Cape York 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 Cape York water plan area map (PDF, 542KB).
What's happening?
- 30 November 2024: Due date for meter revalidations for the Lakeland water licence zones 1 and 2 of the Cook underground water management area.
- 1 June 2024: The 5 yearly Minister's performance assessment report (PDF, 2.3MB) released. The report confirms that the water plan and its implementation continue to sustainably manage water resources in the Cape.
- 7 Dec 2020: We have published a guide to accessing unallocated water from the Cape York Peninsula Heritage Area (CYPHA) reserve.
Water management
Summary
| Type of water | Management |
|---|---|
| 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 water plan below for all other underground water rules and requirements |
Water plan information
- Water plan.
- Water management protocol (PDF, 573KB).
- View the latest Minister's performance assessment report (PDF, 2.3MB).
- Access the Cape York water atlas and other historical documents and reports.
Accessing water
| Cape York Peninsula Heritage Area (CYPHA) unallocated water reserve | New CYPHA water licences are available for any purpose to eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons Holders of existing CYPHA water licences can assign CYPHA water to other persons (including non-Indigenous persons) |
|---|---|
| Unallocated water releases | No current releases from the general or strategic reserves |
| Relocatable water licences | Read about the relocatable water licence market |
| Seasonal water assignment | Check the Water management protocol (PDF, 573KB) for rules and read about the application process |
| Water allocation trading – unsupplemented water | Trading is available in the Endeavour water management area. Check the Water management protocol (PDF, 573KB) for trading rules |
Contact us
Contact the Mareeba business centre for more information on water management and how you can access water in the plan area.
Also consider...
- Explore the various ways we use science to develop, monitor, review and evaluate our water plans using our interactive storymap.
- Read Queensland's water plans in a variable and changing climate report to understand how water plans incorporate climate science and manage the risks of climate variability.
- Find out more about Indigenous water reserves.
- Get streamflow and groundwater data from the Queensland Government Water monitoring information portal.
- Access maps and water data using Queensland Globe or the water entitlement viewer.
- Find out about river improvement trusts and their work.
- View price information for permanent water allocation trades and relocatable water licences.
- Read about water planning and learn where to find information in the new water planning documents.
- Read the Water planning science plan 2020–2030 to find out how we use science to develop water plans and improve water planning.