Draft Eyre Peninsula Water Allocation Plan 2026

Have your say on the draft Water Allocation Plan for Eyre Peninsula's Southern Basins and Musgrave Prescribed Wells Areas, for 2026.

What's being decided?

We are revising the water allocation plan (WAP) for groundwater resources in Eyre Peninsula’s Southern Basins and Musgrave Prescribed Wells Areas, aimed to come into effect from July 2026.

Water allocation plans – managed by a local landscape board – must be reviewed every 10 years, as per the Landscape South Australia Act 2019.

The draft WAP has addressed 16 major items, some of which have resulted in changes to allocations.

We invite community feedback on the draft WAP which proposes to:

• Guide the sharing of groundwater between the environment, livestock and domestic use on farms, and for licensed extraction.
• Protect the remaining groundwater resources from falling water levels and salinity risks.
• Protect the environment that is dependent on these groundwater resources.
• Maintain water allocations for livestock and domestic use on farms at the previous levels.
• Acknowledge Aboriginal interests in groundwater relating to culture, water rights associated with Native Title, and economic opportunities.
• Reduce the overall estimates of the amount of groundwater that is available.
• Stop licensed extraction from some groundwater basins used for public water supply.
• Reduce licensed extraction from some groundwater basins.
• Increase monitoring and risk management requirements for large extractions.
• Improve water security in dry years for small users and public water supply in some basins.

Background

The Southern Basins near Port Lincoln currently supply about 75 per cent of mains water for Eyre Peninsula. The freshwater part of the Bramfield basin in the Musgrave area supplies 100 per cent of the mains water for Elliston, which is not connected to the regional mains water pipeline network. Mains water on Eyre Peninsula is used for primary production (38 per cent), residential (31 per cent), and for schools, councils, recreation and other uses (31 per cent) [Source: SA Water].

Groundwater extraction for licensed users is done via wells operated by SA Water for mains water, or by other licensed users for industrial (e.g. aquaculture), recreational (e.g. golf courses) and small-scale irrigation purposes (e.g. horticulture). Groundwater allocated for the environment aims to protect groundwater dependent ecosystems such as soaks, wetlands and groundwater-fed lakes, deep-rooted redgums, and coastal springs. Private wells enable groundwater to be used to supply water for livestock, and domestic needs on some farms and in some rural settlements.

The proposed changes to the water allocation plan have been driven by the current levels of extraction and reduced replenishment of groundwater basins following long-term reduced rainfall. Falling groundwater levels affect water availability and are increasing the risk of saline water being drawn into the fresher groundwater resources, which could cause irreparable damage to groundwater basins. Proposed changes to the WAP aim to manage these risks.

Find out more

• Read the FAQs on this page.
• Watch our 5-minute video explaining how the water allocation plan was created.
• Have a look at the diagram and explanation of how the water allocation plan works.
• Find out how the how trigger levels determine water allocations.
• Have a look at the conceptual model diagram and explanation of how local groundwater systems work.
• Read the previous (2016) Water Allocation Plan.

Get involved

Review the draft plan

Read the draft plan and accompanying summary of review document that explains the major items reviewed and either kept unchanged or updated.

Have your say

• Complete the feedback survey.
  
  
• Attend a community consultation drop-in session:
  • Elliston Community Sporting Club (Memorial Drive) on Wednesday November 19, 2025 from 3.30-6.30pm.
  • Port Lincoln Yacht Club (1 Eyre Street) on Thursday November 20, 2025 from 3.30-6.30pm.
    
    
• Email a submission to EPLBAdmin@sa.gov.au with the subject “EP WAP Revision” by 5pm on December 16, 2025.
  
  
• Post your written submission (to be received by December 16, 2025) to:
  EP WAP Revision
  Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board
  PO Box 2916
  PORT LINCOLN SA 5606

What are the next steps?

1. We will consider your feedback to help finalise the draft Water Allocation Plan.
2. The final draft plan will be submitted to the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water for approval, along with a report on the consultation processes and responses.
3. The approved plan will come into effect on 1 July 2026 and will be available on our WAP page and this page, once finalised.