
  • News
  • Publications
  • Contact Us
Government of Western Australia Department of Water and Environmental Regulation
Go to Minister for Water
Go to whole of WA Government search
Home Show Sub Nav
Planning for the future Show Sub Nav
Finding water Finding Water

Finding new water resources, including Royalties for Regions-funded programs and other drilling programs to explore resources across the state.

Water allocation plans Photo from consultation for the Gingin groundwater allocation plan

Information about allocation plans, which set out how much water can be reliably taken from groundwater and surface water sources for productive purposes while ensuring the sustainability of the resource and protection of the water-dependent environment.

Meeting demand 1.3.1 Crop irrigation

Information about ensuring sustainable water supplies for the state’s population and industries, including the Water for Growth and Water for Food programs.

Rural water support Rural Assistance

Click here to apply for rebates and grants for farmers, pastoralists and rural communities to improve local water supplies and for information about assistance to help farmers access water during dry seasons.

Flood planning and mapping Meeting demand

Information, advice and management of flood plans based on flood behaviour research and floodplain mapping for the state's major rivers.

Water and land use planning Narrows Bridge

Integrated water and land use planning based on the principles of total water cycle management.

Innovation

The Department of Water invites you to share your ideas on creating innovative solutions to water challenges.

Licensing Show Sub Nav
Water licensing Water Licensing

Licences and how to apply, licensing policies, forms to download and answers to questions frequently asked by current and prospective licensees.

Water trading Water Trading

Find out who is eligible to trade water entitlements and how applications are assessed. Click here to identify potential trading partners from the Water Register.

Metering and measurement

Metering and measuring the water you take helps you understand your water usage to make the most of your entitlements and reduce your overall costs.

Water licensing fees

New fees for water licence and permit applications are being introduced to the mining and public water supply sectors from the 13 November 2018, post

Legislation Show Sub Nav
Current legislation Current Legislation

Current legislation for which the Department of Water assists the Minister for Water. Click here for current WA legislation.

Water reform

We are updating our policy and legislation to deliver water resource management legislation that is flexible, progressive and capable of managing water today and in the future.

Urban water Show Sub Nav
Water services Water Services

Legislation and policy for Western Australia’s water service providers.

Urban development Urban Development

Planning and managing water to enable growing, liveable water smart towns and cities.

Drinking water Mundaring Weir

Protecting and managing public drinking water source areas including policies relating to public drinking water source areas, water source protection plans, water quality strategies and management and review processes.

Recycling and efficiency Recycling

Information about wastewater recycling, water efficiencies and the use of fit-for-purpose water. Recycling is encouraged whenever it is socially, economically and environmentally acceptable to make smart use of waste water for the ongoing development of the State.

Bores Domestic Garden Watering

Garden bores are small domestic groundwater bores for private garden irrigation. Click here for more information about your garden bore, licence exemptions and being ‘bore water-wise’ in your garden.

Water topics Show Sub Nav
Groundwater Ground Water

Information on the state’s groundwater resources, locations, investigations, aquifer recharge and sustainable management of water resources, including an overview of state groundwater investigations.

Surface water Surface Water

Surface water, like rivers and streams used for public water supply, self-supply, irrigation, recreation and hydropower and rainfall and streamflow monitoring, catchment modelling and flood studies to manage surface water.

Water quality Water Quality

Click here for information about water quality, including public drinking water source areas, salinity, brochures, fact sheets and best management practices for various land uses and activities to help protect water quality and public health.

Waterways Rivers and Estuaries

Rivers and estuaries and their importance including information on monitoring and assessing waterways, protecting, understanding, planning, restoring, and risks and threats.

Estuaries

There are 166 estuaries in Western Australia as established through the National Land and Water Resources Audit (NLWRA) 2000, where an estuary is defined as

Irrigation Irrigation

Click here for information on types of irrigators, licenses and the role of irrigation as an economic enabler for industry.

Onshore petroleum and water resources 5.6 Shale_and_tight_gas.jpg

Information on the department’s role in relation to the shale and tight gas industry.

Maps & data Show Sub Nav
Maps Maps

A detailed collection of online atlases and maps with information on the State’s water resources, including depth to groundwater, garden bore suitability, geology and proclaimed management areas.

Monitoring and data Data logger hut

Information and reports collected from the department's extensive State-wide monitoring network, which are provided free for water management, state development and research purposes.

Main
  • Home
  • Water topics
  • Waterways
  • Managing our waterways
  • Considering waterways in planning and development
  • Groundwater
  • Surface water
  • Water quality
  • Waterways
    • What are waterways, rivers, estuaries and wetlands?
    • Values of our waterways
    • Threats to our waterways
    • Assessing waterway health
    • Managing our waterways
      • Legislation, policies and guidelines for waterways
      • Considering waterways in planning and development
      • Water Quality Improvement Plans (WQIPs)
      • Waterways management, action and recovery plans
      • Modelling catchments, land use impacts, and management effectiveness
      • Low dissolved oxygen and oxygenation
      • Restoring our rivers
      • River Restoration Manual
      • Urban waterways management and living streams
      • Soil amendments
      • Water notes
      • Waterway protection and management
      • Kent Street Weir refurbishment
    • Vasse Geographe Strategy
  • Estuaries
  • Irrigation
  • Onshore petroleum and water resources
Share
  • facebook iconFacebook
  • twitter iconTwitter
  • email iconEmail

Considering waterways in planning and development

Land use and development can harm our waterways, unless it is carefully planned and managed. The Department of Water supports land planning authorities to integrate water and land use planning  in ways that support population growth and state development, meet environmental needs and balance economic, community and cultural benefits.Land use - industrial Bickley Brook

We provide expertise and advice at all stages in the land planning process to ensure that water resources, including waterways, are appropriately considered by agencies that approve land use activities or manage land near waterways. We provide guidance to proponents about identifying, protecting managing our waterways and other water dependent ecosystems with significant value, including the quality and quantity of water they receive. This includes information about values values of our waterways, threats to waterways, flood planning and mapping, water quality protection notes, different land uses and activities, water sensitive urban design management of stormwater and groundwater, restoring our rivers and converting highly modified waterways and artificial drains to living streams.

Waterways foreshore areas

Protection and management of foreshore areas is essential for maintaining healthy waterways and wetlands, and sustaining the economic, social and economic services they provide.Land use - residential Bull Creek.

The foreshore area is the land that adjoins or directly influences a waterway. More specifically, it is the area of transition between the edge of the waterway and the furthest extent of riparian vegetation, flood prone land, and riverine landforms. It may also be a negotiated area endorsed by the Department of Water. Foreshore areas are also referred to as river buffers, river corridors, riparian buffers, riparian zones, riparian corridors or stream buffers in other states. Where a foreshore area or waterway buffer is to be set aside as a reserve under planning legislation, it is generally known as a foreshore reserve.

An appropriate foreshore area is designed to:

  • maintain or improve the functions, services and biological and physical features of the waterway
  • enable future restoration when restoration is recommended for degraded waterways. This may include restoring meanders in a straightened waterway
  • allow compatible land uses and related development activities to occur.

Vegetated foreshore areas reduce the impacts of erosion and sedimentation on waterways and remove nutrients and sediments to improve water quality. They provide aquatic, riparian (fringing) and terrestrial habitat for native flora and fauna while providing amenity and maintaining scenic quality and landscape values.

The Department of Water's current policy on foreshore areas is detailed in Operational policy: Identifying and establishing waterways foreshore areas. This policy provides a consistent approach to identifying and protecting foreshore areas.

BUWM Series Guidance Note 6 provides a summary about foreshores to assist people and organisations involved in implementing Western Australian Planning Commission's Better urban water management (2008), a planning framework developed to integrate water and land planning.

Supporting information about how to define a foreshore area or foreshore reserve is available from the following sources:

  • River Restoration No.16: Determining foreshore reservesrves, which is part of the River Restoration Manual
  • Water Notes 23:Determining foreshore reserves

The Foreshore policy is also part of State Planning Policy 2.9: Water resources Further information can be viewed on water and land use planning.

Page last updated - 07 Apr 2015
Return to top of page
The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation was established by the Government of Western Australia on 1 July 2017. It is a result of the amalgamation of the Department of Environment Regulation, Department of Water and the Office of the Environmental Protection Authority. This website/publication may contain references to previous government departments and programs. Please contact the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation to clarify any specific information.

WA.gov.au
FOR MORE NEWS ON WA WATER
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RSS
All content copyright © Government of Western Australia. All rights reserved.
  • Home
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
  • Copyright
  • Disclaimer
  • -->