Number of Bore Licences
What are we monitoring?
The number of bore licences granted to Blue Mountains residents and commercial enterprises.
Throughout the Blue Mountains there are a number of bores that have been drilled to provide access to groundwater. All bore operators are required to have a bore licence and the number of bore licences that have been approved for Blue Mountains residents and businesses are issued and monitored by the Department of Natural Resources. Residential bores do not have a meter and so the amount of water extracted is not measured.
The trend data presented in the graph and in the table is the number of bore licences approved within the Blue Mountains LGA for a specified financial year.
| Year | 2002-2003 | 2003-2004 | 2004-2005 | 2005-2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of licences | 17 | 32 | 46 | 27 |
What is the trend?
Until the last financial year, the number of bore licences granted within the local goverment area (LGA) was increasing at a rapid rate. From 2004/05 to 2005/06 the number of licences has significantly decreased from 46 to 27, which is a decrease of almost 42%.
Why is monitoring this trend important?
Groundwater is an important resource that supports ecological communities and is essential for many ecosystems that are prevalent in the region however, the impacts of extracting groundwater is not well understood. Groundwater also provides the base flows from which hanging swamps, rivers, stream and water falls are supported. These features also provide economic opportunities to the LGA through the development of eco-tourism. Groundwater also feeds into catchment areas that provide a consistent water supply for the built environment. Commercial businesses (eg. farmers) also rely upon the abundance and quality of groundwater. Although detailed information about the amount of groundwater extracted or the water table levels cannot be gauged from this dataset, the trend data could be indicative of a change in the community's perception about the availability and use of groundwater.
Source
The groundwater level is monitored at three sites within the LGA and this information is currently being sought. The data presented here was obtained from the Department of Natural Resources.