Water management fees in Queensland
The Queensland Government undertakes a range of activities to sustainably manage the state's water resources.
To cover a portion of the costs associated with water management and planning, fees and charges are applied to certain dealings under the Water Act 2000.
From 1 July 2022, the Queensland Government has a new mechanism for how fees are updated annually to reflect indexation.
All regulatory fees in legislation have changed from fee dollars to fee units, with the fee unit value prescribed in the Acts Interpretation (Fee Unit) Regulation 2023. The fee unit value will be updated annually in line with the Government Indexation Rate (GIR).
Read more information about this change from Queensland Treasury.
For transparency, the department will continue to publish a full list of water management fees and charges.
Water management fees and charges
Fees in the Water Regulation 2016 are categorised as:
- schedule 12 and 13 – application and administrative fees
- schedule 14 – water charges
- schedule 15 – royalties for riverine quarry material
- schedule 16 – drainage rates.
Fee name | Fee |
---|---|
Application for a seasonal water assignment
| {{ waterfee_5935 }} {{ waterfee_36828 }} |
Application for a water allocation dealing | {{ waterfee_5930 }} |
Application for a water licence | {{ waterfee_5981 }} |
Application for a dealing with a water licence to renew the licence | Nil |
Application for a dealing with a water licence to relocate the licence | {{ waterfee_36779 }} |
Application for a dealing with a water licence for a seasonal water assignment notice for a seasonal water assignment | {{ waterfee_5986 }} |
Application for 1 or more other dealings with a water licence | {{ waterfee_36772 }} |
Water licence fee—for each year | {{ waterfee_5993 }} |
Application for an operations licence | {{ waterfee_5992 }} |
Application for an allocation of quarry material—for each 6 month period, or part of a 6 month period, the allocation notice has effect | {{ waterfee_5987 }} |
Application to renew an allocation notice—for each 6 month period, or part of a 6 month period, the renewed allocation notice has effect | {{ waterfee_5988 }} |
Application for a water bore driller's licence
| {{ waterfee_7556 }} {{ waterfee_7557 }} {{ waterfee_7558 }} |
Application to amend a water bore driller's licence | {{ waterfee_5990 }} |
Application to renew a water bore driller's licence | {{ waterfee_5991 }} |
Application to reinstate an expired water bore driller's licence | {{ waterfee_7559 }} |
Purchase a copy of a document available for inspection
| {{ waterfee_7561 }} {{ waterfee_7562 }} |
Certifying a copy of a document available for inspection | {{ waterfee_7563 }} |
Investigative search, by the chief executive, of the department's water entitlement database (not including providing copies of documents)
| {{ waterfee_7566 }} {{ waterfee_7567 }} |
Copy of a report on an entry in the department's water entitlement database | {{ waterfee_7568 }} |
Testing a water meter—for each hour | {{ waterfee_5994 }} |
Reading a water meter
| {{ waterfee_5996 }} {{ waterfee_5997 }} |
Fee name | Fee |
---|---|
Application to transfer all or part of a continuing interim water allocation | {{ waterfee_5975 }} |
Application to transfer all or part of a continuing interim water allocation
| {{ waterfee_36773 }} {{ waterfee_36774 }} |
Application to replace jointly held continuing interim water allocation | {{ waterfee_36775 }} |
Application to amend continuing interim water allocation | {{ waterfee_36776 }} |
Application to amalgamate continuing interim water allocations | {{ waterfee_36777 }} |
Application to replace continuing interim water allocation with 2 or more new continuing interim water allocations | {{ waterfee_36778 }} |
Water management area (date the water year ends) | Water charge |
---|---|
Barker–Barambah Creeks water management area (30 June)
Water harvesting—for each megalitre | {{ waterfee_6020 }} |
Border Rivers water management area (30 June)
Water harvesting—for each megalitre | {{ waterfee_32842 }} |
Bowen–Broken Rivers water management area (30 June)
Water harvesting—for each megalitre | {{ waterfee_6031 }} |
Boyne and Stuart Rivers water management area (30 June)
Water harvesting—for each megalitre | {{ waterfee_6037 }} |
Central Lockyer water management area (30 June)
Water harvesting—for each megalitre | {{ waterfee_6055 }} |
Dawson Valley water management area (30 September)
Water harvesting from zone Dawson B to M as identified in the Fitzroy Basin water management protocol—for each megalitre | {{ waterfee_6069 }} |
Dumaresq River water management area (30 June)
Water from a watercourse flowing from Glenlyon Dam
| {{ waterfee_6072 }} {{ waterfee_6073 }} |
Fitzroy water management area (30 June)
Water harvesting from zone Fitzroy A as identified in the Fitzroy Basin water management protocol—for each megalitre | {{ waterfee_6076 }} |
Logan River water management area (30 June)
Water harvesting from Burnett Creek or Logan River—for each megalitre | {{ waterfee_6084 }} |
Lower Balonne water management area (30 June)
Water harvesting
| {{ waterfee_6087 }} {{ waterfee_6088 }} |
Lower Burnett and Kolan Rivers water management area (30 June)
Water harvesting—for each megalitre | {{ waterfee_6090 }} |
Lower Lockyer water management area (30 April)
Water harvesting—for each megalitre | {{ waterfee_6092 }} |
Macintyre Brook water management area (30 June)
Water harvesting—for each megalitre | {{ waterfee_6094 }} |
Nogoa Mackenzie water management area (30 June)
Water harvesting from Lake Maraboon or Nogoa River or Mackenzie River to the junction with Springton Creek—for each megalitre | {{ waterfee_6096 }} |
Pioneer River water management area (30 June)
Water harvesting from zones Cattle 01, Cattle 02, Pioneer 01, Pioneer 02, Pioneer 03, Pioneer 04 or Silver/McGregor 01 identified in the Water Plan (Pioneer Valley) 2002—for each megalitre | {{ waterfee_6100 }} |
Three Moon Creek water management area (30 June)
Water harvesting—for each megalitre | {{ waterfee_6102 }} |
Upper Burnett and Nogo Rivers water management area (30 June)
Water harvesting from Nogo River or Burnett River—for each megalitre | {{ waterfee_6104 }} |
Upper Condamine water management area (30 June)
Water harvesting from zones UCU-03 (excluding the ponded area of Leslie Dam), UCU-04, UCU-05, UCU-06, UCU-07, UCU-08, UCU-09 or UCU-11 identified in the Condamine and Balonne water management protocol—for each megalitre | {{ waterfee_34450 }} |
Warrill Valley water management area (30 June)
Water harvesting
| {{ waterfee_6109 }} {{ waterfee_6110 }} |
Royalties | Fee/cubic metre removed |
---|---|
Removing state quarry material – for each cubic metre removed
| {{ waterfee_2356 }} {{ waterfee_2357 }} {{ waterfee_2358 }} |
Drainage rate | Fee |
---|---|
Burdekin River drainage area, shown on AP23668 rate for each hectare of land | {{ waterfee_6810 }} |
Water licence fee
Generally, unsupplemented water licence holders are required to pay an annual water licence fee. The fee unit is also listed in schedule 12 of the Water Regulation 2016.
The annual water licence fee may be waived in drought or disaster declared areas.
Water charges
Holders of unsupplemented water entitlements which allow for water harvesting in declared water management areas generally pay water charges to the department. These charges are calculated on the amount of water taken and are billed annually.
Also consider...
- View the forms and fees for water authorisations.
- Read Queensland treasury's principles for fees and charges.
- View fee units for water fees and charges.
- Read about urban water prices.
- Understand how Seqwater and Sunwater's irrigation prices are set.