Water metering program
If you hold a water entitlement to take non-urban water you may need to take action to meet Queensland’s metering standards. You will receive a notification 12 months in advance if you need to:
Non-urban water is water that is taken directly from surface water or groundwater and is not supplied by local government or other water service provider as part of a town water supply or other distribution schemes.
Non-urban water metering requirements are in force across many areas of Queensland. If you have a water meter installed, you must certify the meter every 5 years or sooner if it becomes faulty or if you change the meter installation. A new certification will be due 5 years from the last certification date.
New, modern water meters are:
- more reliable
- able to provide timely and accurate water use information
- helpful management tools that can be integrated with other technology
- nationally certified and meet the standards set by the National Measurement Institute.
Take action
- Find your due dates for installing and certifying a meter for the first time or for certifying an existing meter.
- Find a Duly Qualified Person (DQP) to inspect and certify meters. You can find a DQP by searching Irrigation Australia's meter installer and validator register.
- If you have questions, contact the metering team in your region.
Using uncertified meters to take water is an offence under the Water Act 2000.
When meters aren't required
You may not be required to install a meter in one or more of these circumstances:
- you don’t have any works (bore, river pump) or you are not taking water
- the volume stated on your entitlement is below a certain threshold as outlined in the water regulation, relevant water plan or meter notice for your area
- the water taken is an allowable volume for prescribed activities under the Water Regulation 2016
- the water taken is for an approved purpose by the department that does not require a meter, like stock and domestic use.
If you believe you meet these circumstances you must fill out an Information request form (W2F165) (PDF, 681KB) and return to the department.
If your circumstances for taking water change, you must notify us because you may be required to install a meter. We may request information from you or undertake a field audit to confirm what you have told us.
When you need to comply
Below are the due dates for new meter installs and first time meter certifications. Open each listing to see which areas are included.
If you have certified your meter already, your next due date will be 5 years from your last certification provided by a DQP.
Meter certifications due: 30 November 2023
| Water Plan Area | Water Management Area (WMA) |
|---|---|
| Condamine and Balonne | Central Condamine Alluvium (Upper Condamine) |
| Condamine and Balonne WMA | |
| Upper Condamine WMA | |
| Oakey Creek Alluvium | |
| Dalrymple Creek Alluvium | |
| Border Rivers and Moonie | Stanthorpe WMA |
| Moonie River catchment WMA | |
| Gold Coast | Lower Nerang WMA |
| Moreton | Cressbrook Creek groundwater WMA |
| Lockyer Valley groundwater WMA | |
| Mary Basin | Cooloola Sandmass |
| Burnett Basin | Coastal Burnett Groundwater WMA - area A |
| Bowen | Bowen Groundwater Management Area on Plan CAS3065 |
New meter installations and certifications due: 31 March 2024
| Water Plan Area | Water Management Area (WMA) |
|---|---|
|
Condamine and Balonne See map (PDF, 1MB) | Nobby Basalts underground water sub-area |
| Cunningham Alluvium water underground water sub-area | |
|
Border Rivers and Moonie
See map (PDF, 812KB) | Stanthorpe WMA |
New meter installations and certifications due: 30 September 2024
| Water Plan Area | Water Management Area (WMA) |
|---|---|
|
Condamine and Balonne
See map (PDF, 1MB) | All remaining Upper Condamine Alluvium (Tributaries) Underground Water Unit All remaining Upper Condamine Basalts Underground Water Unit Condamine and Balonne Tributaries WMA:
|
New meter installations and certifications due: 30 November 2024
| Water Plan Area | Water Management Area (WMA) |
|---|---|
| Border Rivers and Moonie | Border Rivers Alluvium underground water sub-area |
| Burnett Basin | Coastal Burnett groundwater management area for the following groundwater sub-areas:
Boyne and Stuart Rivers WMA |
| Fitzroy | Lower Callide, Prospect Creek and Upper Callide groundwater sub- areas |
| Cape York | Lakeland water licence zones 1 and 2 of the Cook underground WMA |
| Wet tropics | Mulgrave-Russell catchment area |
| Gulf | Gilbert River catchment area |
| Burdekin |
Burdekin groundwater management area
The Belyando Suttor subcatchment area under the Water Plan (Burdekin Basin) Plan 2007 |
New meter installations and certifications due: 31 March 2025
Water Plan Area | Water Management Area (WMA) |
|---|---|
Condamine and Balonne | All remaining water entitlements to take surface water. All remaining water entitlements to take groundwater. Condamine and Balonne Tributaries WMA
|
| Water licences to take groundwater from the Balonne River Alluvium or the Maranoa River Alluvium in the St George Alluvium (Condamine and Balonne (deep), Condamine and Balonne (shallow) | |
Warrego, Paroo, Bulloo and Nebine | All remaining water entitlements to take surface water. All remaining water entitlements to take groundwater. Water licences to take form the shallow groundwater units. |
GABORA | Surat Hutton groundwater sub-area |
Border Rivers and Moonie | Northern Weir River and Weir River (in policy) |
All remaining water entitlements to take surface water. All remaining water entitlements to take groundwater. Water licences to take from the shallow groundwater units. Border Rivers Underground WMA |
New meter installations and certifications due: 30 Nov 2025
| Water Plan Area | Water Management Area (WMA) |
|---|---|
| Condamine and Balonne | Gowrie Oakey Creek WMA Zones 1-4 |
| Toowoomba City Basalts sub-area | |
| Upper Hodgson Creek Basalts sub-area | |
| Border Rivers and Moonie | Upper Weir and Lower Weir River WMA |
| Warrego, Paroo, Bulloo and Nebine | All existing metered entitlements in the plan area |
| Logan Basin | Christmas Creek WMA |
| Running Creek WMA | |
| Fitzroy Basin | Dawson Valley WMA |
| Fitzroy WMA | |
| Nogoa Mackenzie WMA |
New meter installations and certifications due: 31 March 2026
| Water Plan Area | Water Management Area (WMA) |
|---|---|
Burnett Basin | Barambah Creek groundwater management area (GMA) |
Meter certifications due: 1 July 2026
| Water Plan Area | Water Management Area (WMA) |
|---|---|
Burdekin Basin | Subcatchment area E, other than Mistake A water licence zone water licence 621164 |
Subcatchment area F and subcatchment area G | |
Cape Campaspe WMA |
Meter certifications due: 30 Nov 2026
| Water Plan Area | Water Management Area (WMA) |
|---|---|
Condamine and Balonne | Jimbour Creek Alluvium sub-area |
GABORA | Eastern Downs Marburg Water Licence No. 100875 |
Mulgildie North Hutton and Precipice groundwater subareas | |
Gatton Esk Road Marburg and Woogaroo groundwater sub-areas - all non SandD water licences AND licence numbers - 406711, 406717, 406722, 406725, 406732, 406735, 406738, 406751, 406755, 406761, 406807, 406867, 407196, 409175 | |
Mary Basin | Widgee Creek subcatchment area |
Six Mile Creek subcatchment area | |
Wide Bay Creek subcatchment area | |
Tinana Creek subcatchment area | |
Fitzroy Basin | Isaac River and Connors River catchment area on plan AP14807 |
Comet WMA | |
Don and Dee Rivers and Alma Creek WMA | |
Don and Dee groundwater sub-area | |
Theresa Retreat WMA | |
Gulf | Flinders River catchment area |
Barron | The plan area |
Cairns Northern Beaches | |
Barron WMA | |
Atherton Groundwater MA | |
Boyne River Basin | The plan area |
Calliope River | The plan area |
Mitchell | The plan area |
Pioneer Valley | The plan area |
Whitsunday | The plan area |
New meter installations and certifications due: 31 March 2027
| Water Plan Area | Water Management Area (WMA) |
|---|---|
Burnett Basin | Upper Burnett and Nogo Rivers WMA |
Lower Burnett and Kolan Rivers WMA | |
Three Moon Creek WMA | |
Moreton | Warril Valley WMA |
Meter certifications due: 31 Dec 2027
| Water Plan Area | Water Management Area (WMA) |
|---|---|
Cape York | Cape Relocatable Surface Water Licence Zones |
Cape Water Plan Area | |
Cape York Peninsula Heritage Area | |
Endeavour WMA | |
Cape Underground WMA |
Contact us
If you require assistance please call the metering hotline in your region.
North metering hotline: 1800 822 100
email waterservicesnorth@dlgwv.qld.gov.au
South metering hotline: 07 3330 5441
email qmdbmetering@dlgwv.qld.gov.au
More information
- Read about water metering in Queensland.
- Contact your local business centre or phone 13 QGOV (13 74 68).
Last updated: 09 Jun 2025