Water Bore Drilling prices in Dubbo
This page sets no price: no government source states what a bore costs in Dubbo, and a figure from a sales page would be the seller's number, not yours. It shows where the NSW rules attach paperwork or responsibility to a bore, each with its source.
Call (02) 9072 0403Water bore costs and rules check
The NSW rules that can apply to a household or stock bore, each with the government page it comes from and the date it was read. They turn on what the bore is for and where it is, so check your address with the department before drilling.
| Rule | Applies to | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water says you need a water supply work approval to construct a groundwater bore, including to take groundwater under domestic and stock rights, and to construct a dam to hold water taken under those rights. The Department and WaterNSW share responsibility for granting and managing these approvals, so ask which of them handles yours. The approval application has a fee; the only government figure usable here is dated 2016, so no fee is shown: ask for the current figure.About bore approval and paperwork | any new bore, including a household bore | NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Basic landholder rights bore · read NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Frequently asked questions about domestic and stock rights · read NSW Department of Primary Industries (Water): Groundwater, Domestic and stock bores (fact sheet, August 2016) · read |
| The Department says basic landholder rights let owners and occupiers take and use water for domestic consumption and non-intensive stock watering without a water access entitlement (the Department's own term is in the quote), a water use approval, or, in some cases, a water supply work approval. A bore is the case where the approval is needed.About garden and household bores | a bore for household or non-intensive stock use | NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Basic landholder rights bore · read |
| A NSW fact sheet (August 2016) says a water supply work approval must be obtained before any drilling occurs. Ask the driller to confirm in writing that it is in hand before work is booked.About bore approval and paperwork | any new bore | NSW Department of Primary Industries (Water): Groundwater, Domestic and stock bores (fact sheet, August 2016) · read |
| The same fact sheet (August 2016) says only an authorised driller can be engaged to drill a bore (its exact words are in the quote), that the landholder is responsible for making sure the driller's current NSW authority is of a class suited to the drilling, and that there are six classes. Ask for the driller's class and number.About bore approval and paperwork | any bore that is drilled | NSW Department of Primary Industries (Water): Groundwater, Domestic and stock bores (fact sheet, August 2016) · read |
| The fact sheet (August 2016) says that once the bore is constructed the drilling contractor must submit a Form-A (bore completion report), and that you can start operating the bore for domestic and stock supply when it has been submitted.About bore approval and paperwork | a newly drilled bore | NSW Department of Primary Industries (Water): Groundwater, Domestic and stock bores (fact sheet, August 2016) · read |
| The Department says it is your responsibility to ensure water taken under domestic and stock rights is safe for use, and that NSW Health advises water used for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene should be tested and treated, including disinfection. The 2016 fact sheet says groundwater is untreated and should not be considered safe for human consumption without proper treatment.About bore water testing | water used for drinking, cooking or washing | NSW Department of Primary Industries (Water): Groundwater, Domestic and stock bores (fact sheet, August 2016) · read NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Frequently asked questions about domestic and stock rights · read |
| The 2016 fact sheet says the depth to which a new bore should be constructed depends on the geology beneath your property. Ask the driller how they will decide the depth and what they will do if the first depth does not give a supply.About water bore drilling | a new bore | NSW Department of Primary Industries (Water): Groundwater, Domestic and stock bores (fact sheet, August 2016) · read |
| The 2016 fact sheet says a pumping test can be carried out by an authorised driller or some pump suppliers, and recommends the analysis be done by a suitably qualified person such as a hydrogeologist. Ask who will do the test and who will read it.About bore pump testing | a bore whose yield you need to know | NSW Department of Primary Industries (Water): Groundwater, Domestic and stock bores (fact sheet, August 2016) · read |
| The Department says a water meter is not required for a bore used only for domestic and stock rights; if the bore is also used for other types of regulated water take, a meter may be required under the non-urban metering rules.About garden and household bores | a household bore | NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Frequently asked questions about domestic and stock rights · read |
| The Department says a bore must be decommissioned in accordance with the Minimum Construction Requirements for Water Bores in Australia and the department advised before you surrender its approval, and that decommissioning unused bores is meant to make sure they are safe and that contaminated water cannot enter the bore.About bore decommissioning | a bore that is no longer wanted | NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Basic landholder rights bore · read NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Frequently asked questions about domestic and stock rights · read |
| NSW Fair Trading says the automatic consumer guarantees include that services will be reasonably fit for any purpose specified by the customer, and that the service will be delivered within a reasonable timeframe or the timeframe the supplier outlined after you have paid for it. Say what the bore is for when you ask for the quote.About water bore drilling | any job | NSW Fair Trading: Consumer guarantees · read |
| The NSW Government's background document to the Macquarie Bogan water sharing plan says that many towns, including Dubbo, obtain some or all of their water supply from groundwater in the alluvial water sources. A new bore draws on a source other people depend on, which is one reason the approval comes first.About bore approval and paperwork | a bore near Dubbo | NSW Government (Water): Water Sharing Plan for the Macquarie Bogan Unregulated and Alluvial Water Sources, background document · read |
| Lodge a Before You Dig Australia enquiry before digging. It is free to lodge; in some instances, asset owners may charge to supply information.About water bore drilling | any job value | Before You Dig Australia, FAQs · read |
This lists each source's own lines as read; it is not legal advice, and it sets no price.
What changes a quote
What the bore is for comes first: household and non-intensive stock use sits under basic landholder rights, and anything else is a different regime this site does not cover. The geology under the property decides how deep the bore must go, the NSW fact sheet says, so the depth is the driller's to find, not ours to state. Whether the bore will be used for drinking or cooking comes third, because NSW Health's advice is that water for those uses be tested and treated. A pump and a pumping test are separate jobs again. An old bore on the property may need decommissioning to the national requirements.
Fees a government body sets
The approval application carries a fee, and the Department and WaterNSW share responsibility for granting these approvals. This site quotes no current figure: the one we can use is from the 2016 fact sheet, shown in the checker with that date, and the current one is published on a site this page may not cite. Ask the Department or WaterNSW what it is now. No source read for this site sets a price for drilling, so ask the provider for a written quote and what it assumes.
Costs and fees by service
- Water Bore Drilling
- Garden and Household Bores
- Bore Approval and Paperwork
- Bore Water Testing
- Bore Pump Testing
- Bore Decommissioning
No price is shown for any service on this site, and this site sets none. The one dollar figure in the checker is a 2016 government fee, shown with its date. It is not a price for your job.
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Last reviewed · Updated · First published