Riverine protection permits
If you wish to destroy vegetation, excavate, or place fill within a watercourse, lake or spring, you may apply for a riverine protection permit. Your application will be decided in accordance with the Water Act 2000.
If you are not the registered owner of the land wholly containing or adjacent to the watercourse, lake or spring where the activity is proposed, you must have the written consent of the relevant land owners.
Application for a riverine protection permit (PDF, 59K)*. No fees currently apply.
Note that certain applications for a riverine protection permit within a wild river area may not be accepted.
Exemptions
You do not require a riverine protection permit if the activity is:
- listed as an exemption under section 814(2) of the Water Act 2000 or
- permitted under sections 49–51 of the Water Regulation 2002 or
- undertaken in accordance with the following guidelines:
- Activities in a watercourse, lake or spring carried out by an entity —exemptions to local governments, government departments and certain government-owned corporations
- Activities in a watercourse, lake or spring associated with a resource activity or mining operations—guidelines for holders of an environmental authority under the Environmental Protection Act 1994, mineral development licence or mining lease under the Mineral Resources Act 1989
- Activities in a watercourse or lake undertaken by a holder of an interim resource operations licence, resource operations licence or distribution operations licence
- Activities in a watercourse, lake or spring carried out by a landowner.
Additional vegetation clearing exemptions may also apply under Schedule 24 of the Sustainable Planning Regulation 2009.
Best practice
Best practice principles (PDF, 33K)* should be adopted when carrying out an activity in a watercourse, lake or spring.
Natural disaster preparedness and recovery
To prepare for or recover from a disaster, landowners can carry out activities to rehabilitate a watercourse or repair infrastructure in and around a watercourse. This fact sheet (PDF, 30K)* outlines the legal requirements for undertaking activities in a watercourse before, during and after an emergency or disaster.
Please contact your local departmental business centre for any queries relating to riverine protection permits.
Removing large woody debris from a watercourse
Information is available for landowners planning to remove large woody debris from a watercourse.
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Last updated 14 September 2012
