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DWE Home > Home > Water Management > Water access and trade > Farm Dams

Water access and trade

Farm Dams

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All rural landholders in NSW are able to maintain or build farm dams. There are several categories of farm dams that do not require a licence:

• Harvestable rights dams
• Farm dams built before 1999 used only for stock and domestic watering purposes.
• Farm dams up to one megalitre in size on small properties.

Farm Dams – Do you need a licence? (PDF 61KB)

Harvestable rights dams

Rural landholders in NSW can build farm dams on hillsides and minor streams that capture up to 10% of the average regional rainfall runoff for their property without requiring a licence.

Where can dams be built without a licence? (PDF 537KB)

Maximum Harvestable Right Dam Capacity (MHRDC) is the total dam capacity allowed under the harvestable right for your property. It is based on ten percent of the average regional rainfall run-off and takes into account local evaporation rates and rainfall periods.

For more information on calculating your MHRDC refer to:

What size dam can I build without a licence? (PDF 53KB)

To calculate your MHRDC, click on the link to the Farm dams calculator at the top of this page.

Farm dams built before 1999

Farm dams built before 1999, when the harvestable right was introduced, do not require a licence provided they are only used for stock and domestic purposes. However, these dams are included when assessing your right to build additional harvestable right dams.

Farm dams up to one megalitre in size on small properties

Licences are not required for farm dams with a volume of up to one megalitre on small properties where the MHRDC is less than 1 megalitre and the property was approved for subdivision before 1 January 1999.

No further harvestable right dams may be constructed; any new dams above this allowance must be licensed.

More information

For more information on Farm Dams refer to the information sheets:

Have you considered everything? (PDF 50KB)

What size are your existing dams? (PDF 224KB)

Farm dams in the Western Division of NSW (PDF 112KB)