Determining buffer distances from water bodies

Before you start

The Land Management (Native Vegetation) Code 2018 helps landholders manage native vegetation. It supports productive sustainable farming while managing environmental risks. 

Landholders have obligations when proposing to clear native vegetation under the Code.  This includes the protection of soil and water with vegetation buffer zones around water bodies. 

To find out if these requirements apply to you, read the guide to managing native vegetation under the Land Management Code.

Clearing native vegetation around a water body 

Clearing native vegetation within the buffer distances of water bodies is restricted, or in some cases not permitted when applying parts of the Code.  

It is important to retain native vegetation in and around water bodies because native vegetation in these areas: 

• maintains water quality by stabilising soil
• preserves biodiversity in and around the water body
• provides important corridors of vegetation for biodiversity to other parts of the landscape. 

Waterbodies refer to a stream, wetland or estuarine area and are defined in the Code.  

The buffer distance, where clearing of native vegetation is not permitted, varies:  

• for different types of water bodies
• according to Strahler stream order. 

Types of waterbodies 

Definitions of water bodies that apply under the Code are: 

• Stream – an incised watercourse that exhibits features of a defined channel with bed and banks.
• Wetland – a natural body of water such as marsh, billabong, swamp or sedgeland (excluding a floodplain) that is:
  • inundated cyclically, intermittently or permanently with water
  • vegetated with wetland plant communities.
• Important wetland – a wetland that is a coastal wetland, or is listed in the Australian Wetland Database.
• Estuarine area – any part of a river whose level is periodically or intermittently affected by coastal tides, or any lake or other partially enclosed body of water that is periodically or intermittently open to the sea.

Strahler stream order 

Catchments are comprised of a branching network of water bodies. Strahler stream order is a method to describe a stream’s hierarchy in a catchment based on the joining of streams.  

You can apply the Strahler system to watercourses shown on a topographic map. 

• Starting at the top of a catchment, any watercourse which has no other watercourses flowing into it is classed as a first order stream (1).
• If two first order streams join, the stream becomes a second order stream (2).
• If a second order stream is joined by a first order stream, it remains a second order stream.
• If two second order streams join, they form a third order stream (3).
• A third order stream does not become a fourth order stream until it is joined by another third order stream. 

The image below shows an example of how the Strahler stream ordering system would be applied across a river and stream system. The thick blue line shows a fourth order stream (4) this would be an example of the upper reaches of a major river, for example, the Murrumbidgee River. 

DCCEEW has more information about the Strahler stream ordering system. 

Buffer distances around water bodies  

The table below shows the prescribed buffer zone distances for each type of water body when clearing native vegetation under the Land Management Code. 

Higher stream orders are typically larger streams and so have greater protection under the Code. 

Measuring distances from streams, estuaries or wetlands 

Buffer zone distances are measured along the ground to the edge of the feature. 

Streams 

The distance from a stream is measured from the top of the bank.   

If there is no visible channel, it is not considered an incised watercourse for the purposes of the Land Management Code. 

In some upland streams, the ‘stream’ may be considered a wetland as it may be comprised of a series of marsh, swamps or sedgelands (for example, a chain of ponds system.) 

Wetlands 

The distance from a wetland is measured from the edge of the wetland.  

The edge of a wetland that is cyclically or intermittently inundated can be difficult to determine. Wetlands are typically described by their ability to support animals and plants that need water to complete all or part of their lifecycle. 

Many wetlands also contain hydric soils, which are soils that have formed in the presence of water. When considering the position of the edge of a wetland, you should consider the extent of water inundation, the presence of indicator vegetation species, and also the soil type. 

Estuaries 

The distance from an estuary is measured from the high water mark. The high water mark is the highest point that is reached by water during high tide. 

More information 

Contact Local Land Services for assistance in determining stream order or identifying the edge of the watercourse located on your property. 

Email the Land Management team direct: lm.info@lls.nsw.gov.au 

Some activities and developments along waterfronts may be considered ‘controlled activities’ and require approval under the Water Management Act 2000.