Water Ordering

Why do I have to order water?Travelling irrigator

For daily river operation:

Water orders help to calculate releases from the dam on a daily basis and ensure your water arrives on time.

By ordering water, river operators can see what is needed to meet customer requirements from day to day, this means that water is kept in the dam longer and not lost at the end of the river system. Accurate water ordering reduces end of system losses that impact future available water determinations.

There are many elements involved in daily calculation of water delivery along a river. Transmission losses, Evaporation losses, weather forecasts and water orders are just some of the factors the Water Delivery team need to assess daily flow requirements.

Water ordering ensures water is delivered to customers in a timely, efficient and environmentally responsible manner.

To achieve this we operate in accordance with our legislative requirements, including our Operating Licence, Water Sharing Plans, Water Management Act 2000 and Water Act 1912.

For licence condition compliance:

Customers are required to place water orders according to the conditions of their water access licence. Travel times vary depending on your position along the river. It is necessary to allow for travel times (lag days or lead days) when requesting water to be released for your needs.

When a volume of water is taken without an approved water order, then a penalty of up to 5 times the volume of water may be imposed under the Water Management Act, 2000. Since a failure to order water is a breach of a licence condition, there is also the possibility that you may be prosecuted by the NSW Office of Water.

For water account management:

Water orders determine what access licence usage is to be debited to.

Every time a meter reading is entered against a works approval in the Water Accounting System or iWAS, the accounting system looks for water orders that have been placed on access licences linked to that particular works approval.

To ensure your water is debited against the correct access licence, you need to place your orders on the access licence you want debited.

What is a complying water order?

A number of details are required to ensure a water order is complying.

A customised water order form has been developed to assist customers when ordering water and is available on the Forms section of the State Water website. The customised form outlines all the required information needed to ensure your water order is complying.

The details required for a complying water order are:

  • Access licence holders name. This is the name of the person/company that the access licence was registered in.
  • Access licence number. The licence number contains the letters "AL" in  it ie. 70AL, 80AL, 90AL etc. Access licences can have a variety of categories including general security, high security or supplementary. Supplementary licences can only be ordered against when a supplementary event has been announced.
  • Works approval licence number. The licence number that contains "CA" or "WA". A works approval is the licence number that has been given to your pump site. You can link a number of works approvals to an access licence. By linking access licencees to a works approvals, you then have the ability to use your available allocation water on any of your linked access licences through any of your linked works approval. This reduces the need to apply to move water between your access licences by way of allocation assignments. To find out more about linking multiple access licences to a works approval contact the NSW Office of Water.
  • Extraction site. Customer Field officers have been actively identifying pump sites through the use of Safe and Clear signs across NSW. These signs identify the extraction site ID (ESID) of the pump site you wish to use when taking water. These details should be recorded on your water order to ensure the water is delivered to the right place at the right time.
  • Pumping dates. You must provide the dates you intend to have the pump running. When ordering you must take into account the number of days it takes for the water released from the dam to travel to your pump site. This is called "lag days" or "lead days". You can provide the date you plan to start and the number of days you intend to keep the pump going or provide the dates and the amount required on each day. For an order to be complying, the order must not start within the lead days. If you need water earlier than your lag days permit, contact the Information centre on 1300 662 077.
  • Current meter readings. You need to ensure your meter is working at all times when taking water. The best way to do this is to monitor and record your meter readings at the start and end of each watering. It is advisable to provide the current meter reading to State Water when ordering water. This will ensure that your account has enough water in it to cover the water order. If your metering equipment is not working or working properly and you wish to place a water order, you must apply for approval to extract water while your metering equipment is not working via a Section 91i application form.
  • Name, signature and contact details for the person lodging the water order. State Water confirm each water order has been entered and approved. By providing contact details, you can be assured you will receive a confirmation.

What happens if I don't complete the order properly?Pecan trees

Water orders will be returned to you for correction if any of the details above have not been completed or if you do not have enough water in your account to cover the order.

It is important to complete the forms correctly as it may lead to a delay in getting your water when you want it.

Customer Information officers will return your order if the correct form has not been completed.  

Your order will be returned if the order has been placed inside the lead days specific to your access licence.

How do I submit my order?

There are a variety of ways to submit your water orders: 

How do I cancel or amend my water order?

Water orders in some valleys can be cancelled or amended.

If, for a legitimate reason, you wish to cancel or amend your water order the following applies:

Submit your order cancellation or amendment form in the same manner as a water order.

Cancellation or amendment of water orders outside the lag days will be processed without delay.

Cancellation or amendment of water orders within the lag days will be assessed and you will be notified of the status of your water order cancellation or amendment on completion of the assessment.