Water Bore Drilling in Griffith

What water bore drilling in Griffith actually involves

Basic landholder rights let owners and occupiers take and use water for household consumption and non-intensive stock watering without a water access entitlement or a water use approval. The bore is the exception: the Department says you need an approval to construct it, and that the Department and WaterNSW share responsibility for granting and managing approvals for these bores, so ask which of them holds yours.

Who drills it

The same 2016 fact sheet says the driller must hold a current NSW authority for the work, that you are responsible for checking it, and that its class must suit the type of drilling; it counts six classes. That fact sheet is the source and it is dated 2016, so ask the driller to show you the current position in writing before work is booked.

After the drilling

Once the bore is constructed, your drilling contractor must submit a Form-A, the bore completion report, and the fact sheet says that is when you can begin taking water for household and stock supply. Groundwater is untreated: the sheet says it should not be considered safe for human consumption without proper treatment, which the water safety page follows up. If the water is for irrigating a crop or an orchard, that is a different entitlement and a different provider, and not what this site is for.

What the ground does under a bore differs from village to village around Griffith: the suburbs page lists the four villages with a sourced local fact. The costs page lists every NSW rule with its source and read date.

Water Bore Drilling in Griffith — common questions

Does a household bore need an approval?

Yes, to build it. The Department says you need a water supply work approval to construct a groundwater bore, including to take groundwater under household and stock rights. The use of the water itself needs no water access entitlement.

Who grants the approval?

The Department and WaterNSW share responsibility for granting and managing approvals for these bores, so ask which of them has yours.

Can I use the bore as soon as it is drilled?

A 2016 NSW fact sheet says the drilling contractor must submit a Form-A bore completion report, and that you can begin operating the bore once it is submitted.