Application fees
Application fees
Application Fees for Water Access Licences, Dealings and Approvals
WaterNSW charges fees to cover the assessment and processing costs of applications for access licences, water supply work approvals, water use approvals and access licence dealings lodged under the Water Management Act 2000.
These fees are determined by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART). The fees applying from 1 July 2020 until 30 June 2021 are listed in the following table, according to whether applications are lodged online or not. These fees will increase annually, based on changes in the consumer price index. Fees are exempt from GST.
2020-21 Application Fees
| Application Type | Normal Fee | Online Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Zero Share | $344.64 | $308.56 |
| Controlled Allocation | $344.64 | $308.56 |
| Other | $344.64 | $308.56 |
| Application Type | Normal Fee | Online Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Regulated Rivers | $371.85 | $337.36 |
|
Unregulated Rivers and Groundwater (All applications unless specified below as Low Risk or Administrative) | $1,116.69 | $1,080.60 |
Unregulated Rivers and Groundwater – Low Risk These apply to:
| $526.03 | $491.55 |
Administrative This applies to:
| $253.94 | $217.86 |
| Application Type | Normal Fee | Online Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Unregulated Rivers and Groundwater | $371.85 | $337.36 |
| Application Type | Normal Fee | Online Fee |
|---|---|---|
| New or amended Works and/or Use Approvals (All unless specified below as Low Risk, Basic Landholder Right or Administrative) | $2,056.92 | N/A |
New or amended Works and/or Use Approvals – Low Risk This applies to:
| $1,111.86 | N/A |
| New Basic Landholder Right Bore | $425.22 | $389.34 |
Amended Approval – Administrative This applies to:
| $253.94 | N/A |
| Extension of Approval – Lodged before Expiry Date | $257.08 | $221.00 |
| Extension of Approval – Lodged after Expiry Date* | $428.47 | $428.47 |
Note: 'new’ work approval means any work proposed which is not currently listed on a water approval or is replacing an existing work which is listed on a water approval. *Note that forms are sent directly to these holders.
Impact and rules-based assessments
Applications generally require a detailed impact assessment. This includes case by case investigation to consider potential local impacts and determine whether those impacts require refusal or consent, or consent subject to conditions.
Depending on thetype of transaction, impact assessment can include identifying and addressing impacts on adjoining pumps or bores, Aboriginal heritage sites, native vegetation, threatened species, wetlands, land degradation, salinity, soil compaction, geomorphic instability, hydrology, water logging, acidity, contamination and water quality, in addition to consideration and resolution of any lodged objections. In some cases where significant risks are identified, WaterNSW may require the applicant to commission third-party experts to determine the extent of those risks and how they might be mitigated.
Applications determined by IPART which are identified as ‘low risk’ are processed with a rules-based assessment which does not require the above detailed impact assessment.
Lower fees are charged for transactions which are identified as ‘low risk’.
Other fees or charges
Include:
- Charges applied by WaterNSW to all water licences and approvals for water management services, such as water resource management and metering. These charges are set by IPART.
- Fees applied by NSW Land Registry Services to cover the cost of Water Access Licence Register transactions and for issuing new water access licence certificates.
- Charges applied by WaterNSW for water delivery services for water taken from regulated rivers.