What is a well?
The definitions in the Act are:
"well" means -
(a) an opening in the ground below the surface of the earth excavated or used for the taking of groundwater; or
(b) a natural opening in the ground that gives access to groundwater; or
(c) any other excavation as may be provided by the regulations;
"well works" means an excavation undertaken to give access to groundwater, any other works undertaken to repair or modify the structure of a well or any works undertaken to plug, backfill, seal or decommission a well.
The form needs to be signed by the owner or agent of the owner of the property on which the well is to situated.
Your well driller may be able to complete the form for you but you will still be required to sign the form.
Application Assessment
Applications are considered in accordance with Section 135B of the Water Management Act 1999.
The proposed site and volume of water take will be assessed to determine whether or not the risk to the environment or other users is acceptable.
This assessment includes many different factors and an NRE Tasmania officer may contact you to clarify details or suggest different options regarding your application.
See the Application Assessment Fact Sheet for more information:
Well Works Permits Application Assessment (PDF 70Kb)
Exemptions
A Well Works Permit is not required for the construction of wells where the purpose is not to take groundwater. This includes most environmental, geotechnical, engineering and mineral exploration drilling activities.
Taking water from a well
In most cases, a water licence is not required to take water from a well (groundwater) on your own land. However, there are two key exceptions:
Under Part 5 of the Act, landowners or occupiers may take groundwater for any purpose unless an order has been made under Section 124A to appoint the area as a Groundwater Area and the order requires a licence to take water.
Groundwater Areas are specific zones declared by the Minister where groundwater use is more intensive and needs closer oversight to ensure fair and sustainable access. These areas are progressively being introduced across the State where necessary.
An example is the Sassafras Wesley Vale Groundwater Area, which is part of the Sassafras Wesley Vale Water Management Plan. In this area, groundwater licensing applies to manage the resource sustainably:
Construction and maintenance
Land owners need to obtain a Well Works Permit before they can either:
undertake construction of a new well
conduct significant alterations
decommission existing wells
Boreholes should be constructed in accordance with the Well Works Permit conditions and the
Minimum Construction Requirements for Water Bores in Australia:
The occupier of land on which a well is situated must ensure that the well, including the casing, lining and screen of the well and the mechanism used to cap the well (if any), is properly maintained. It is also an offence under the Act, by act or omission, to introduce any matter into a well that could cause pollution of groundwater.
Provision of information
The licensed well driller constructing any well must inform NRE Tasmania of:
the location of the well
the depth of the well and the level of the water in the well
details of cuttings and other materials obtained during the construction of the well
the analysis of any water obtained from the well
The licensed driller must complete a drilling log on the approved form and should supply a copy of this log to the landholder.
An example of a completed driller's log is below:
Example of completed driller's log (PDF 771Kb)
List of operators licenced to drill for water in Tasmania (PDF 122Kb)
The owner of the well should also receive a copy of the information, which includes the location listed above.
Basic groundwater information supplied by drilling companies using the driller's log form is available on the Groundwater Information Access Portal.
More information
The Frequently Asked Questions Fact Sheet provides answers to common questions:
Wells Works Permits FAQ (PDF 64Kb)