Water Bore Drilling in Dubbo — questions and answers
Short answers on household water bores around Dubbo: the approval, who may drill, what the completion report is, whether bore water is safe and what to do with an old bore. Every rule is a NSW Government body's own, with its read date and, where the source is old, its own date. This site sets no prices.
Call (02) 9072 0403Cost
How much does water bore drilling cost in Dubbo?
We do not answer that with a price, because no government source sets one for a bore in Dubbo and a figure from a seller's page would be the seller's number. What the sources do say is that the bore needs a water supply work approval first, that the application has a fee, and that the Department and WaterNSW share responsibility for these approvals. Ask which of them handles yours and what the fee is now, and ask the provider for a written quote that says what it assumes. The costs page lists every NSW line with its source and read date. The costs page's rules check lists the NSW lines for a household bore, each with its source and the date it was read.
Do I need a water entitlement for a household bore?
Not for household use or non-intensive stock watering. The Department says basic landholder rights let owners and occupiers take and use water for those purposes without a water access entitlement or a water use approval. The bore itself still needs its water supply work approval.
A bore near Dubbo
What the plan documents say about where a bore goes
Five distances and dates, each in a NSW Government document's own words. Some are old, and each says so.
A fuel plume recorded under Dubbo
500 m
the buffer around a recorded fuel plume in which water supply works would not be permitted, in the plan background of the time
A record from an earlier plan. The current distance is unconfirmed, so ask.
Source: NSW Government (Water), Macquarie Bogan water sharing plan background document, September 2012 · read
A listed karst, as at Geurie and Wellington
100 m
the distance from a listed high priority karst within which a household bore approval must not be granted, in the Minister's opinion
The plan has other distances and exceptions. Ask the Department.
Source: NSW Government, fractured rock groundwater sources water sharing plan, consolidated to December 2022 · read
A river's high bank
40 m
the distance from the top of a river's high bank within which the same plan bars a household bore approval
Applies to the fractured-rock sources only.
Source: NSW Government, fractured rock groundwater sources water sharing plan, consolidated to December 2022 · read
The Bell Valley alluvium
24 km
the reach of the Bell River upstream from Wellington along which the alluvial groundwater source extends
Which source an address sits over needs the plan maps.
Source: NSW Department of Planning and Environment, Macquarie-Castlereagh Alluvium Water Resource Plan · read
Yields that follow the river
8 weeks
how long after the Bell River stops flowing that irrigation-scale bore yields were recorded as lasting, in most wells
An irrigation statement from the plan background, not a household promise.
Source: NSW Government (Water), Macquarie Bogan water sharing plan background document, September 2012 · read
Each figure names its source and the date it was read. None is a rule for your block or a promise about any approval.
Process
Who can drill my bore?
Only an authorised driller can be engaged, according to a NSW fact sheet dated August 2016. You are responsible for making sure the driller holds a current NSW authority and that the class suits the type of drilling. The fact sheet lists six classes, so ask for the class and number before you book.
Do I need a water meter?
The Department says no meter is required on a bore used only for domestic and stock rights. If the bore is also used for other regulated water take, a meter may be required under the non-urban metering rules.
Timing
How quickly can someone get to me?
We cannot promise a time. It depends on the provider's bookings. Form and phone enquiries are passed to a local provider, who contacts you directly.
When can I start using the bore?
The 2016 fact sheet says the drilling contractor must submit a Form-A, the bore completion report, once the bore is constructed, and that you can start operating the bore for household and stock supply when it has been submitted.
Permits and approvals
Is bore water safe to drink?
Not without testing and treatment. The 2016 fact sheet says groundwater is untreated and should not be considered safe for human consumption without proper treatment, and the Department says it is your responsibility to make sure any water you take and use is safe. NSW Health advises that water used for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene should be tested and treated, including disinfection.
Source: NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Frequently asked questions about domestic and stock rights; NSW Department of Primary Industries (Water), Groundwater: Domestic and stock bores (fact sheet, August 2016); read 6 October 2026.
Service area
Which suburbs do you cover?
Dubbo and the Dubbo Regional Council area. Three pages are written around one sourced fact each: Dubbo, Geurie and Wellington. The rest are covered on the same terms.
Do you drill the bores yourselves?
No. This site is run by a marketing company, which passes each enquiry to an independent local provider. The provider inspects the site, quotes and does any work itself; we have no rigs, no crews and do not carry out the work.
Thanks — we have your enquiry. Someone will be in touch shortly. Prefer to talk now? Call (02) 9072 0403.
Last reviewed · Updated · First published