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Overland flow

What is overland flow?

Overland flow is water that runs across the land after rainfall, either before it enters a watercourse, after it leaves a watercourse as floodwater, or after it rises to the surface naturally from underground.

It does not include:

  • water that has naturally infiltrated the soil in normal farming operations
  • irrigation tailwater if its recycling meets best practice requirements
  • water collected from roofs for rainwater tanks.

Most water in rivers and underground reserves originates as overland flow. If too much water is intercepted before it reaches a watercourse, or if too much floodwater is intercepted before it returns to a watercourse, there will be serious implications for:

  • towns, industries and farms that rely on watercourses for water supplies
  • landholders who rely on beneficial flooding
  • the maintenance of healthy waterways.

How overland flow is managed

Rules in water resource plans established under the Water Act 2000 regulate the building of works that take overland flow either actively or passively.

Works that take it actively include:

  • pumps, storages, sumps, drains and pipes used to take and store it
  • any storage connected to another one used to take it, and the connecting infrastructure
  • structures used to hold it for ponded pastures.

Works that take it passively include:

  • levees or diversion banks used to direct it into dams, or to slow it down to increase the amount taken. This does not include works used in soil conservation.

Water resource plans do not regulate works that ‘interfere’ with, but were not built specifically to take overland flow. However, local planning laws may still regulate the building of these structures which include:

  • contour banks
  • fences
  • roads.

See Codes for assessable and self-assessable development for information on constructing works for taking overland flow.

You must also ensure that you comply with any other relevant state and federal laws when constructing works under these codes.

Where the taking of overland flow is regulated

Currently, the taking of overland flow is regulated in the following water resource plan areas:

In all of these areas, you will require:

  • an authorisation to take overland flow
  • a development permit under the Integrated Planning Act 1997 for most works for taking overland flow.

Contact your local NRW business centre for specific requirements in your catchment. See contacts below.

Moratoriums on development

To ensure that all existing uses are properly accounted for and that no further development takes place while a water resource plan is being developed, moratoriums can be declared to suspend construction of new works for taking overland flow. These can continue to have effect until a resource operations plan is in place.

While a moratorium is in place, the government strives to minimise disruption of normal farming activities and the Act provides for landholders to continue to have access to water for stock and domestic requirements.

Rules regulating both existing works and proposed new works to take overland flow water have been in place in the following plan areas since the dates stated:

  • Border Rivers, Moonie and Warrego, Paroo, Bulloo and Nebine—1 July 2004
  • Burdekin—2 August 2007
  • Calliope—15 December 2006
  • Condamine and Balonne—1 February 2005
  • Cooper Creek (moratorium only)—22 April 2004
  • Fitzroy Basin—22 July 2005
  • Georgina and Diamantina—6 August 2004
  • Gulf—2 November 2007
  • Mitchell—2 November 2007
  • Moreton—16 March 2007

Contact details

For further information on overland flow, contact the NRW business centre in the relevant water resource plan area.

Border Rivers; Condamine Balonne; Moonie; and Warrego, Paroo, Bullo and Nebine
Water Services Office
PO Box 318
Toowoomba  Qld  4350
Phone: 07 4688 1000
Fax: 07 4688 1188

Burdekin Basin and Gulf
Water Services Office
PO Box 591
Ayr  Qld  4807
Phone: 07 4783 0423
Fax: 07 4783 7291
Email the Ayr office

Fitzroy and Calliope River Basin
Water Services Office
PO Box 1762
Rockhampton  Qld  4700
Phone: 1800 822 100
Fax: 07 4927 3079
Email the Rockhampton office

Georgina and Diamantina
Longreach Office
PO Box 210
Longreach Qld 4730
Phone: 07 4650 1900
Fax: 07 4650 1902

Mitchell
PO Box 156
Mareeba Qld  4880
Phone: 07 4048 4850
Fax: 07 4092 2366
Email the Mareeba office

Moreton
PO Box 1653
Coorparoo DC  Qld  4151
Phone: 1800 308 252
Fax: 07 3224 2933

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