Border Rivers and Moonie water plan area

This information will help you understand how water is managed in the water plan area and how you can access water.

Map of the water plan area

Check whether your property is covered by the plan on the Queensland Globe water plan map (use Google Chrome for best results) or download the Border Rivers and Moonie water plan area map (PDF, 409KB).

What's happening?

  • 8 November 2024: The Water Use Report 2022–23 published.
  • 2 August 2024: We’re proposing to grant and amend water licences that authorise the taking of overland flow water in some areas of the Border Rivers and Moonie. Consultation on the draft water entitlement notice (PDF, 499KB) has now closed. We will consider all submissions before finalising the WEN, granting the new water licences and amending the relevant existing water licences.
  • 2 May 2024: The 5-yearly Minster's performance assessment report (PDF, 3.4MB) is available.
  • 2023–2027: Due dates for new meter installations and validations are published. Check your due date and take action to ensure your non-urban water meter remains compliant.

Previous milestones

Water management

Summary

Type of waterManagement
Surface water Check the water plan information below for rules and requirements
Overland flow Check the water plan information below for rules and requirements
Underground water Check the Great Artesian Basin and Other Regional Aquifers water plan for underground water and spring water in the Great Artesian Basin and other important regional aquifers. Check the Border Rivers and Moonie water plan (below) for all other underground water.

Water plan information

Water-sharing agreement with New South Wales

The New South Wales–Queensland Border Rivers Intergovernmental Agreement 2008 provides direction on water sharing and access, interstate trading, and managing flows of streams shared by both states as well as water for the Murray-Darling Basin. The following of appendices have been developed and adopted by the Border Standing Committee and can be accessed via the above link:

  • Appendix E1 on interstate trading arrangements (endorsed 31 May 2010).
  • Appendix F1 water resource accounting (endorsed 5 April 2011).

Water supply scheme operators and manuals

The licence contains information about the roles and responsibilities of the licence holder. Check the operations manual for day-to-day operational, water sharing and seasonal water assignment rules.

NameOperatorLicenceManual
Border Rivers Water Supply Scheme (see note below) Queensland Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water Resource operations licence (PDF, 99KB)Operations manual (PDF, 198KB)
Callandoon Water Supply Scheme Callandoon Water Users Limited Distribution operations licence (PDF, 181KB)Operations manual (PDF, 147KB)
Macintyre Brook Water Supply Scheme Sunwater Resource operations licence (PDF, 252KB)Operations manual (PDF, 466KB)
Yambocully Water Supply Scheme Yambocully Water Pty Ltd Distribution operations licence (PDF, 39KB)Operations manual (PDF, 138KB)

Border Rivers Water Supply Scheme

The Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water is the owner of water infrastructure in the Border Rivers Water Supply Scheme (WSS).

Irrigation water charges for 2023–24 and 2024–25 in the Border Rivers WSS are listed below.

ChargeRate Fee
1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024
Fee
1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025
Part A (fixed charge) Per megalitre of water entitlement held $12.93 (excl. GST) $12.93 (excl. GST)
Part B (variable charge) Per megalitre of water taken $15.85 (excl. GST) $15.85 (excl. GST)

View our Guide to the schedule of fees and charges (PDF, 75KB) for more information on these irrigation water charges.

Agreement for supply and distribution of water allocations

Customers of the Border Rivers Water Supply Scheme are taken to have entered into a standard supply contract on the day the water allocation is registered. The standard supply contracts include:

  • Standard supply contract No 1 (for the storage and delivery by resource operations licence holders of water under water allocations and distributed by a distribution operations licence holder).
  • Standard supply contract No 2 (for the storage and delivery by resource operations licence holders of water under water allocations.

Water sharing rules

  • Check the operations manual in the above section for water sharing rules for supplemented water for the relevant water supply scheme.

Temporary transfer sales information is required to be published in accordance with conditions of the Resource Operations Licence for the Border Rivers Water Supply Scheme.

Accessing water

Follow the links below for more information on how to access water in the water plan area.

Announced entitlements and limits The water you can take through your water entitlement may be limited. Check announced entitlements and limits for unsupplemented water or contact the water supply scheme operator for supplemented water.
Unallocated water releases No current releases
Water allocation trading

Check the Water management protocol (PDF, 4.9MB) for dealing rules for water supply schemes, unsupplemented water and underground water

For additional information on trading in the following water supply schemes see:

Seasonal water assignment

Contact us

Contact the Toowoomba business centre for more information on water management and how you can access water in the Border Rivers and Moonie water plan area.

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