Your Dam Your Responsibility (PDF~1.2MB)

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3 Licensing Requirements for Farm Dams
When considering your application to take and use water and to construct the dam, the
Licensing Authority must take into account many things, including:
• the availability of water at the site and in the catchment;
• the impact that taking water and the construction of the dam might have on other
users and the environment; and
• the conservation policy of the government, existing acts, plans, strategies or policies
at a catchment, regional or state level.
For new dams, the Licensing Authority will refer your application to the Department
of Sustainability and Environment, local government and catchment management
authorities for comment before it is approved.
For existing dams, an operating licence is required if the dam is a potential safety
hazard or, if there is a requirement to pass flows downstream for other users and the
environment. Dams with potential safety hazards includes those where:
(a) the dam wall is 5 metres or higher and has a capacity of 50 megalitres or larger; or
(b) the dam wall is 10 metres or higher and has a capacity of 20 megalitres or larger; or
(c) the dam wall is 15 metres or higher, regardless of capacity.
The operating licence will have conditions relating to dam safety, particularly relating to
operation and maintenance of the dam. These may require you to seek the services of a
suitably qualified engineer.
If the proposed dam is to be constructed on a waterway or the waterway is determined
to be of high ecological value, then you will need to comply with environment
requirements for proposed dams as described in Section 3.6.
If the Application is refused by a Licensing Authority, the Applicant may:
• appeal on the decision made by the Licensing Authority to the Victorian Civil and
Administrative Tribunal; or
• resubmit an amended Application that complies with the requirements of the
Authority’s guidelines.
3.6 Environmental Requirements for New Dams (on or off Waterways)
To minimise environmental impacts of new dams, a construction licence, if approved, may
have conditions that will need to be satisfied.
When a Licensing Authority receives an Application for the construction of a dam on a
watercourse or a waterway with high ecological values, the Authority will only approve
the Application if it is satisfied that:
(a) there is documented evidence that consideration has been given to all available
alternatives to constructing a dam at this location;
(b) no reasonable alternatives exist to the Application; and
(c) environmental requirements are planned for.
In addition, the Licensing Authority may require you to undertake an Environmental
Assessment Report for dams constructed on a waterway with high ecological values,
prepared by a suitably qualified environmental consultant(s). Guidelines are available from
Licensing Authorities concerning environmental assessment reports.