Designating eligible land for Aboriginal Water Reserve
Aboriginal water reserves are a portion of water set aside in a water plan for the economic benefit of eligible Aboriginal land holders. Eligible landholders are listed in a water plan. Four land parcels have been identified for the Aboriginal Water Reserve in the draft Katherine water allocation plan 2026-2036.
Aboriginal land holders can help identify any parcels that may have been unintentionally overlooked due to the complexities of land titles and ownership records.
Eligible Aboriginal landholders are the registered owners of land in a water plan area that is identified as either:
- Aboriginal land under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976
- exclusive possession native title land
- Aboriginal freehold land
To be eligible, the land must also be greater than 1 hectare and have access to the water resource managed under the plan. Eligibility criteria are set out in the Water Act 1992 (NT) (Water Act).
You can check whether your property falls within the plan boundary by visiting the Check the map page.
The Department of Lands Planning and Environment is consulting on a 10-year water plan for Katherine (2026-2036). Public consultations will run from 13 October to 10 November 2025. This is an opportunity to check whether your land can be designated as eligible land for an Aboriginal Water Reserve.
If you think your land may be eligible for the Katherine Aboriginal Water Reserve take the survey, or contact Water Resources on WaterResources.DLPE@nt.gov.au or 08 8999 4455
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Take Survey
The Department of Lands Planning and Environment identified four land parcels for the Aboriginal Water Reserve in the draft Katherine water allocation plan 2026-2036 (refer table below or schedules F and G of the Water Allocation Plan).
You can submit your land details for review if you think you may also be eligible for the Aboriginal water reserve.
Land owner Parcel Land type Parcel area (ha) Designated eligible land area (ha) Aboriginal Hostels Limited NT Por 2041 freehold or leased land 4.75 4.75 Mimi Ngurrdalingi Aboriginal Corporation (Icn 7654) 573 freehold or leased land 1.04 1.04 Warlangluk Aboriginal Corporation NT Por 5607 freehold or leased land 15.96 15.96 Lorrl Aboriginal Land Trust NT Por 4324 Aboriginal land as defined in s 3(1) of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 (Cth) (ALRA) 42.5 42.5 This process is intended as an additional safeguard to capture any parcels of land that may have been unintentionally overlooked due to the complexities of land titles and ownership records.
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