Proposal by the Water Corporation to renew a groundwater licence to continue abstraction from the Millstream aquifer of 6 gigalitres per annum (GL/a). The Water Corporation hold an existing temporary groundwater licence to abstract 3GL/a from the Millstream aquifer until February 2027 (GWL205069), enabling combined abstraction of up to 9GL/a.

The referrer of the proposal contends that this significantly exceeds the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation’s sustainable limit of 6 GL/a, set in 2013.

The referral relates specifically to:

1. the existing temporary groundwater licence to extract 3GL/a (GWL 205069);

and

2. a proposal to renew groundwater licence GWL158011 (previously GWL105696), under section 5C of the Rights in Water and Irrigation (RiWI) Act 1914.