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Water access and trade

Can I sink a bore?

Before you sink a bore, well or spearpoint in NSW you must first obtain a licence or an approval for the works from the Department of Water and Energy.

This is the case even if the groundwater is to be used only for domestic and stock purposes as part of your basic landholder right. For commercial purposes you will also need to obtain a licence to access the water.

For more information on the requirements for sinking a bore – see the information sheet Accessing bore water/groundwater (PDF 54KB)

The person who sinks the bore must be a licensed driller registered by the Department of Natural Resources.

The Department also operates a commercial Groundwater Drilling Unit. The drilling unit specialises in the larger or more difficult projects where few contractors have the expertise or equipment to undertake the project. The unit has a range of drilling equipment suitable for different types of requirements. For more information, contact us.

The Groundwater Drilling Unit specialises in:

	Deep Artesian Bores to depth of 1300 metres The Groundwater Drilling Unit has a rig that can drill artesian bores to a depth of 1300 metres.
	Reconditioning of Artesian Bores This involves the relining of the bore with either 114mm or 127 mm steel casing and pressure cementing between the old and new casing.
	Headwork repairs of hot artesian bores In NSW artesian bores range in temperature from about 39 to 70 degrees Celsius with flow rates up to 50 litres per second and pressures up to 500 kilo Pascals (50 metres head).
	Large Diameter Town Water bores The Groundwater Drilling Unit has four cable tool rigs in different configurations set up to drill large diameter town water bores. Bore diameters commonly drilled are from 8 inch to 24 inch cased bores to depths up to 150 metres. Chemical Treatment of Large Diameter Bores for Iron Hydroxide A common problem in bores in NSW is the build up of iron hydroxide sludge. Where bores are badly clogged a cable tool rig can be used to mechanically brush the screens and add acids to clean the bore for Iron hydroxide. This will improve well efficiency and the flow rate.
	Deep Groundwater Monitoring Bores Rotary Mud and Air Techniques The Groundwater Drilling Unit has three rotary rigs configured to drill bores from shallow depths to 500 metres. All rigs are capable of drilling with mud or air as the circulating fluid. When drilling with mud, specialized solids control equipment are used to ensure accurate samples for the geologists.
	Casing Advance Drilling large Diameter In geological formations with, large boulders or very unstable casing advance systems often the only way of drilling. The Groundwater Drilling Unit has 6 inch, 8inch or 12 inch Tubex Casing advance systems. The 12 inch Tubex system was used to drill the unstable formations above the weathered limestone aquifers for the city of Goulburn in 2005.
	Geophysical Logging to Depths of 1500 metres The Unit has a logging truck capable of logging to depths of 1500 metres. This can determine the suitability of old artesian bores for piping, reconditioning or plugging under the Cap and Pipe the Bores program. Our logging capability includes all the standard suite of tools for mud hole logging or open hole for fractured rock bores. A colour video camera can provide images of artesian bores to depths of 800 meters.
	Pump Testing of Water Bores The Unit provides a full range of pump testing capability from 1 to 220 litres per second. Our submersible pumps range from 3 inch pumps pumping one litre per second up to an 8 inch pumping up to 45 litres per second. Our Turbine pumps range from 6 inch pump pumping from 25 litres per second to a US pump semi trailer mounted pumping up to 220 litres per second.