A private water scheme is an arrangement among a group of landowners to share the costs and responsibilities of establishing and maintaining a private water system, including pumps, pipelines, channels, and related infrastructure.

This asset provides the mapped boundaries of Joint Private Works Schemes in New South Wales, including the parcels within each scheme. In early 2024, NSW Public Works mapped these scheme boundaries within a single spatial (GIS) dataset, using the NSW cadastre reference from February 2024 and a GDA2020 datum.

Two types of schemes have been mapped:
1) Private Water Corporations.
2) Private Water Trusts.

The scheme boundaries were mapped using the following methods, listed in descending order of priority:

i) Georeferencing images of gazetted maps to the NSW cadastre to align and match boundaries.
ii) Following boundary descriptions as detailed in gazettal notices, often requiring georeferencing of Parish Plans published near the gazettal date for contextual accuracy. NSW Spatial Services aerial imagery was traced when descriptions or maps referenced natural features like creeks, rivers, or water channels.
iii) Using a gazetted schedule of parcels.
iv) Referring to Parish Plans where Joint Private Works Schemes and Trusts were mapped.

The Water Group, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), provided the list of Joint Private Works Schemes and references to the gazettal notices.

This project is a collaborative effort between DCCEEW, NSW Public Works, and the Department of Primary Industries (DPI), with DPI creating the spatial files and PDF documentation for the Joint Private Works Schemes.

Note: If you would like to ask a question, make any suggestions, or tell us how you are using this dataset, please visit the NSW Water Hub which has an online forum you can join.