What is an agricultural water reserve and how would it work?
Under the Water Act, water reserves may be established for various purposes, including setting aside water for future needs. Water reserves apply to all or part of the water available from a stream (water that has not been allocated for use under a water licence). Therefore, an agricultural water reserve would protect a volume of water from a stream specifically for agricultural use. Water licences could then be acquired from the reserved volume for such purposes as irrigation or stock watering.
