Water Bore Drilling in Dubbo

The Department's basic landholder rights page says you need a water supply work approval if you take water for domestic and stock rights using a bore. A NSW fact sheet dated August 2016 says the approval must be obtained before any drilling occurs, and that only an authorised driller can be engaged to drill. You are responsible for making sure the driller holds a current NSW authority, and the class has to be appropriate for the type of drilling. The fact sheet says there are six classes, each allowing different standards of bore in different groundwater systems. Ask for the class and the number in writing before you book.

After the drilling

The fact sheet says the drilling contractor must submit a Form-A, the bore completion report, once the bore is built, and that you can start using the bore for household and stock supply when it has been submitted.

What the sources leave open

The depth of a new bore depends on the geology under the property, the 2016 fact sheet says, so no depth or yield is stated on this site. The fee for the approval is also left out: the one government figure we can use is from 2016, and the Department and WaterNSW share responsibility for granting these approvals, so ask which of them handles yours and what the fee is now.

Which water sharing plan and which groundwater source apply to a given address is for the Department to say, and this site does not say it for you. The approval and paperwork page sets out the papers, the rules check on the costs page lists every NSW line with its source and read date, and the suburbs page lists the areas this site covers.

Do I need an approval to drill a household bore?

Yes. The NSW Department says you need a water supply work approval to construct a groundwater bore, including to take groundwater under domestic and stock rights.

When do I apply?

Before the drill arrives. A NSW fact sheet dated August 2016 says the approval must be obtained before any drilling occurs.

Who may drill the bore?

An authorised driller whose NSW class suits the type of drilling. The fact sheet puts the check on you as the landholder and lists six classes.