Access to Groundwater

In Victoria one in ten people use groundwater - from private bores, springs or public water supplies - for at least part of their daily water supply. There are in excess of 74,000 bores extracting more than 250 000 megalitres of water each year.

Dependable groundwater supplies for stock and domestic bores are available at depths less than fifty metres in some areas of the North Central region. A bore yield of at least 0.5 litres per second is usually needed for home use, but higher yields are more desirable. An initial assessment of a property’s hydrogeology is necessary prior to undertaking any irrigation development using groundwater.

The depth to groundwater will usually determine how it will be tapped, with the most common method being bore drilling. Having a bore drilled can be a complex and expensive operation, so it is important to make the correct decision about whether to drill, where to site the bore and how to construct it.

Suggested steps:

• assess the groundwater potential in your area
• obtain quotes from drillers
• apply for appropriate licences
• contract a driller
• analyse water quality (details of the analysis will depend upon proposed water use)
• test the aquifer for yield
• select and install a pump

Groundwater, like many other natural resources, is controlled by the Crown. Governments manage groundwater extraction to ensure that the resource is shared, to preserve the quality and quantity for future generations and to protect the environmental requirements of this resource.

In North Central, persons wishing to drill a groundwater bore deeper than three metres are required to apply for a Bore Construction Licence. Those wishing to extract groundwater for other than domestic and stock uses are required to apply for a Groundwater Extraction Licence. Landholders cannot legally drill their own bores. The Government certifies the competency of drilling contractors according to three categories. Licences issued for construction, alteration and decommissioning of groundwater bores state the class of driller required to carry out the work. It is the landholder's responsibility to ensure that the driller has the appropriate driller's licence.

Within the North Central region, approval of works to construct, alter or decommission a water bore is administered by Goulburn-Murray Water (external link) and Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water (external link), under provisions of the Water Act 1989.

Source: Goulburn-Murray Water website (external link).

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