This dataset identifies the Management Areas declared under the Waterways Conservation Act 1976. Under the Waterways Conservation Act 1976, the Minister for Water and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation have responsibility for the conservation of the waters and associated land in five declared Management Areas. The declared Management Areas are Albany waterways, Avon River, Wilson Inlet, Peel Inlet and Leschenault Inlet. The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation has an approval process for certain works affecting waterways and foreshore areas and can provide advice on other developments affecting, or likely to affect, the condition and public amenity of these waterways. Key aspects of the Act relate to protecting and managing the condition and amenity of waterways when there are disturbance activities within or adjacent to the Management Areas. Activities within or adjacent to the Management Area that should be referred to the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation for discussion or licensing include: changes or intensification of land use adjacent to or impacting on waterways or their foreshore areas (e.g. land planning, development, mining, mineral exploration, drainage or flood risk management proposals) dredging, reclamation, dewatering, drainage and construction activities including retaining walls, jetties, private boat ramps or public facilities other activities that may affect declared management areas, for example, those that may increase nutrients. Further information and advice can be sought from Department of Water and Environmental Regulation's regional offices. Contact information for regional offices is available at the Department of Water website.

For the purposes of groundwater resource management, the state of Western Australia is divided into groundwater areas proclaimed under the Rights in Water and Irrigation Act 1914. These groundwater areas are further subdivided into groundwater subareas. The subareas are not proclaimed, but are administrative boundaries used to manage the abstraction and licensing of groundwater resources.