Berry Springs Water Allocation Plan
The Berry Springs Water Allocation Plan 2016-2026 (the plan) expires on 1 August 2026 and will not be renewed. The current area of the plan will be managed under the NT water allocation planning framework PDF (430.1 KB) (the framework) within the Darwin Rural Adelaide River water control district.
The plan currently allocates water for use in alignment with the framework, protecting 80% of the annual aquifer recharge (from rainfall) for environmental and other public benefits. It allows 20% of annual recharge (from rainfall) to be extracted for use including for domestic needs and economic development.
The Department of Lands, Planning and Environment (the department) has a good understanding of the water resource. It maintains 20 monitoring sites, including 14 bores and 6 surface water sites in the plan area. The department uses the monitoring data to assess the water balance and groundwater flows using a numerical model. All monitoring locations are visited each year and will continue to be monitored.
During 2022 and 2023, the department has released an annual Berry Springs state of the resource report. The latest report PDF (1.7 MB) identified no detrimental impacts of the water resource from the current level of extraction. The department will continue to release an annual Berry Springs state of the resource report.
Future management and water licensing
There will be no change to licences within the plan area. Currently, no water is available for new water licences or increases to existing water licences, unless water is traded from an existing licence. To make water available for economic development, the department is undertaking a campaign to recover unused water from water licence holders.
The department will continue to manage the Berry Springs water resources under the framework after plan expiry, to protect water for all users including the environment and other public benefits. It will also continue to monitor and assess this water resource while considering long-term water planning needs for the district, including the Berry Springs water resource. The department remains committed to engaging with the community on those needs into the future.
