Mallee Prescribed Wells Area Water Allocation Plan

The Water Allocation Plan for the Mallee Prescribed Wells Area (the Mallee WAP) was adopted in 2012. Minor changes were made to the Mallee WAP by the Minister for Environment and Conservation in 2017 to ensure that it was Basin Plan compliant but none of these changes affected individual rights to take or use water.

Mallee Prescribed Wells Area Water Allocation Plan (December 2017)

Inline with statutory requirements, a 10-year review of the Mallee WAP was completed in 2022. Information gathered as part of the review will be used to amend the WAP to better suit the community and improve the prescribed wells area for future generations. View the factsheet explaining the Mallee WAP review process.

The Mallee WAP covers the area shown in the map of the Mallee PWA Management Areas and Border Zones within the Designated Area.

The Mallee WAP will:

• protect the resource for all water users, now and into the future
• provide greater certainty and more flexibility for water users
• offer more flexible transfer arrangements and new management areas with individual volumetric limits.

The Mallee WAP was developed by the former South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management (NRM) Board in collaboration with the community-based Mallee Water Resources Committee and key stakeholders. The NRM Board has now been replaced by the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board who now have the statutory function to develop water allocation plans.

The Mallee Prescribed Wells Area falls within the catchment area of the Murray-Darling Basin and the Mallee WAP has been accredited under the Basin Plan. Water user’s obligations to the Basin Plan are met by complying with the local water allocation plan.

Find out more information about what a WAP is and why they are important.

Find out about permits.

Water Allocation Plans are developed and maintained by the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board through funding from the landscape levies.

Mallee Prescribed Wells Area cost sharing arrangements

Cost sharing arrangements were developed to provide financial assistance to stock and domestic water users who have been impacted by irrigation draw-down, so they can adjust their bores or pumps in order to maintain access to water. The current cost-sharing arrangements were endorsed by the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board in February 2021 and are funded from the levy on water allocations.

You can find out if you are eligible for the cost-sharing arrangement by reading the Mallee Prescribed Wells Area cost sharing arrangement for stock and domestic users.

We recommend that all applicants discuss the options and criteria for obtaining funding under the cost-sharing arrangements before undertaking adjustments on bores, pumps, or mills for stock and domestic use. Please contact the Water Planning and Assessment Officer by calling 0448 699 514 or by emailing mrlandscape.water@sa.gov.au

Applications forms and lodgment instructions can be found in the Mallee Prescribed Wells Area cost sharing arrangements for stock and domestic users or as electronically editable forms below.

Attachments 1 - Application form for stock and domestic water users

Attachment 2 - Form for contractor/ driller

Related documents

• 2020-21 Annual Water Use Report – Mallee
• 2019-2020 Annual Water Use Report - Mallee
• Summary of the Mallee WAP
• Frequently asked questions
• Volumetric conversion for the Mallee Prescribed Wells Area
• 2011/2012 Annual Water Use Report
• 2010/2011 Annual Water Use Report
• 2009/2010 Annual Water Use Report
• 2008/2009 Annual Water Use Report
• 2018-2019 Annual Water Use Report
• Annual water use survey form 2019-2020