Request for Assistance for Agricultural Drainage  

The Water Security Agency (WSA) understands the impacts agricultural drainage may have on downstream landowners and the environment. In some cases, landowners may be affected by upstream drainage projects that did not receive the proper WSA approvals. 

To ensure drainage works are operated responsibly, WSA is committed to effectively handling agricultural drainage concerns through the Request for Assistance (RFA) submission process. 

Under the RFA process, a person experiencing a drainage issue (a Petitioner) makes a request for assistance to WSA. WSA first determines if the drainage works concerned exist, whether the drainage works have an approval and if they are being operated within the conditions in the approval. 

This ensures:

• Impacted parties are heard and responded to; 
• The person who owns the concerned works (the Respondent) is informed of the options to bring their drainage into compliance with legislation, which can include getting their drainage works approved or closing their works; and,  that drainage works are brought into compliance in a timely manner.