Ti Tree water allocation plan
| Current plan | Ti Tree water allocation plan 2020 - 2030 |
|---|---|
| Map | Ti Tree water allocation plan area map |
| Area | 14,071km2 |
| Declared | 19 February 2020 |
| Duration | 10 years |
| Review | Every 5 years – review date 18 February 2025 |
| Expiry | 18 February 2030 |
The plan applies to all surface water and groundwater within the Ti Tree water control district (WCD).
It covers 1.04% of the Northern Territory and 100% of the entire Ti Tree WCD.
Plan objectives
The main objectives are to ensure fair access to water for economic activities for current users and future generations while:
- avoiding significant detrimental impacts to water dependent ecosystems as a consequence of consumptive water use
- avoiding negative impacts to cultural values reliant on surface or groundwater as a consequence of consumptive water use
- securing domestic and public water supplies for current and future populations
- enhancing opportunities for Aboriginal people from the region to benefit from consumptive use and water management.
For more information about objectives, strategies and performance indicators, read the Ti Tree water allocation plan 2020 - 2030.
Beneficial uses
The beneficial uses of water in a WCD are:
- environment
- Aboriginal economic development.
The Administrator may set other categories and publish a notice in the Gazette.
Beneficial uses are set for the different water management zones described in the Ti Tree water allocation plan.
Read the Gazette that was published on 31 July 2019 in general notice 31 PDF (495.6 KB).
Water resources
Surface water catchments and groundwater systems of the district are interconnected.
Flows from the ranges recharge aquifers in the southern and northern water management zones.
Smaller local aquifers in the ranges are also recharged by surface water flows and local rainfall.
Surface water
Surface water flows are relatively short lasting and as such are not a reliable source of water for consumptive use.
There are several temporary water bodies including Stirling Swamp, Anna’s Reservoir and Allungra Waterhole that have important environmental and cultural value.
Allocations
Surface water is able to be taken for rural stock and domestic purposes.
Licences
The plan doesn’t allow surface water extraction licences.
Groundwater
The main source of groundwater is the Ti Tree aquifer.
This is made up of saturated sandier sediments of old river deposits. These sediments are believed to be continuous across the basin to a depth of 40 to 50 metres.
Bore yield rates vary across the aquifer but some areas experience moderately high yield rates (5 to 15 litres per second).
The groundwater resource in the area also includes the Ti Tree Basin boundary, which features water-bearing sediments and rocks. It consists mainly of sandstone but also features siltstone, claystone and brown coal.
Studies show the basin reaches up to 300m in depth with groundwater resources at its base.
The Ti Tree Aquifer is recharged across the Ti Tree Basin by infiltration after significant flow events in the local streams and after significant rainfall events.
Allocations
The water allocation plan identifies 3 groundwater resources where an estimated sustainable yield has been established.
It refers to the amount of water that can be taken while meeting the needs of environmental and cultural values of the water resource.
The table below shows the volume of water available under the estimated sustainable yield from each of the groundwater management zones in the water allocation plan.
| Water management zone | Estimated sustainable yield (megalitres per year) |
|---|---|
| Southern GMZ (Ti Tree Aquifer) | 7,260 |
| Northern GMZ (Ti Tree Aquifer) | 100 |
| Low Yield Zone (outside the Ti Tree Aquifer boundary) | 2,840 |
| Total | 10,200 |
Licences
Groundwater is the primary consumptive water resource and is mainly extracted for agricultural use and public water supply.
There are 14 groundwater licences for agriculture and 3 for public water supply.
View the licences.
Aboriginal water reserves
There is no Aboriginal water reserve (AWR) in the northern groundwater management zones where consumptive use is limited to public water supply and rural stock and domestic.
There is no AWR in the low yield groundwater management zone (GMZ) because there is no eligible Aboriginal land that overlies or with direct access to a productive resource in this zone.
In the southern GMZ, 22% of the consumptive pool remaining after public water supply and rural stock and domestic use is set aside and reserved in the AWR. The percentage for AWR is based on the percentage eligible land area.
The AWR identified in this plan is notional at plan commencement because existing licensed entitlements in the southern GMZ result in insufficient unallocated water to deliver the AWR.
Water may become available in the future, for example, through surrendered, amended or cancelled licences.
| Groundwater management zone | AWR total (ML per year) | AWR availability (ML per year) | Percent provisioned (%) | Water granted from the AWR (ML per year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern | 1,505 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Low yield | 0 | 0 | N.A. | 0 |
| Northern | 0 | 0 | N.A. | 0 |
| Total | 1,505 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Reports and publications
- The Potential Use for Groundwater Use by Vegetation PDF (3.5 MB)
- Ti Tree Water Allocation Plan 2009
- Ti Tree Basin Water Resource Report 2009
- Ti Tree Region Water Resource Strategy 2002
- Ti Tree Water Allocation Plan 2014 Gazettal PDF (130.0 KB)
- Development of a groundwater model for the Ti Tree Basin PDF (569.7 KB)
- Ti Tree Kids "Save Water" E-book PDF (5.9 MB)
Maps
New plan
The plan was developed following consultation with stakeholders and the local community, including the Ti Tree Water Advisory Committee and Anmatyerr Kwaty Advisory Committee.
The community consultation identified that it is important to allow use of water for public water supply and horticulture, but not at the expense of the natural environment or cultural values.
The Ti Tree Community Engagement Report 2019 summarises consultation on the development of a new plan.
The plan acknowledges that important dreaming trails associated with water, including the Kwaty or Rain Dreaming and Hailstone and Lightening Dreaming trails, run through Anmatyerr country.
The plan establishes guidelines for protection of these important environmental and cultural values.
A review of the Ti Tree plan will occur in 2024/25 in line with the Water Act 1992.
For more information, read the Western Davenport and Ti Tree Water Advisory Committee on the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade website.
Contact
If you have any questions about permits or licensing requirements in the area, email water.licensing@nt.gov.au.
For water planning enquiries, email waterresources@nt.gov.au