Wells and Bores


Licensing

A water licence is not required to take water from a well unless specified by a Water Management Plan or unless the well is situated in an area of land declared as a Groundwater Area by the Minister.

A Groundwater Area is an area of land which has been appointed as a Groundwater Area by an order made by the Minister. The purpose of a Groundwater Area is to specifically define limited areas in which the groundwater resources are intensively used and to implement groundwater licensing in those areas in order to equitably and sustainably manage the resource.

The Sassafras Wesley Vale groundwater area has been proclaimed as a part of the Sassafras Wesley Vale Water Management Plan. A Plan of the area is available:

  Sassafras Wesley Vale Water Management Area Plan   (4Mb)




Construction and Maintenance

Land owners need to obtain a Well Works Permit before they can undertake construction of a new well or conduct significant alterations and decommissioning of existing wells. For more information see Well Works Permits page.

Boreholes should be constructed in accordance with the Well Works Permit conditions and the Minimum Construction Requirements for Water Bores in Australia;

There is a requirement, however, under Part 7 of the Water Management Act 1999, that 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.


Information about a Well

Upon completion of the construction of a well, the person constructing the well must return information about the well to the Primary Industries and Water Division, Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania.
 
The owner of the well should also receive a copy of the information, which includes the location, water level after completion, well construction details, the depth at which the water was struck, the yield of the well and the results of any pumping and/or bore yield tests.

Basic groundwater information supplied by drilling companies using the driller's log form is available on the Groundwater Information Access Portal at: http://wrt.tas.gov.au/groundwater-info


Further Information

Well Works Permits
Tasmanian Driller's Licence