Plan release information
The Gingin groundwater allocation plan was released in April 2015.
Supporting documents for the plan are also available:
- Gingin groundwater allocation plan: Statement of response
- Gingin groundwater allocation plan: Methods report
The statement of response summarises our response to comments and questions we received on the Gingin groundwater allocation plan: for public comment which was released in 2013.
The plan includes allocation limits, which outline how much water is available in the Gingin plan area. It describes how the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation will allocate and manage water resources and how we will monitor, measure and evaluate the objectives of the plan.
Water allocation planning for Gingin groundwater
Groundwater in the Gingin plan area is in high demand for various industries including agriculture, horticulture, mining, and coastal lifestyle developments. The plan will guide the management of water resources to support water users and ecosystems that depend on groundwater.
The department began work on the Gingin groundwater allocation plan in 2009, because of reduced rainfall and lower groundwater recharge. These trends have resulted in declining groundwater levels in many aquifers, as well as reduced baseflow in Gingin Brook and Moore River.
We have completed water allocation planning in the Gingin area to reduce the likelihood of:
- decreasing reliability of current licensed entitlements
- further decline in groundwater levels and pressure heads
- decreasing baseflow to Gingin Brook and Moore River
- damage and loss of important groundwater-dependent ecosystems
- the seawater interface moving inland, making groundwater saline.
We will manage these risks by using the allocation limits, licensing rules and the monitoring program in the plan. These initiatives are designed to maintain the availability of current groundwater allocations, as well as reduce the risks to the groundwater-dependent environment from water being abstracted.
Plan area
The Gingin groundwater plan area is about 90 kilometres north of Perth and extends over 6,000 km2.
The plan area covers most of the Gingin groundwater area, in the south of the Northern Perth Basin. It extends from Wedge Island and Moora in the north, to Guilderton and Bindoon in the south. It includes the towns of Lancelin, Seabird, Guilderton, Dandaragan, Moora, Bindoon and Gingin.
Along with the Jurien and Arrowsmith groundwater areas, Gingin is part of the Northern Perth Basin.
Water resources
The plan area includes nine main aquifers — Surficial, Superficial, Mirrabooka, Cattamarra, Lesueur Leederville, Leederville–Parmelia, Yarragadee and Fractured Rock aquifers.
For management purposes, the area is divided into 25 subareas. Together with the aquifers, it covers a total of 35 resources (a portion of an aquifer within a subarea). Subareas south of the Gingin Brook are managed under the Gnangara groundwater areas allocation plan.
Surface water resources in the plan area are managed through the Gingin surface water allocation plan.
Publications
Gingin groundwater allocation plan
Gingin groundwater allocation plan: Methods report
Gingin groundwater allocation plan: Statement of response
Gingin groundwater allocation plan: for public comment
Groundwater-surface water interaction along Gingin Brook
Environmental considerations for groundwater management of the Northern Perth Basin
Capacity of water resources in the Mid West to meet mining and industrial growth
Northern Gnangara airborne electromagnetic survey
Managing groundwater in the Gingin area fact sheet
Groundwater investigation program in Western Australia (2005 to 2020)
Hydrogeology of the Swan Coastal Plain between Cervantes and Leeman
Gingin groundwater allocation plan newsletter - April 2011
Gingin groundwater allocation plan newsletter - June 2011
Gingin groundwater allocation plan newsletter - September 2011