Katherine Tindall Limestone Aquifer Water Allocation Plan 2019 - 2029

The plan provides for the management of water resources to meet the requirements of section 22B of the Water Act 1992. It provides guidance on the protection, use, management and administration for water in accordance with Northern Territory Government policy, strategy and frameworks. It is the third water allocation plan for the Katherine Tindall Limestone Aquifer. The first water allocation plan for this water resource was declared in 2009 and is known as the Water Allocation Plan: Tindall Limestone Aquifer, Katherine (2009). A mid-term review was completed in 2016, setting out the water management arrangements for the remaining three years of the plan through the Water Allocation Plan: Tindall Limestone Aquifer, Katherine 2016-2019. The current Water Allocation Plan will expire on 19 August 2019 and will be replaced by the Katherine Tindall Limestone Aquifer Water Allocation Plan 2019-2029 (this plan). For the purposes of this plan, groundwater discharge from the Tindall Limestone Aquifer to the Katherine River is considered part of the same water resource as the groundwater of the Tindall Limestone Aquifer and subject to the water management arrangements outlined in the Plan.Northern Territory GovernmentKeypoints -- Summary -- 1 Introduction -- 1.1 Title -- 1.2 Legal relevance of this Plan -- 1.3 Date of commencement -- 1.4 Period of effect -- 2 Plan context -- 2.1 Plan scope -- 2.1.1 Area and waters to which the plan applies -- 2.1.2 Beneficial uses and water quality objectives considered in the plan -- 2.1.1 Stakeholder and Community Engagement -- 3 Vision and values -- 3.1 Vision -- 3.2 Values -- 3.2.1 Values of water -- 3.2.2 Population and employment.. -- 3.2.3 Land tenure -- 4 Water resources -- 4.1 Climate -- 4.2 Katherine River -- 4.3 Tindall Limestone Aquife -- 4.4 Surface and groundwater connectivity -- 4.5 Waterway and groundwater monitoring. -- 4.5.1 River flow and groundwater monitoring. -- 4.5.2 Water quality. -- 4.5.3 Ecological and cultural value monitoring -- 4.6 Hydrologic modelling -- 5 Waterrequirements -- 5.1 Non-consumptive water requirements -- 5.1.1 Environmental water requirements -- 5.1.2 Cultural water requirements -- 5.2 Consumptive water requirements -- 5.2.1 Water extraction licences -- 5.2.2 Rural stock and domestic -- 5.2.3 Water use exempt from licensing -- 5.2.4 Measuring water use -- 6 Objectives,outcomes and plan strategies -- 7 Estimated sustainable yield -- 7.1 Background -- 7.2 Estimated sustainable yield -- 7.3 Water extraction limits -- 7.4 Water availability -- 7.5 Allocations to beneficial uses -- 8 Water management arrangements -- 8.1 Annual announced allocations -- 8.1.1 Annual announced allocation accounting arrangements -- 8.2 Licence security levels -- 8.3 Groundwater discharge protection areas -- 8.4 Water extraction licensing -- 8.5 Water trading -- 8.6 Management of unused water -- 8.7 Bore work permits -- 8.8 Recharge licensing -- 8.9 Interference with a waterway -- 8.10 Water quality guidelines -- 9 Plan implementation,monitoring and review -- 9.1 Adaptive management framework -- 9.2 Implementation of the Plan -- 9.3 Plan review -- 10 Risk identification and mitigation strategies -- 10.1 Risk assignment -- 10.2 Mitigation strategies -- Schedule 1. Declaration of the Katherine Tindall Limestone Aquifer Water Allocation Plan 2019-2029 -- Schedule 2. Risk definition and classification -- Schedule 3. Summary of guidance -- Glossary -- Abbreviations -- ReferencesMade available via the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT)