Topics > Water and River Murray > Water projects, plans and security > Water legislation and policies

Groundwater (Border Agreement) Act

Along the South Australian-Victoria border, groundwater is the only reliable water source and there is increasing demand for the use of this resource. It is used for irrigation and for industrial, stock and domestic supplies. Many towns close to the border also rely on groundwater for their public water supply.

The resource is shared between both states and in recognition of the need to cooperatively manage these resources the two states entered into the Border Groundwaters Agreement (the Agreement) 1985. The Agreement was updated in 2005.

The Agreement provides that the available groundwater shall be shared equitably between the two states and applies to all existing and future bores. Bores that extract groundwater for domestic and stock purposes are not covered by the Agreement.

The Agreement covers an area that extends 20 kilometres either side of the border from the coast to the River Murray. This area is known as the Designated Area and is pided into 22 management zones with 11 Zones in each state.

The actual allocation of water is the responsibility of the licensing authorities in each state in accordance with the relevant groundwater management plan or water allocation plan prepared under the respective states' legislation.

The Agreement sets out:

  • the annual volume of groundwater allocation from each aquifer for each zone
  • the distance from the border for each aquifer within a zone where an application for a water licence or a permit to drill a bore must be referred to Border Groundwaters Agreement Review Committee for approval
  • the rate of groundwater level lowering.

Find out more about the Agreement’s licensing arrangements.

Water Allocation Plans (South Australia) and Water Management Plans (Victoria) prepared under the State Legislation must be consistent with the terms of the Groundwater (Border Agreement) Act 1985 for both South Australia and Victoria.

The Natural Resources Management Act 2004 (South Australia) and Water Act 1989 (Victoria) are also subject to the Agreement.

Licensing for the Border Groundwaters Agreement

The agreement sets out the licensing arrangements in regards to how much water can be taken from the various aquifers across the designated area, as well as when applications for a license or permit to drill a bore within a zone must be referred to the Border Groundwaters Agreement Review Committee for approval.

The actual allocation of water is the responsibility of the licensing authorities in each state in accordance with the relevant groundwater management plan or water allocation plan prepared under the respective states' legislation.

See the latest Annual Report for information about what can be extracted from the different zones in terms of:

  • Permissible Annual Volumes
  • Allowable Annual Volumes

Permissible Distance and Potentiometric Surface Lowering values are also available in the latest Annual Report.

Find out more about licensing and administrative arrangements.

Statutory review for the Border Groundwaters Agreement

The Agreement requires that at periods not greater than five years, the Border Groundwaters Agreement Review Committee must review the following management prescriptions as specified in the Agreement:

  • the permissible distance from the border in relation to a particular zone, sub-zone or aquifer within a zone or sub-zone
  • the permissible annual volume of extraction in relation to a particular zone of aquifer within a zone
  • the allowable annual volume of extraction in relation to a particular sub-zone or aquifer within a sub-zone
  • the permissible potentiometric surface lowering
  • the permissible salinity (if any) that has been established.

More information

Annual reports for the Border Groundwaters Agreement

The Agreement requires the Border Groundwaters Agreement Review Committee to prepare an annual report on its activities which it submits to the responsible State Ministers, who in turn submit the reports to the respective Parliaments. View the reports below.

Contacts

In South Australia:

Department for Environment and Water
GPO Box 1047
Adelaide SA 5001
Phone: (08) 8463 6800
Email: Complete our contact form

In Victoria:

Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning
PO Box 500
East Melbourne VIC 3002
Phone: 136 186
Email: customer.service@delwp.vic.gov.au
Website: www.delwp.vic.gov.au

More information

Acknowledgement of Country

Acknowledgement of Country

The state government acknowledges Aboriginal people as the First Peoples and Nations of the lands and waters we live and work upon and we pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge and respect the deep spiritual connection and the relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have to Country.

We work in partnership with the First Peoples of South Australia and support their Nations to take a leading role in caring for their Country.