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Media Release - Department of Water and Energy Date: 9 March 2009 NSW GOVERNMENT BANS NEW HAWKESBURY GROUNDWATER LICENCES No new commercial groundwater licences can be issued for the Hawkesbury alluvial groundwater system, the NSW Department of Water and Energy announced today.
“A ban is now in place that prevents the NSW Government from accepting any new applications for commercial groundwater licences for this aquifer,” said the Department’s Groundwater Manager, George Gates.
“We analyse data on long-term groundwater re-charge rates and have determined that the Hawkesbury alluvial system is nearing its sustainable limit.”
The sustainable limit is the volume of water that can be pumped from an aquifer without damaging the health of the environment or affecting supplies for existing groundwater users.
“The Hawkesbury groundwater system is closely connected to the region’s surface water systems, so over-extraction could not only threaten groundwater supplies, but could also affect river health and flows,” Mr Gates said.
The ban will only apply to new commercial licences for the Hawkesbury alluvial groundwater system, which runs along the Hawkesbury Nepean River system from just south of Penrith up to Wiseman’s Ferry.
“Some exemptions will apply, such as for household, monitoring or test bores, and we’ll still be making groundwater available if needed for public health and safety reasons,” Mr Gates said.
“Irrigators and other commercial users wishing to expand their business can still do so by purchasing existing groundwater licences.”
The Department of Water and Energy manages the State’s groundwater systems in line with sustainable limits and similar bans, known as ‘embargoes’, are already in place in much of the State.
“Drought and climate change have resulted in more and more people turning to groundwater to meet their water needs,” Mr Gates said.
“To ensure our precious groundwater systems aren’t over-used, the NSW Government has been capping extraction at existing levels through water sharing plans or embargoes like this one.
“This is in line with the National Water Initiative and helps protect the long-term health of NSW aquifers.”
More information on groundwater licences and water extraction rules is available online at the Department of Water and Energy’s website: http://www.dwe.nsw.gov.au/water/licensing.shtml
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