Water affecting activities
Are you planning work in a watercourse or dam? Make sure you have a Water Affecting Activity (WAA) permit.
Water affecting activities are activities that impact watercourses, dams, lakes, floodplains, springs, wetlands, and waterholes. All activities in these areas have the potential to have significant negative impacts on water users and the environment, especially if poorly designed, located, constructed or maintained.
Activities that require a Water Affecting Activity Permit include:
- Water diversion and storage - erection, construction, modification, enlargement, or removal of a dam, wall or other structure
- Building a structure in a watercourse, lake or floodplain
- Drainage or discharge of water into a watercourse or lake
- Depositing objects or solid material in a watercourse, lake or floodplain
- Obstructing a watercourse
- Excavation or removal of rock, sand or soil from a watercourse, lake or floodplain
- Destroying vegetation growing in a watercourse or lake, or growing on the floodplain of a watercourse.
Current ban on dams in the Mount Lofty Ranges
Due to the high number of existing dams and the potential impacts on existing water users and water-dependent ecosystems across the Mount Lofty Ranges, applications for new or enlarged dams are currently not being approved.
The allocation of new water to allow new (or larger) dam storages is reserved by the Minister until it is clear than environmental water provisions can sustain water dependent ecosystems at a low level of risk.
Applying for a Water Affecting Activity Permit
Before you start your application
Please contact our Water Resources team on 8391 7500 or via HFwaterteam@sa.gov.au to check if your proposed activities need a permit. Reaching out before submitting your application ensures you receive tailored advice and understand your requirements.
How long does it take to get a water affecting activity permit?
It is recommended that you submit your permit application at least 2 months before you intend to start the activity. There is a once off payment of $67. All permit applicants are assessed on merit against relevant Water Allocation Plan or Hills and Fleurieu Water Affecting Activity Control Policy, which may take up to 40 business days. An approved permit must be granted before works commence.
Water Affecting Activity application forms
Preparing your application
- Fill out the applicable application with as much detail as possible, this will help streamline the assessment process.
- Lodge the permit application with the following documentation:
- Landholder permission (if applicable)
- a copy of proof of payment (payment instructions found in application forms)
- photos
- maps illustrating the proposed works site
- specifications documents i.e. drawings (if applicable), and
- reports (if applicable).
Submitting your Water Affecting Activity application
Email or post your application to:
Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board
Upper level, corner Mann & Walker Streets
Mt Barker SA 5251
Assessment of your application
Your application will be assessed against the policies and principles in the Hills and Fleurieu Water Allocation Control Policy and relevant Water Allocation Plans for prescribed surface water areas.
Frequently asked questions
Download our most frequently asked questions about Water Affecting Activity applications.
Penalties may apply
Undertaking a water affecting activity without a permit or, in breach of the permit conditions is an offence under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019. If you are unsure whether the works you are proposing will require a permit, call the Water Resources team for advice before undertaking any works.
Contractors must ensure a landowner has a Water Affecting Activity permit in place before starting work. Both can be held legally responsible for work done without a permit.
The serving of protection orders or criminal/civil enforcement notices may be undertaken by the Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board or the Department for Environment and Water for breaches of the act. Financial penalties or prosecution may also apply.
Water Affecting Activities that may not need a permit
In some cases, you may not need a permit for certain water affecting activities if you follow the Board’s current recommended practices. These outline the best approaches, methods, or designs for specific activities.
You must still notify the Board before starting any activity to confirm a permit is not required. Contact us on 8391 7500 or at HFwaterteam@sa.gov.au. Activities that may not require a permit include
- Desilting dams - download recommended best practice guidelines
- Vegetation removal - download recommended best practice guidelines
- Sediment control within a watercouse in a bushfire-affected area - download best practice guidelines
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