Water affecting activities

Water resources on Eyre Peninsula are precious and need to be managed sustainably. This includes watercourses, lakes, dams, wetlands and watercourse habitat, springs, soaks, and catchment landscapes. Some activities can have adverse impacts on the health and condition of water resources, the ecosystems that depend on them, as well as on downstream and other water users.

Water affecting activities are activities and works that can impact on the health and condition of water resources, water-dependent ecosystems and other water users. Under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019, an approved permit is required to undertake a water affecting activity. Our Water Affecting Activity Control Policy sets out the principles for managing water infrastructure and water take.

Water affecting activity permits are applied to, and approved by, the Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board and must comply with the Regional Landscape Board Plan. Activities and works that require permits include but are not limited to:

Constructing or enlarging dams or structures that collect or divert water;
building structures, obstructing or depositing solid materials in a watercourse or lake (e.g. constructing creek crossings, fords and culvert causeways, erosion control, flood control and dumping material);
excavating material from a watercourse (e.g. excavating or modifying springs, soaks and waterholes, removing sand or soil, cleaning out drainage channels);
destroying vegetation in a watercourse (e.g. removal of reeds);
draining or discharging water or wastewater into a watercourse or lake (e.g. desalination waste, stormwater discharge, drainage and salinity control); and
drilling, deepening and back filling wells, bores and ground water access trenches.

For new dams within the lower Eyre Peninsula area, an allowable dam volume (ADV) applies. Every property is given an allowable dam volume (ADV) depending on which priority catchment it sits within. This is to ensure all landholders have a fair and equitable opportunity to capture and store surface water in dams on their properties.

If you are planning to undertake a water affecting activity, please read the below factsheet about water affecting activity permits. Get in touch with your local landscape office if you need more information. Permit application forms are listed below the factsheets.