Farm Water Access Plan – What happens next?

Northern Midland Irrigation Scheme

Having a Farm Water Access Plan in place is a condition of having water supplied by Tasmanian Irrigation. For the Northern Midlands Scheme, all Farm WAPs must be completed by 1 October 2026 to enable access to water when the scheme is commissioned later this year.

Under the connection agreement conditions, water supplied by TI may only be applied to land and stored in dams covered by an approved Farm WAP. Farm WAPs demonstrate that irrigation water is used sustainably and in compliance with Australian and Tasmanian Government requirements.

The Farm WAP process

The Farm WAP is prepared through five key steps:

Steps 1 and 2 are now complete for most irrigators. We will soon commence Step 3.

Step 3 – Field surveys, mapping and risk management

Step 3 is scheduled for April to July 2026.

To ensure Farm WAPs are completed and approved before scheme commissioning, multiple suitably qualified ecological experts will be engaged to carry out Farm WAP surveys across the scheme.

Some properties required Lowland Native Grassland of Tasmania (LNGT) surveys to be undertaken in addition to the standard Farm WAP preparation process due to seasonal constraints. These early surveys addressed components of the Step 3 survey requirements. The remaining standard surveys will still be completed in conjunction with other irrigators between April and July 2026. This does not remove the requirement for further assessment.

When and why surveys are required – standard vs premium option

Biodiversity survey

• Undertaken only when the risk level or the landholder's request justifies it.
• Standard survey
  • Required when the desktop assessment identifies biodiversity values within the TI irrigation area.
  • Desktop sources include Natural Values Atlas, TASVEG, hydrology datasets, and Conservation of Freshwater Ecosystem Values.
• Premium survey
  • Assesses all land within the TI irrigation area.
  • Provides a complete biodiversity asset profile.
• No survey
  • Applies when no biodiversity values are identified, and a premium survey is not requested.
  • Farm WAP includes only a broad, general description.

Soil survey

• Undertaken using a risk-based approach.
• Standard survey
  • Required when the desktop assessment identifies potential soil risks or irrigation limitations, based on indicators such as soil pH, soil drainage, coarse fragments, land capability class 5 and above, acid sulfate soil sites, Land Systems of Tasmania, and soil vulnerability to wind erosion, waterlogging, sodicity, hillslope erosivity, and salinity.
  • Field work is limited to the affected areas within the TI irrigation area.
• Premium survey
  • Assesses all soils within the TI irrigation area.
  • Provides a complete soil asset profile.
• No survey
  • Applies when all desktop indicators are within acceptable ranges, and a premium survey is not requested.
  • Farm WAP includes only a broad, general description.

Overall principles

• Standard surveys are mandatory when triggered by the risk-based desktop assessment
• Premium surveys are optional and requested by the landholder.
• Premium surveys go beyond minimum regulatory requirements to provide a comprehensive profile of the whole property asset.

How you can help

To avoid duplicating work and reduce costs, please email any existing vegetation, biodiversity, or soil survey information for your TI irrigation area to .

This may include Forest Practices Plans, ecological assessments, planning approvals, environmental reports, soil surveys, or drainage and salinity investigations.

Costs and timing

While final pricing for Farm WAP preparation cannot yet be confirmed, costs will vary depending on several factors, including:

• the size of the TI irrigation area,
• the presence and extent of any soil risks,
• the survey type, and
• the amount of biodiversity values identified through the desktop assessment.

TI compiles all application details and conducts thorough desktop assessments upfront to minimise the scope of field surveys where possible and keep costs as low as practicable for irrigators.

A $1,000 discount will be applied to all NMIS Farm WAPs. This discount is included in the TI NMIS project budget and applies even if an LNGT survey has already been required.

Before Step 3 commences, you will receive an engagement agreement outlining:

• confirmation of roles and responsibilities between the irrigator, Tasmanian Irrigation, and the appointed qualified ecological expert,
• agreement to provide access and information for surveys,
• acknowledgement of pricing and payment terms,
• which surveys will be undertaken, including the choice of a premium survey, and
• indicative timeframes.

Your Farm WAP will be finished by the end of August 2026, ready for review in September, and finalised before water delivery starts in October 2026.

Important note

Confirming your TI irrigation area does not automatically mean that the entire area is suitable for irrigation or cropping. Parts of the area may be marked as exclusion zones where threatened vegetation or species are identified through surveys and must be retained for conservation. Additionally, areas with soil risks or inherent limitations that cannot be reasonably mitigated may be better left in their natural state.

If you have any questions, please contact Amy Madsen on 0439 856 122 or email .

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When will I receive the results of the Lowland Native Grassland of Tasmania (LNGT) survey conducted on my property?

A:

• Where requested, many irrigators have already received their survey outcomes, either verbally or via text message, directly from the consultant.
• All field surveys are now complete. Consultants are finalising data analysis and mapping and preparing a property-specific summary report for each surveyed farm.
• These summaries are due by the end of February 2026; thereafter, survey results will be emailed to affected irrigators in early March.
• Across the total 1,525 hectares surveyed, only 38.9 hectares have been identified as confirmed LNGT and a further 31.6 hectares as potential LNGT. These figures are indicative only and remain subject to final confirmation.
• If you require your outcome urgently and have not yet been notified, please contact Amy Madsen at amy.madsen@tasirrigation.com.au or on 0439 856 122, and she can provide an update.

Q: I am only purchasing NMIS water to top up a dam. Does this mean I need to include all areas irrigated from that dam in my TI irrigation area?

A: Yes. If any TI scheme water is stored in a dam or waterhole and becomes mixed with other water sources, then all land irrigated using that mixed water must be included in your TI irrigation area. Your TI irrigation area must cover all dams receiving TI scheme water and all land that will be irrigated with TI scheme water, whether the water is used directly or mixed with other sources.