33.3 Groundwater access entitlement for allocation extraction

Supporting Information

In the Adelaide region water rights in areas with an operational water allocation plan are bundled into a single instrument called a water licence. The bundled water licence means that the value of the entitlement is not distinct from the allocation. This is an ongoing groundwater right and is described as the annual water-taking allocation. By default recurring annual water-taking allocations are applied on 1 July each year and expire on 30 June each year. Subject to the conditions of a water allocation plan, the volume of unused allocated water may be carried forward to the following year, called a rollover allocation.

In addition to water licences, recharged water credits also represent an entitlement to extract groundwater. Recharged water credits represent a portion of the volume of water discharged in a prior recharge period. Water allocation plans (WAPs) describe the rules regarding the portion of recharged water available as a recharged water credit and the volume of unused recharged water credits that may be carried forward to the following year.

In the Adelaide region the following prescribed areas have functional water licences applicable to groundwater resources: